Green Energy Futures

This week we speak to Tristan Walker one of 40 people appointed as a fellow of The Energy Futures social innovation lab to have the hard conversations about how our energy systems can evolve to meet net-zero objectives. Tristan Walker of Massif Energy is working on the Alberta's Electricity Future initiative with a diverse group of Albertans. While the social sphere is dominated by polarization, and us-verses-them narratives the people in the lab from a wide cross section of society and industry come together to find common ground on some of the biggest issues of our time, such as how to get Alberta to net-zero. GreenEnergyFutures.ca CKUA.com Podcast Learn more in our blog at GreenEnergyFutures.ca

The Energy Futures Lab is like a breath of fresh air in today’s polarized world, where meaningful discussions about real-world problems are scarce. Every year, they invite 40 talented individuals from various fields to join their mission and tackle some of the most challenging issues facing us, like how to get Alberta to net-zero emissions. To celebrate their 10th anniversary, we caught up with Maureen Kolla from the Energy Futures Lab and Tristan Walker, an energy consultant who’s part of the 40 fellows in 2024. Tristan is part of the Albertas Electricity Future group which is head up by Maureen Kolla and they recently released a vision for Alberta’s electricity future, and we’re excited to share it with you! GreenEnergyFutures.ca CKUA.com Podcast Learn more at GreenEnergyFutures.ca SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

Get totally TRUCKED UP! Simon Lindley, fed up with the FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) surrounding electric vehicle (EV) trucks, decided to take matters into his own hands. He launched the Trucked Up EVs YouTube channel, where he’s on a mission to test the limits of these electric beasts, evaluate the charging infrastructure across Canada, and debunk some myths. I caught up with Simon at the very beginning of the Alaska Highway in Dawson Creek, British Columbia. He was plugged into a BC Hydro DC Fast Charging station, charging his Ford F-150 Lightning at lightning speed. To truly understand the pros, cons, and challenges of touring with an EV truck, Simon embarked on an epic 24,000-kilometer cross-country adventure. He’s testing the limits of his EV, exploring the charging landscape across every province, and engaging with his viewers in local coffee shops to discuss the future of electric vehicles. This is Green Energy Futures’ David Dodge’s full interview with Simon (35 minutes). Don’t miss out! Subscribe to our channel today. Also, CHECK OUT OUR VIDEO feature (8 minutes) at https://youtu.be/sPgpl_qJwJk AND our short video (1 minute) at https://youtube.com/shorts/j9jWfk99z_k. For more IN-DEPTH CONTENT, visit GreenEnergyFutures.ca, where you’ll find our collection of 400 micro-documentaries.

I met Simon Lindley at Mile 0 of the Alaska Highway in Dawson Creek, British Columbia. His passion for EV trucks inspired him to create a YouTube Channel called Trucked Up EVs to look into the good, the bad and the ugly of EV Trucks. He has a passion for busting myths and had just wrapped up a cross Canada tour on which he tested the limits of his Ford F150 Lightning and took stock on the charging infrastructure from province to province. GreenEnergyFutures.ca CKUA.com Podcast Subscribe today! And see our blog at GreenEnergyFutures.ca

In a recent episode we talked to Jeremy Kureluk of Rental Bus Lines about how much they like their electric buses and how they hoped one day to connect them to a virtual power plant to feed electricity to the grid. Turns out this is already happening in Canada. Rob Safrata owns a tour bus company and he too wants to go electric. So he started FUSE Power Management, based in Vancouver, to set up the infrastruture and contracts needed to use electric buses as virtual power plants which would make going electric even more lucrative. Peaking power is valuable and fleets of electric buses that are parked during the evening peak electricity period could make revenue helping the grid when it needs electricity. GreenEnergyFutures.ca CKUA.com Podcast See blog at GreenEnergyFutures.ca to learn more or subscribe to our video podcast on YouTube.

The wheels on this electric bus have been going around and around since 2017. We talk to Jeremy Kureluk of Rental Bus Lines based in Stony Plain, Alberta about owning and operating an electric school bus in the cold Canadian north. Turns out they love their electric buses and want more. We dive into all the questions you might have including range, winter performance, maintenance, and more. GreenEnergyFutures.ca CKUA.com Pocast

The ballots have been counted and the winners have been announced of the Energy Innovation Challenge hosted by Decentralised Energy Canada and the City of Medicine Hat. The winners were announced at the Decentralised Energy Canada Forum in Whistlers, British Columbia. (https://www.deforum.ca/) The winners solutions will be piloted on the Medicine Hat Grid to help integrate decentralized energy resources such as solar, wind, EVs, batteries and heat pumps. The solutions are a mix of software and hardware designed to use these resources to expand the capacity of the grid, provide cheap energy and better utilize existing underutilized 20th Century grid infrastructure. It's the first step in creating a resilient, affordable and reliable grid of the future. We talk to the winners from Edgecom Energy and Arcus Power. GreenEnergyFutures.ca CKUA.com Podcast Subscribe today and lean more in our blog and YouTube Channel.

It's a ticking time bomb - how do we integrate millions of solar, wind and battery projects along with 250 million EVs by 2030 into our outdated 20th Century Grid? Old school utilities often think of building more power plants, distribution, and transmission, but that would cost too much and could never happen fast enough. At least part of the answer lies in software, AI and smart grid technologies. This week on Green Energy Futures we talk to Sabine Erlinghagen, the CEO of Siemens Grid Software about how to build the smart, affordable, resilient and reliable grid of the future. GreenEnergyFutures.ca CKUA.com Podcast

The City of Medicine Hat has partnered with Decentralised Energy Canada to host the Energy Innovation Challenge, a tool they are using to navigate energy transition and transform new energy resources such as solar, EVs, batteries and managed loads into assets instead of liabilities. GreenEnergyFutures.ca CKUA.com Podcast Medicine Hat & The Energy Innovation Challenge: Navigating Energy Transition Medicine Hat stands out in Alberta's energy landscape due to its independent, discrete electricity grid. This allows the city to implement innovative energy solutions and set its own rates and policies. • Quote: "Medicine had, unlike other cities, has its own discrete electricity grid and sets their own rates and policies for residents so they can also implement creative energy transition solutions if it makes sense." Key Program: Hat Smart The Hat Smart program incentivizes residential energy efficiency and renewable energy adoption through rebates for devices, rooftop solar arrays, and water conservation measures. • Impact: The program has provided $6.2 million in rebates since 2008 and led to a 14-16% reduction in water use this summer. • Popularity: Rebates for rooftop solar arrays are fully subscribed by spring each year, highlighting the high demand for solar energy. • Innovation: A new PACE-like financing option called the Clean Energy Improvement Program allows residents to invest in clean energy improvements and repay through property taxes. • Quote: "We've just launched the clean energy improvement program and that it's really a financing option for residents to access top up payments to their property taxes essentially in order to do similar things in order to invest in rooftop solar or other sorts of clean energy improvement options at the household level" Current Energy Mix & Transition Plans Medicine Hat currently relies on three gas-fired power plants (300 MW capacity) and a 6 MW wind farm. They are actively exploring new energy transition avenues: • Utility-scale solar: A 325 MW solar project within city limits is economically viable and under consideration, with a request to the Alberta Utilities Commission to build in stages due to its size. • Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS): While Medicine Hat holds an exploration permit for a CCS hub, analysis suggests it is less economically viable than solar at present, with success hinging on carbon pricing. • Energy Innovation Challenge: This initiative with Decentralized Energy Canada aims to generate solutions for managing increasing demand from EVs, heat pumps, and solar projects. Quote: "We have found that utility scale wind and utility scale solar is economically viable today. So the city is currently looking at a utility scale solar array up to 325 megawatts of generation capacity within the urban limits of Medicine Hat. The city is looking at a whole host of other options including carbon capture and sequestration for hard to abate businesses." Conclusion: Medicine Hat demonstrates proactive leadership in transitioning to a cleaner energy future. Through programs like Hatsmart and exploration of large-scale renewables and CCS, the city provides a valuable case study for other municipalities seeking to decarbonize. The Energy Innovation Challenge further highlights their commitment to finding practical solutions for the evolving energy landscape. #solar #windpower #electricity #energytransition #EV #electricvehicles #decentralizedenergy

The long-held dream of using geothermal energy to satisfy our needs and save the earth is ready for a big breakthrough. Today we take a deep dive into Green Energy Futures complete guide to geothermal with hosts Sarah and Michael, our AI hosts from Notebook LM. Geothermal and its cousin Air Source Heat Pumps are ready to provide heat and power to our homes at every scale from single family homes to entire Cities. This is our complete guide to geothermal, geoexchange and because it makes so much sense, air source heat pumps. Let us know what you think and please SUBSCRIBE an SHARE our story. This podcast is based on our story written for The Earth and I magazine and reprinted at GreenEnergyFutures.ca along with our CKUA.com radio podcast. You will never think of geothermal the same again. GreenEnergyFutures.ca CKUA.com Deep Dive Podcast with AI Hosts Sarah and Michael of NotebookLM This episode is based on Green Energy Futures Episode 384 https://www.greenenergyfutures.ca/episode/384-geothermal-rising-big-breakthrough-is-coming

The Energy Innovation Fair is back again this year on Oct. 18-19th. We talk to organizer Rene Michalak of ReThink Red Deer about the speakers, panels, displays and demos that will be featured this year. The theme is economic diversification in Central Alberta and there are speakers on geothermal, solar, carbon storage, agrivoltaics and much more. GreenEnergyFutures.ca CKUA.com Podcast Learn more about the fair at https://energyinnovationfair.ca/

Our electricity grids were designed to accommodate a few giant power plants. But what happens when millions of solar, wind, EVs, heat pumps and other Decentralized Energy Solutions come online? The Energy Innovation Challenge was created to find new and creative solutions to not only integrate these new energy resources but to turn them into assets in a more robust, clean energy grid of the future. The challenge is being run by Decentralised Energy Canada and the City of Medicine Hat a city that has one of the largest microgrids in Canada - what better place to pioneer to approaches to integration? We take you to Medicine Hat to learn more about solving this vexing challenge. GreenEnergyFutures.ca CKUA.com Radio Podcast Also see GreenEnergyFutures.ca for more

Virtual power plants are simply networks of small energy producers (solar, wind, backup generators etc.) and energy storage devices that can provide power to the grid when needed. It's the digitization of the grid. It's very efficient, costing 40% less than speaker power plants and it's absolutely essential to start managing the millions of distributed energy systems (solar, batteries, EVs) coming on to the grid each year. We talk to Dwayne Caldwell CEO of ENSPI a company that helps companies understand, manage and save energy and then network their resources into a Virtual Power Plant to make money and help the grid. GreenEnergyFutures.ca CKUA.com Podcast Blog GreenEnergyFutures.ca Subscribe today!

Farmer Shawn Morton just said "no" the first time he was approached by solar developers. But Morton found an ally in Claude Mindorff a farmer who was working for the solar company. So he cut a deal to lease 300 acres to a solar project and to keep grazing and farming that land in the lease. It's called Agrivoltaics, or the integration of solar with farming or grazing and Shawn says it just might be the thing that can help keep his 100-year family farm in the family. GreenEnergyFutures.ca CKUA.com Podcast Blog GreenEnergyFutures.ca

Solar plus farming, called Agrivoltaics is helping farmers generate new sources of income, keep the family farm viable and keep farming in the solar farm. We meet up with farmer, former oil and gas guy and current renewable energy developer Claude Mindorf at the Joffre Solar Farm in Alberta to talk about agrivoltaics. It turns out Canada could produce all of its electricity from renewable energy that would occupy less than 1% of farmland and enhance the viability of farming itself at the same time. GreenEnergyFutures.ca CKUA.com Video Podcast

Alberta phased out its coal-fired electricity in record time representing the largest single action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Canada. The trouble is a lot of the coal was replaced by natural gas which produces 60% of the emissions of coal. Can the fossil fuel-infatuated province also capitalize on its amazing renewable energy resources to build the net-zero grid of the future? We talk to Scott MacDougall of the Pembina Institute to look at the challenges. GreenEnergyFutures.ca CKUA.com Podcast Part 2 in our End of Coal series Subscribe today for more stories about building the sustainable future we need.

Alberta's last coal-fired power plant stopped burning coal on June 16, 2024 at 10:57 pm. The coal phase-out was originally proposed for 2061, but in 2015 a new target was set for 2030. On June 16 the last lump of coal was burned to produce electricity six years ahead of schedule. The phase-out represents the largest reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of any initiative. We talk to Scott MacDougall of the Pembina Institute about what this all means for Alberta's grid. King Coal is Dead, so we set out to find out who the new king is and how long the new monarch will reign. GreenEnergyFutures.ca CKUA.com Podcast

This is huge! EAVOR believes they've cracked the geothermal nut. Using closed-loop technology they have pioneered a new kind of Geothermal that can be built almost anywhere without uncertainty. We look at EAVOR's pilot project in Alberta and their full-scale geothermal plant in Germany that will provide electricity for 8,000 homes and district heating for 120,000 homes. GreenEnergyFutures.ca CKUA.com Podcast

EAVOR has pioneered a new kind of geothermal that can provide heat and power almost anywhere on the planet. This could be the missing link in the energy revolution that could not only help electricity get to net-zero. It also helps solve the even bigger challenge of how to heat buildings with zero emissions. We talk to Jeanine Vany of EAVOR, a company from Calgary, Alberta that has pioneered the new technology. GreenEnergyFutures.ca CKUA.com Podcast See full story at greenenergyfutures.ca

Here's what Green Infill looks like! Built to the super energy efficient Passive House standard this 16-unit townhouse style infill project replaced two underutilized single-family homes in Edmonton, Alberta. The homes require just 10% of the heating energy of a regular home, and have no natural gas or bills. We take a tour of this amazing project with developers David and Melissa Campbell of Homestretch, a multifamily developer. The project utilized an unique EPS wall system with embedded structural steel, an ICF foundation and Air Source Heat Pumps which required no backup heat in 10 of the 16 units in a City where temperatures reached -40C last year. The Coup de Gras is the homes are powered mostly by solar electricity and 10 of the 16 units are net-zero. GreenEnergyFutures.ca CKUA.com Podcast See blog at GreenEnergyFutures.ca