Green Energy Futures

Renewable Energy Co-operatives were a big part of the strategy to develop renewable energy in Europe, but here in Canada, there is also a dedicated group of fans of co-operatives that have eeked out a niche promoting renewable energy, installing systems, and building community-owned projects. We talk to Rob Baxter of SolShare, a renewable energy co-op in Vancouver, British Columbia. See blog www.greenenergyfutures.ca

The Energy Detective is back! Having reduced his energy consumption Ron Kube suddenly had excess solar electricity production from the solar system on his home. The surprising solution? He bought an electric vehicle to use the excess solar electricity and saved $2500 a year on gas! How solar + EVs are an amazing combination. That's this week on Green Energy Futures CKUA Radio podcast. Learn more in our blog:...

Emissions on the farm grew 23% between 1990 and 2018. The National Farmer's Union has a vision for near-zero emissions farming in Canada and it involves fewer fertilizers, less fuel and more better quality local foods. This week on Green Energy Futures CKUA Radio podcast we talk to Darrin Qualman author of a new report on net-zero farming.

The Canadian Institute for Climate Choices has evaluated 60 scenarios for getting Canada to net-zero emissions by 2050. We talk to co-author Jason Dion about the key solutions that can help Canada cut its emissions by 30% by 2030 and get to net-zero emissions by 2050. Green Energy Futures CKUA Radio Podcast Episode 280 www.greenenergyfutures.ca

RenuWell – the idea is to breathe new life into Alberta's thousands of abandoned oil wells by reusing well pads and roads and building 750-kilowatt solar farms. It's a win-win for landowners, municipalities and energy transition.

An oil guy and a solar guy got together and wondered which would drive you farther? And oil well on a 100 meter well pad, or 750 kilowatts of solar on the same footprint. This week on CKUA Radio's Green Energy Futures we crunch the numbers and look at how solar is being used to redevelop abandoned oil wells in Alberta. See blog: www.greenenergyfutures.ca

Green Energy Futures presents the Energy vs Climate expert panel tackling climate change in the media with special guest Laura Lynch host of What on Earth on CBC. Covering climate change has never been a cakewalk, but things are changing as major networks set up climate change beats and stop giving coverage to climate deniers.

Canada's Climate Plan was just updated with a price on carbon rising to $170 per tonne by 2030, and billions in funds for energy retrofits, clean energy and green infrastructure. Can the plan meet the goals of the Paris Accord and reduce emissions by 30% by 2030 and get Canada to net-zero by 2050? We talk to the Energy vs Climate panel of experts to find out. We talk to EvC host Ed Whittingham, energy expert Dr. Sara Hastings-Simon, Dr. David Keith of Harvard and Dr. Mark Jaccard, author of...

A Canadian company has a patented process and is building plants that can recycle up to 95% of the components of lithium-ion batteries into battery-grade raw materials that will be used to make new batteries - the very definition of a circular economy. The wild success of smartphones, laptops, and electric cars is due to the impressive performance of these batteries, so much so that there are fears of shortages of the raw materials as markets for electric cars soar. Recycling batteries deals...

"The energy transition is the greatest commercial opportunity of our generation and...Alberta is extremely well-positioned to take advantage of that if we can embrace the change." Green Energy Futures one-on-one interview with Alberta's renewable energy czar Dan Balaban, CEO of Greengate Power. Balaban is a former oil and gas guy who has built the largest wind power project in Canada and is now building the largest solar project in Canadian history. It's a refreshing story amidst a backdrop...

There's a solar boom going on in Canada's oil province and you probably haven't even heard about it. There is a stunning 5,000 megawatts of solar projects in the development queue and the largest solar project in Canadian history is just about complete and it won't be the largest for long as construction begins this year on a 465-megwatt project that is amost four times larger! Alberta's Solar Boom this week on Green Energy Futures CKUA Radio podcast. See blog, photos and more:...

Is nuclear power the only we can reach net-zero emissions or is it a threat to civilization and a distraction from other low carbon sources of energy such as solar and wind? Green Energy Futures teams up with the Energy vs Climate Podcast. We hear from hosts Ed Whittingham, Dr. David Keith, Dr. Sara Hastings-Simon, and special guest MP and former Green Party of Canada leader Elizabeth May. Green Energy Futures CKUA Radio Podcast. See blog and more:...

PODCAST - The second energy transition tipping point that came into focus in 2020 was the electrification of transportation. We look back at 4 big Green Energy Futures stories from 2020: 1. The auto industry pledges to invest $300 b in developing 700 electric vehicles mostly by 2025 2. Norman Crowley, the Irish multi-millionaire who started the Cool Planet Group and Electrifi a retro EV company 3. Leon who traded his car for an e-bike 4. Edmonton's e-bus revolution. Check out our blog and...

Renewable Energy passed the tipping point as both wind and solar became the cheapest new sources of energy in 2020, trillions in investment moved to renewables and solar boomed in Canada despite COVID-19 and the miserable economic climate. Green Energy Futures CKUA Radio Podcast. www.greenenergyfutures.ca

Edmonton's new artsy home for its electric bus fleet has energy storage, a rainwater bus washing system and a fast-charging system for its fleet of 40 e-buses. Oh and on the roof of the rainwater sucking bus barns is an art installation that is circumglobal. CKUA Radio's Green Energy Futures. See blog, video and more: www.greenenergyfutures.ca

This week on Green Energy Futures CKUA Radio Podcase we talk to Eddie Robar about Edmonton's e-bus revolution. The city has quietly become a national leader in electric buses. The city has purchased 40 long-range e-buses, has a high-speed charging system and is looking at the electrification of its entire fleet over time. The City is expecting 30% lower maintenance costs and up to 75% reduced fuel costs. See Green Energy Futures blog, photos and more:...

This week on Green Energy Futures CKUA Radio podcast we visit the largest solar project in Canada in Claresholm, Alberta where business is booming for the screw pile industry. In spite of the COVID-19 pandemic and economic chaos the solar business is booming and along with it the industries that build solar farms. We meet up with Bryce Bernhard the CEO of Alberta Screw Piles who came to Alberta from Texas in 2010 with little more than a truck and a bag of tools. Today he has a booming...

Solar is revolutionizing life for indigenous people at their remote cabins in Canada's north. Join us as we take a tour of Raymond Cardinal's solar-powered cabin out on the Peace-Athabasca Delta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the largest inland delta in North America. Solar replaces much of the use of gas generators that cost $30 a day to use in these wilderness settings. Travel with us into the wilds of Canada's North. See blog, video and more at www.greenenergyfutures.ca

Blue Eyes Simpson is just one of 20 Indigenous and Metis people of Fort Chipewyan getting a custom-designed off-grid solar system to replace gas generators at their remote cabins out on the Peace-Athabasca Delta in Canada's North. Green Energy Futures CKUA Radio Podcast. See Green Energy Futures Blog, Videos, Photos and more: https://www.greenenergyfutures.ca/episode/solar-cabins-hello-solar-say-goodbye-gas-generator(opens in a new tab)

Three Nations Energy, a community-owned company in Fort Chipewyan, Alberta built a 2.2-megawatt solar project to replace 25% of the diesel-generated electricity in their remote off-grid community. The company is equally owned by Athabasca Chipewyan and Mikisew Cree First Nations and the Fort Chipewyan Metis Association. See blog: www.greenenergyfutures.ca