As the old Bob Dylan song goes, the times they are a-changing. In terms of public policy, changes can be as dramatic as weather. Only months ago, Alberta elected a new government in the midst of a downturn in the oil economy. Rachel Notley’s NDP government came up with a new plan regarding energy in […] Read more
Stories by Will Oddie
Efficient energy storage needed to reduce use of fossil fuels
Storage is often a challenge in our daily lives and it holds true for energy too. With all of the commonly cited problems of using fossil fuels, more people are starting to look at how to store energy from other sources. One of the oldest of all energy sources, wood, used in stoves for heat […] Read more
Renewable energy changeover easier with incentives
Most of us likely agree that using renewable energy is a good idea, at least in principle. However, many people don’t want to sacrifice too much to make that happen. Others don’t like the aesthetics of a renewable energy installation or they don’t have a place to incorporate such a system. So how does an […] Read more
Hybrids more suitable than electric vehicles for cold prairies
Mention cars and we typically think of fossil fuel powered vehicles: gasoline, diesel, propane or natural gas. Electric cars might seem like a recent invention, but more than a century ago, none other than Ferdinand Porsche developed a vehicle that used a gasoline engine to power a generator, which in turn ran an electric motor […] Read more
Best ways to keep heat in, cold out
Fibreglass was the standby material for construction insulation for decades. It looks like cotton candy and is actually made in a similar way, although from hot sand rather than sugar. Fibreglass was used in insulation applications of all sorts: wall cavities and ceilings in residential construction and roofs in commercial installations. It found its way […] Read more
Small scale wind or solar more economical? It’s no contest
Just as the wind can roar and then subside, so can the fortunes of the machines designed to capture its energy. A few years ago, it seemed that wind had the edge over solar in kilowatt hours produced per dollar invested in residential projects. For Sask-atchewan, that resulted in a brief but intense love affair. […] Read more
Politics behind solar panel prices divides makers and installers
Those of you following renewable energy may have noticed that solar photovoltaic panel prices have dropped dramatically in the last two years. In fact, they are now half the price or less. That doesn’t mean that most readers will have seen roof after roof of solar installations. This is because most Canadians live in jurisdictions […] Read more
Getting green education lifelong learning process
Learning doesn’t stop at the school doorway. A wealth of knowledge is available to us today from both traditional forms of information and the newer internet-based information sources. It is equally true for those interested in green building and renewable energy. It is up to each of us to search and distill what we find. […] Read more
The window has a strong association for humans. It serves as a practical way to look through walls and a metaphorical way to look into the human soul. It speaks to obstruction or transparency when we say, “you make a better door than a window.’’ In architectural terms, windows serve to ensure that we can […] Read more
Canadian solar industry promotes solar energy strategies
There isn’t one collective association that represents all renewable energy interests. Renewable energy operates in sectors such as biofuel, biomass, wind and solar, and each sector association is a self-promoter. Each develops goals and objectives that they believe represent themselves positively and uses a variety of means to ensure that its message is heard. Each […] Read more
