According to a November 28, 2024 Global News story, BC Hydro imported one quarter of the provinces power needs in the 12 previous months. The story stated that for the fiscal year ending March 2024, BC Hydro imported 13,600 gigawatt hours of electricity at a cost of nearly $1.4 billion.
Still, Clean Energy Canada (a climate and clean energy program within the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue at Simon Fraser University) wants us to believe that:
B.C.’s electricity grid can handle increased demand from EVs, heat pumps and extreme weather events ... AND THAT ... recent claims to the contrary are not based in reality.
Here's the thing though, according to the Government of BC the recent call, for new renewable energy projects, will provide less than 5,000 gigawatts of power per year (just over a third of what we imported in fiscal year 2024). That power of course flowing only once construction is completed, and starts flowing into BC Hydro’s system.
The fact is, BC Hydro has been a NET importer of millions of megawatts of power, and that will continue into the foreseeable future.
How much you ask? Let’s look to Stats-Can.
In 2020, BC Hydro purchased 7.08 million megawatts of power, which was mostly produced by coal powered plants in Alberta and Washington State.
In 2021 that figure increased to 7,530,000 million megawatts, and then to 8.81 million megawatts in 2022.
In 2023 imported power to British Columbia nearly doubled to 16.81 million, while last year, in the 8-month period of January to August, BC imported 11.25 million megawatts. Averaging that figure over a full 12 months would take that number up to 16.875 million – which would be another record year for power imports. (NOTE, the conversion formula is: 1,000 megawatts = 1 gigawatt)
While the provincial government continues to push British Columbians to convert from economical (and plentiful) natural gas to power hungry heat pumps, and from gas to electric vehicles (which will also consume ever increasing volumes of electricity), the question must be asked:
"Where is that power going to come from?"
Even the provincial government itself has publicly stated that the demand for electricity is expected to increase by 15%, or more, between now and 2030.
Where is that power going to come from?
Make no mistake, we ARE going to need power from sources other than what we are generating here in BC ... and that includes what will be coming online in the coming years from the recently announced wind projects.
Where is that power going to come from?
As I already mentioned, the shortfall required for BC comes, for the most part, from coal fired power plants in Alberta and Washington State.
YES, you read that right. The power we imported was in excess of two and a half times what Site C will be producing.
So much for all that bluster and bravado about Clean BC, as consumption will necessitate us continuing to buy coal-fired power from outside our province.
Clean Energy Canada says don’t worry, there’s more than enough electricity available.
The provincial government says don’t worry, there’s more than enough electricity available.
Stats-Can figures for the past several years, however, say otherwise --- given the amount of new power which will be coming online.
So who’s telling the truth?
I’m going to have to say the numbers don’t lie. We don’t, and won’t, have enough to meet the needs of British Columbians ... especially with the government mandate that twenty-six percent of all vehicles sold must be zero-emission by the end of next year ... and with that number climbing to 100% by 2035 – just 10 short years away.
UNLESS the provincial government takes a serious look at nuclear power generation, or power generated by natural gas, we’re going to continue requiring high levels of imported – coal-fired – power from Washington State and Alberta.
The numbers just don’t lie.
In Kamloops, I’m Alan Forseth. Please feel free to share your thoughts on this, in the Comments section below.
Electricity is a strange commodity because you can’t put it in a warehouse. The problem with electricity is that once it’s in the grid it’s there for everyone to use.
ReplyDeleteIn BC we have storage for electricity in the form of water behind dams. That water can be released when we need more power and can be cut off when we need less. It can also be cut off when it’s cheaper to buy electricity from elsewhere instead of using what we have stored for when we really need it.
Focus on so called renewable power is not viable other than behind generation stored energy is foolish. Other sources such as wind and solar are pies in the sky of the ignorant as they require 100 percent back up power. Geothermal and hydrogen are a viable option and the sooner that is acknowledged the sooner gains will be realized.
ReplyDeleteTrying to destroy so called fossil fuel and nuclear energy while building a brave new world of free energy success will only be found in science fiction novels in the foreseeable future.
Energy Capacity without easily accessed storage for balance creates an instantaneous capacity requirement equal to maximum demand. Unfortunately, Hydro dams do not respond to Instant demand, rather they require a demand to initiate production, creating a 'brown" period between demand and supply.
ReplyDeleteCalculating high and low period demands and initiating instantly available storage, such as batteries, is a proven technology that reduces maximum production requirements.
Solar farms need to be strategically located, and In Canada the best Solar gains are achieved in Southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba, so perhaps we should be looking outside our provincial boundaries for sources. A National Power Grid With Load balancing and Input/Output metering and a National Cost per kWh could be most effective.
I personally have a home Solar system the generated 12 MWh per year, with peak production far surpassing my peak demand, and it balances out my low production periods nicely,
BTW: The system "paid for itself" in 86 months.