Articles by
Glen Estill
Ontario’s New Overnight Power Price Is ‘Rocket Fuel’ for Rooftop Solar
By
Glen Estill
A new electricity pricing program introduced by the Ontario government will be a boon for rooftop solar, even though it was originally designed for electric vehicle owners.
The new electricity rate, known as Ultra Low Overnight (ULO) pricing, is meant to shift electricity demand from peak to off-peak hours.
Confessions of a Rogue Nuclear Regulator–A Review by Glen Estill
By
Glen Estill
Gregory Jaczko was an outsider. He wasn’t from the industry. But somehow he was appointed to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, eventually becoming its Chair. His 2019 book, Confessions of a Rogue Nuclear Regulator, exposes the decision- making processes used in regulating the most toxic substance on earth. It is scary stuff.
A Canadian Take on Tesla’s Supercharger Network
By
Glen Estill
The Supercharger network is a major and unrecognized strategic advantage that Tesla has over other EV vendors. And it is a smart marketing expense.
Ontario Wind Production 2015
By
Glen Estill
There are 484 MW of wind in Ontario’s distribution system. CanWEA says that Ontario has 4,361 MW installed. So the IESO is missing 12% of Ontario’s wind production. If you add 12% to their number, wind contributed 10.08 TWh, which is 7.4% of Ontario demand of 136.9 TWh. This is up 31% over last year.
Does the Wynne Government of Ontario Get It?
By
Glen Estill
If we are to tackle climate change, we need all hands on deck. Subsidizing imported natural gas and its associated emissions is going the wrong direction.
2014 Ontario Wind Output Sets Record, Exceeds 5%
By
Glen Estill
Ontario’s build out of wind capacity continues to increase the output of Ontario’s wind farms. The output rose from 5.9 TWh to 7.7 TWh, an increase of 30%. Wind supplied about 5.5% of Ontario’s electricity demand.
Stinging Critique of OPA’s MicroFIT Price Review 2014
By
Glen Estill
The MicroFIT prices today are inadequate to overcome the added cost and restrictions imposed by program rules. But rather than increase the price to encourage deployment, it is the rules, and costs that should be reviewed. Fix these, and you will see deployment rise to reasonable levels, and costs decrease. In the long run, this will allow lower prices for solar for ratepayers.
Two Thumbs Up – Oxford Community Energy Co-op
By
Glen Estill
One thing I like in particular is the Board’s sense of mission. Board members are not currently being paid, and it is an active board. For example, the equity is being raised by the board members, not a paid middle man. The Board clearly want this to be a successful model for co-ops, and is dedicating their time to ensure that happens. The Board reminds me of Solarshare, another renewable energy co-operative that has successfully launched, and is making progress on bringing community energy to Ontario.
Ontario Voters Support Renewable Energy
By
Glen Estill
The voters in Ontario have spoken. They elected a Liberal majority government. The Liberals have been responsible for starting Ontario on a sustainable energy path, adding solar, wind, biogas and new waterpower facilities. And the voters have delivered a stunning rebuke to the PC party, reducing both their share of the popular vote, and their number of seats. The PC party blamed renewable energy for higher power prices, and said they would tear up the Green Energy Act.
Perspective on Gas & Nuclear Plant Scandal in Ontario
By
Glen Estill
And OPG has paid $793 million to prepare to do the Darlington refurbishment, which we haven’t even contracted to do yet. This included the construction of a mock reactor, so workers could practice replacing parts in a radiation free environment before they entered the radioactive areas to do the real work. And OPG has proposed a 30% increase in rates to cover the cost of the Darlington refurbishment.
Wind Blog: Update on Gas in Storage
By
Glen Estill
Natural gas in storage in the US continued its decline in the most recent update from the US Energy Information Agency. (Why doesn’t Canada publish this type of data?) The ongoing cold winter reduced the gas in storage to 896 Bcf. This compares with the 5 year average of 1822 Bcf, a reduction of 51%. Gas in storage dropped in the week ended Mar 21 by 57 Bcf. Last year in the same week gas in storage was pretty much the same as the week before.
Wind Power and Water
By
Glen Estill
Areas with periodic droughts, like California, Australia, and even the US and Canadian west (remember the dust bowl) need to preserve their rivers and aquifers, or face severe economic consequences. In Canada, Alberta and Saskatchewan are especially vulnerable to drought. And these two province rely primarily on thermal electricity generation.
