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Quote/Unquote:

"Within one generation, nations can achieve a ten-fold increase in the efficiency with which they use energy, natural resources, and other materials."
- The Carnoules Declaration, 1994

Issue 3      January 2005
Editor: Andrea Wilmot
( Download PDF - 1.8MB)

A Publication of Sustainable Solutions for all of BC’s Energy Needs

This month's focus is on Groundsource Heat, as a lead-up to the First International Geoexchange Conference & Trade Show, in Burnaby on March 17/18th (www.geoexchangebc.ca).

Duke Point:
Choosing Our Path:
Green or Brown Power?

BC Hydro is refusing to let go of its plans to build a gas-fired power plant on Vancouver Island. It is pressing ahead in spite of public opposition, in spite of the recent Arctic Climate Impact Assessment’s warning of dramatic temperature rises and melting ice due to our increasing use of fossil fuels, in spite of the forecast crisis in the supply of natural gas, and in spite of the ease with which the Island’s power problems could be addressed.

After being rebuffed by local communities in Port Alberni, Duncan and North Cowichan, and then by the BC Utilities Commission itself for its plans to build the plant at Duke Point, Nanaimo, BC Hydro has turned around and chosen Duke Point Power, a private company, to build the 254 MW gas-fired power plant. If all goes according to BC Hydro’s plans, construction will start in March 2005. BC Hydro will call it "clean" power, but at its best, it’s "not as bad as coal" brown power. It’s not green power.

Thanks to the many people who wrote a host of letters, the BCUC will hold a review in Vancouver, commencing January 11th 2005, and a Town Hall Meeting in Nanaimo on January 15th at the Coast Bastion Hotel. The BC SEA has registered as an Intervenor, and we will work in a formal partnership to oppose construction of the plant with the GSX Concerned Citizens Coalition, which has retained Bill Andrews as its legal counsel. The BCUC will make its final decision on February 17th.

So what are the green solutions? They start with a determined approach to energy efficiency and conservation, including time-of-use metering so that customers have a price incentive not to use power at the peak, and incentives for solar hot water, groundsource, and ocean source heating.

Next, it includes upgrading the undersea cables, so that we can receive green energy from the mainland, and also be able to ship green energy to the mainland as the Island begins to develop a green power surplus.

And thirdly, it includes a firm commitment to green power producers on the Island, such as Sea Breeze, who have a 450 MW windfarm up at Knob Hill (on the extreme northern tip of the Island) already approved and looking for a customer.

What can we do as BC SEA members, to encourage the right decision? If you live near Nanaimo, please plan to attend the meetings, and to speak up for our birthright: green energy, and a planet not devastated by the impacts of global climate change.

For everyone, you can write a brief letter expressing your views, and send it everywhere:

• to Gordon Campbell (gordon.campbell.mla@leg.bc.ca)
• to Richard Neufeld, Minister of Energy and Mines (richard.neufeld.mla@leg.bc.ca)
• to Mike Hunter, local MLA for Nanaimo (mike.hunter.mla@leg.bc.ca)
• to Joy MacPhail, leader of the NDP Opposition (joy.macphail.office@leg.bc.ca)
• to Bob Elton, CEO of BC Hydro (use the form at https://www.bchydro.com/contact/index.jsp?pg=)
• to the local media, and to the BCUC (commission.secretary@bcuc.com).

Please don’t forget to send a copy to us.

This is a critical moment for our power choices in BC. We have two paths ahead of us: a green path and a brown path. We MUST choose the green path.

Guy Dauncey,
BC SEA President

GROUNDSOURCE
HEATPUMP
and how it works!

Groundsource (or Geothermal) Heat Pumping offers a remarkable opportunity to interrupt the present day overuse of fossil fuels for heating and cooling of buildings throughout North America and the world. The appeal of reducing the cost of heating and cooling along with the prospect of meaningful payback has generated huge interest in this "not so new" technology.

A groundsource heating and cooling system works on two simple premises:

1. It pumps heat rather than generating it. For millions of years the earth has stored energy beneath the surface and it is free for the using. The temperature of the ground six to nine feet below the surface in most of southern Canada is between 7-10 oC (45-50 oF). It is an easily available source of low cost energy and the time has come for our dedication to making wise use of it in the best interest of our environment.

2. It is possible and economical to use well-known and time tested refrigeration systems to extract heat from the earth for building heating during the winter months and to extract unwanted solar gains from the interior of buildings and send it to the earth during the cooling season.

The basic elements of a groundsource system include:

• buried loops of plastic piping placed either vertically or horizontally in the earth (a ground loop);
• biodegradable liquid, antifreeze and/or water;
• pump to circulate the liquid through the ground loop;
• groundsource heat pump.

The pump circulates the liquid through the ground loop and the liquid absorbs heat from the ground as it flows through the loop. The heat pump extracts heat from the liquid mixture and transfers it to the air within the building or preferably to a radiant floor heating system. The principle is the same as a home refrigerator, which extracts heat from the freezer box and disburses the heat from the tubing at the back of the fridge.

During the summer a valve reverses the system to extract heat from the interior of the building and sends it to the ground loop. A refrigerator would do the same thing if it had a reversing valve but the fridge would then have a warm interior and cold tubing at the back.

Groundsource heat pumping has many benefits:

Heat pumps are very reliable and low maintenance.

• The ground loop piping is extremely durable and is expected to last for two hundred years or more. Some manufacturers will warrant it for fifty years.
• The loops are continuous and there is virtually no chance of leakage.
• Interior climates are maintained at steady temperatures.
• Systems operate with electricity only and there are no flues or chimneys with noxious emissions.
• The systems are located within the building envelope and there are no unsightly or noisy outdoor condensing units.

Some even greater benefits are:

• Heat stored in the ground is ancient stored solar energy and only electricity is needed is for moving heat from the ground to the building for heatingand from the building to the ground for cooling.
• A groundsource system can lower your heating costs up to 50% and your cooling costs up to 30%.
• Payback times can be as little as four to seven years.
• Ground source heat pumping is a naturally renewal energy source and totally friendly to the environment.
• An attachment to the heat pump called a desuperheater will provide nearly all summertime domestic hot water at virtually no cost. When energy for the heat pump isn’t needed during heating season, the energy can be diverted to the water heater.
• Groundsource heat pumps work very well in northern climates and in below zero temperatures. Correctly designed systems require no additionalback-up systems. As with any building heating and cooling systems, adequate insulation and weather-proofing are key factors in lowering energy consumption.

Some installation considerations ;

Commercial and Industrial Applications

In larger applications such as schools, industrial plants, office buildings and high rise residential buildings groundsource systems allow users to have strict control of the climate of each area of the building. Each area of the building may have its own groundsource unit, which is usually referred too as a "water source heat pump".

Such design allows very large savings because heat can easily be moved from areas where it’s not wanted to areas where it is needed. Such is the case in picking up unwanted heat on the sunny side of a building and moving it to the shaded side of the building or from warm mechanical areas to other areas where it is needed.

Groundsource Advantages

Water Source Heat Pumps (WSHP) move heat and do it more efficiently than any other heating and cooling technology. Their simplicity is truly amazing... they are as simple to service as a residential air conditioning unit, and they last an amazingly long time. ASHRAE estimates a more than twenty-year life expectancy because they don’t have to work as hard as other systems to move heat from one place to another.

When you think about it, the advantages of a WSHP can be applied in most commercial buildings. And they make a lot of sense because they have lower installation and operating costs than most other systems.

Application flexibility of WSHP systems is a virtue long understood by experienced mechanical engineers who

have sought better solutions for their clients. Whether it is an office building, nursing home, hotel, or school, the amazing WSHP has many advantages over other, less efficient options.

A Final Consideration

There are some other considerations to be aware of regarding the acquisition and distribution of heat in a building. Radiant Floor Heating is currently making great headway in North America as the heating distribution method of choice. Radiant floor heating adds an amazing degree of efficiency to space heating as it requires water temperatures at levels that Groundsource systems are most efficient at providing. Radiant floor heating is a low temperature system and produces no hot air, which stratifies at the ceiling as do forced air heating systems. Radiant floor heating, reduces heat losses by 20% to 50% regardless of the heating source. The combination of these two systems produces efficiency that raises the overall performance much higher than any other system currently available. It represents huge savings in heating dollars, in use of fossil fuels and sustainability.

Chris Bartsch

Groundsource Home in Rural Manitoba

We began building our new 3 bedroom, 3400 ft 2 bungalow in the fall of 1990. This was in rural Manitoba where our only heating options were electricity, oil and propane. I had heard of groundsource heating and figured it made abundant sense and so decided to proceed with the installation.

We used a vertical loop system with 4 holes, each 150 feet deep, outside of our home. The only furnace available for our construction timeline was a 31/2 tonne. Even though our specs called for a 4 tonne unit, we went ahead with the smaller one and have been very pleased.

It is a WaterFurnace unit with a domestic hot water option. I use two 60gallon hot water tanks with the first one heated from the furnace and the second wired to electricity thereby preheating my hot water prior to electricity completing the job.

The unit was running by February of 1991.

We rarely adjust the thermostat and the heating/cooling mode will keep your home within any preset range - the cooling mode is wonderful for a hot weather period but it was rarely called upon in 2004.

I have a 9 kv coil in the plenum for emergency should the groundsource system fail. The only time I will see it call on some auxiliary heat from the coil is at an outside temperature of -28oC with a strong wind blowing. At -40oC with calm wind there is no extra draw on the electricity. We installed an electrostatic filter on the unit which I vacuum monthly and wash spring and fall.

There is very little noise with the unit and a light panel continually indicates the operational status with a very easily set thermostat.

The monthly bill for all electricity and heating our sunny but occasionally brutally cold Manitoba home was $123.58 (including taxes) with 4 teenagers at home. Now with fewer kids at home it is about $110 per month.

We have just spent the first money for maintenance this week, after 131/2 years of operation. We did a loop flush and a recharge of the coolant R22 in the compressor. The vertical loop had some air locks and the compressor was low in pressure due to a valve leak at the recharge point. The cost was about $100.

The initial cost of the heating unit is the main hurdle to overcome but, payback came in less than 5 years We are completely satisfied with the groundsource system.

Groundsource Installation, not visible above ground.

Since 1990 many homes and commercial facilities in our area have been converted or built new with groundsource units. The latest being our local library, golf club, and curling rink where the heat exchange keeps the golfers cool in the clubhouse in the summer and the curlers make ice and heat the building with the system in the winter.

Bob McNabb

Deep Lake Water Cooling Project in Toronto, ON.

Cold water from 80 meters below the surface of Lake Ontario is being used to cool downtown buildings in Toronto, ON. The Deep Lake Water Cooling Project, in operation since the summer of 2004 is expected to reduce over all annual power usage by more than 40 Megawatts and Green House Gas (GHG) emissions by nearly 40,000 tonnes and it is equal to removing some 8000 cars off the roads, once it is fully operational. Since its July 15, 2004 start up the system has been cooling nearly a dozen downtown buildings, including banks and office towers.

This $170 million (USD) Deep Lake Water Cooling Project is pumping cold water through an extensive loop system to provide an alternative to air conditioning chiller refrigeration systems, which are dependent on fossil fuels and electricity. Lanny Joyce, Program Manager of Lake Source Cooling Projects points out a number of Scandinavian Cities, like Stockholm, have been using bodies of water as heat sinks for more than a decade. Seattle, WA recently commissioned a study that investigated the potential of Deep Water Cooling for a new development area. Many Deep Lake Water Cooling systems are under development on the American west coast and Hawaii. Deep Lake Water Cooling systems are paralleled by Ocean Source Cooling (air conditioning) systems.

Think about the potential in BC!

Gunther Honold
Board Member, BC SEA
(Written with material from ASHRAE and other sources.)

Heating Your Home With A Pump

One of the biggest problems with heating and cooling your home is that pushed air furnaces and air conditioners are supreme wasters of electricity. Traditional furnaces burn fuel to create heat and then push heated air throughout the home. Burning fuel to heat a home is inefficient since not all the heat that is created is used to heat the home. The furnace room is warmer than the rest of the house because of this wasted heat energy.

An electric ground heat pump is an efficient and relatively inexpensive alternative. There are many types of heat pumps, but I will focus on the electric heat pump. This one require no holes drilled or trenches dug in your yard.

The electric heat pump has two components: an indoor component and an outdoor component. The indoor component has a coil and a blower, which pushes the warm air (or cool air) throughout your home. The outdoor component has another coil, fan, and a compressor or pump.

A heat pump will not eliminate the need for a furnace, but it will greatly reduce your use of it. Heat pumps work by moving warm air from one place to another. In the winter it brings warm air in from outside. In the summer it takes warm air out from inside. Your furnace will turn on when the heat pump is not capable of heating the air in the house to the desired temperature. Basically, it works like a hybrid electric car. The heat pump (battery) brings warm air into your home and when it can no longer keep up with the heat loss in your building the furnace (engine) kicks in.

You are probably wondering, ‘When it’s really cold outside in the winter, how can a heat pump warm my home?" Even at -17 oC (0 oF) the air contains a substantial amount of heat. Remember that a heat pump simply moves heat from one location to another. At times, you may feel that the air that is coming out of your vents is cool air. It only feels cold because sometimes the air coming out of the vents is cooler than your body temperature. Even if it seems cool to you, the heat pump is still providing heat to your home.

The main ingredient used in the newer heat pumps is a refrigerant. Yes, the same compounds that are used to preserve your food can now be used to heat your home. As a liquid, a refrigerant reaches its boiling point at a -22 oC. As the refrigerant boils it transfers heat to the air and moves it through your home. This means that a heat pump can continue heating your home at temperatures lower than with a conventional heat pump.

The heat pump has two valves, an expansion valve and a compression valve. As the refrigerant leaves your home it goes through the expansion valve essentially changing the state of the refrigerant from liquid into a gas. This is when the refrigerant collects heat from outside. It passes through the coils and re-enters your home, this time passing through a compression valve which changes the gas back into a liquid, but a liquid that is well above its boiling point creating more heat. As the refrigerant funnels through the coils inside your home a fan blows air across the coils, taking the heat from the refrigerant and circulating it throughout the house.

Electric Heat Pump Process (www.srpnet.com)

Installing a heat pump in your home can cost as little as $700 if you are able to install it yourself. Of course most people just aren’t that handy and the cost is closer to $2500. The annual savings that you would receive on your energy bills more than justifies the investment, and there is also the possibility of getting money back from the federal government. There is a maximum possible grant from the federal government of $3,348 for increasing the efficiency of your home. Of course heat pumping is just one step, but it’s a good place to start.

Ernie Ware
Kamloops Chapter Correspondent
ernie_b_ware@canada.com

Groundsource Heat: What’s The Best Policy?

How could we encourage more use of groundsource and ocean source heat systems? They work, they are super-efficient, they’re totally clean, and they reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This has to be a Good Thing. So what would the ideal policy look like?

1. Let’s start with full GST and PST tax rebates, which they deserve because of their multiple environmental, health and climate change benefits. That should get things rolling.

2. Next, we need federal credit to cover 70% of the cost of installation, available at 0% interest. Groundsource is expensive up front, so we need a way to entice people to fork out. This is how Spain supports its solar thermal industry, so there’s a good precedent.

3. Next, we need BC Hydro and other utilities to adopt a "net financing" policy, through which the federal credit can be repaid through savings on the electric bills, with repayment terms that make the outlay cost-neutral.

4. Fourth, we need a BC Hydro policy, which offers a reduced hook-up fee for buildings with groundsource heat systems, as a measure of gratitude for the reduced demand, and savings on the cost of new power generation.

5. Fifth, we need a 50% waver of the provincial real estate tax on new houses built with groundsource systems, in order to encourage the technology. When the oil and natural gas begin to run scarce, and cold homeowners and tenants are beating angrily on the provincial government’s door, saying "Why didn’t you do something?" people whose homes are on groundsource will be saying "What’s the problem?".

6. Sixth, the provincial government should require the use of groundsource or ocean source heat in all new government buildings, including schools and colleges.

7. And finally, for ocean source heat, we need a protocol with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans that makes it easy for someone to apply for the necessary approvals, while ensuring that they do not harm local marine life.

Guy Dauncey, President, BC SEA

Spain’s New Solar Law

In Spain, a new law requires every new or renovated home to have a solar hot water system. Spain (with an average insolation level of 4.6 kWh per square meter per day) is lagging behind countries like Germany (with 3 kWh/m2), which has twice as much installed solar hot water per person.

From the climate change perspective, my reaction is "now we’re talking!" Our average insolation here in BC (around 3.5) is lower than Spain’s, but higher than Germany’s. The history behind Spain’s law teaches a good lesson in how political change is achieved.

The process started in 1994, when a study by a local energy agency showed that only 700 m2 of solar hot water panels had been installed in Barcelona, a city of 1.5 million. (Lesson #1: Do local energy studies.)

In 1995, Josep Puig, a Green Party city councillor, became councillor in charge of sustainability for the year. (Lesson #2: Elect Green Party councillors. Lesson #3: appoint a city sustainability leader.)

Puig worked with City Hall to install panels on city buildings, increasing the total to 1,600 m2. (Lesson #4: Work with City staff to get them on board.)

This was still nothing compared to the 540,000 m2 targeted for Catalonia by the 1999 National Renewables Promtion Plan. (Lesson #5: Have a strong federal commitment with local targets.)

Financially, Spain’s federal government offers interest-free credit for up to 70% of the purchase costs, and the typical payback period is 8-10 years (Lesson #6: Back federal support with dollars.)

In 1998, Barcelona produced the first draft of its bylaw obliging builders to install solar panels to supply 60% of the hot water needs in new and fully

rehabilitated residential blocks of 14 or more units, in all new heated pools, and for hospitals, clinics, schools, shopping centres and hotels. Failure to comply meant a fine as high as 3 million Euros. They then spent a year working to achieve consensus with local developers, builders and architectural colleges. (Lesson #7: Achieve community buy-in with key stakeholders.)

In 1999, the bylaw was introduced with an 18-month grace period to allow the sector to adjust. (Lesson #8: Be reasonable).

Even before Barcelona introduced the bylaw, other towns had copied it and soon there were 35 communities with solar bylaws, including Madrid, which extended the bylaw to apply to all new residential buildings regardless of size. From there, it spread to all of Spain. (Lesson #9: Don’t wait for the federal government to act. Think globally, legislate locally. They’ll catch on.)

Spain’s new law will result in around 6 million m2 of solar hot water panels by 2010, saving 4800 GWh of electricity a year, plus all the associated reduced cost, pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions. (Lesson #10: Gather good data.)

Now that Spain has shown the way, cities in France and Italy are likely to follow suit. And here in BC? Any local city councillors fancy a fact-finding trip to sunny Spain?

Guy Dauncey
BC SEA President
First published in EcoNews, December 2004

Kamloops’ Alternative Transportation Co-operative

Once upon a time, myself and two other Kamloopsians started talking about starting a car co-op, whereby each member could borrow a shared car as needed. We thought about a rideshare program as well, allowing participants to offer or request rides out of town. We considered that as a hub city, Kamloops’ location almost ensured success for the latter. Students and single parents expressed interest.

Enthused, we began talking about funding possibilities, insurance needs and more. The more we talked, the more we dreamed. We wanted a co-op that would also facilitate the sharing of wheelbarrows, bicycles, bike trailers, and - anything that would reduce dependence on a solo-owned auto and increase the use of more sustainable options for transport.

After so much dreaming, such a co-op seemed a weighty project indeed. We sat on it for a year. At long last, inspired by two bulk email requests for rideshares, it occurred to us to ask, "How much facilitation is really needed?" And money - who needs it? Finally, in under three minutes of work, Kamloops’ Alternative Transportation Cooperative came to fruition.

We simply set up a Yahoo Group list serv group. We decided that a personal (character) reference, preferably of another member, but otherwise by someone known to a member, is needed to register. The email group then allows one to post rides wanted or offered --to one’s daily work or home for Christmas-- the request of a bike trailer for a sunny afternoon of hauling gardening supplies, offers of free bike repairs, or an energetic campaign to improve local bus service. In its first two weeks, members requested use of a pick-up truck for an afternoon, and rides to Vancouver and Edmonton for Christmas. Another member has offered regular rides to Vancouver. Members have been proactive in meeting their transportation needs. Some have informed the City of Kamloops of the impact of proposed transit fee increases.

Kamloops’ Alternative Transportation Cooperative (KATC) is a simple solution to a community’s needs. Our hope is that will address individual requirements while respecting our globe’s limited resources. To join, or for support in starting an ATC where you live, please email jorum@telus.net.

Skylark Disraeli

Member, BC SEA

The Sun, The Wind and an Electric Vehicle

This is a story about a car. Not the Toyota Prius or the Mercedes Smart CDI that are now on the streets, cool as they are. This is a normal car with four wheels, two seats, and an engine; one that can go from Vancouver to Calgary on 10 litres. Are you impressed yet? That’s 1 litre per 100 kilometres or 285 miles per gallon. We’ll have to retrain the "zoom zoom" boy to say "sip-sip"!

The car in question is not in the showrooms. It is a prototype that Volkswagen built in 2002 to show that it could be done. They created the VW Lupo in 1999, which uses 3 litres per 100 km, and they wanted to go one better. Before I go into the details, think of this as a parable about engineers seeking greater efficiency, which could be applied to every area of life where we use energy. We’re going to hit oil’s downward supply curve very soon (maybe yesterday), so this is all very relevant.

The car is a two-seater, designed like a sports car, or a bob-sleigh (see www.volkswagen.co.uk/new_devs/one_litre). It is 3.65 metres long, 1.25 metres wide, and just over a metre high. Average speed 75 km/h, top speed 120 km/h. Single cylinder direct injection diesel engine, so it could also run on biodiesel.

Diesel exhaust is listed as a known carcinogen in California, due to the emission of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (nPAH). Exposure to diesel exhaust accounts for more than 70% of the cancer risk from toxic air contaminants in California, and is a major contributor to ozone pollution, that may lead to shortness of breath, chest pain, wheezing and coughing, and is a particular threat to children.

However, biodiesel carries few of these sins. It reduces most PAH compounds by 80% and nPAH compounds by 90%, while providing up to a 90% reduction in lifecycle carbon dioxide emissions, a 67% reduction in unburned hydrocarbons, a 48% reduction in carbon monoxide emissions, a 47% reduction in particulate matter emissions, and a 100% reduction in sulphur emissions.

Everything has been done to reduce the car’s weight down to 290 kg. The body is made from composite carbon-fibre reinforced material, with a reinforced plastic outer skin concealing a space-frame made from magnesium. Most of the parts are made from aluminum; the gears and shafts are hollow; the bolts are made of titanium. In ‘overrun’ mode, the engine switches off and the car glides. Press the accelerator, and it starts up again. The wheels have regenerative braking, similar to the Prius, feeding energy into the alternator. For safety, it’s got anti-lock brakes, an electronic stability program, a driver’s airbag, and the same impact and overturn protection standards as a GT racing car. The work to develop the car entailed close cooperation with numerous suppliers, who developed new concepts and redesigned their parts, making them lighter.

Now forget diesel, or biodiesel, and think electric. If a small electric car used the VW breakthroughs, it would need less power to move it. In 1996, General Motors released the EV1, a 4-seater electric vehicle that weighed 1,325 kg, 4.5 times more than the VW. It has since been withdrawn, because GM has recalled and scrapped all its electric vehicles, believing the future is in hydrogen and hybrids. I think they’re deeply mistaken, but that’s another story.

Cruising at 72 kph, the EV1 used 115 watt/hours of electricity per mile. That’s little more than a 100 watt light bulb, burning for an hour. At 96 kph, it used 164 watt/hours per mile. If a small 2-seater VW EV weighed 4.5 times less, it would need 3 times less electricity, with two passengers and luggage, reducing the power needed to say 50 watt/hours per mile. The new lithium ion batteries last nearly 320 kilometres between charges, so range is not really an issue, especially if you belong to a Car Share Coop and can choose a vehicle to meet your need.

For 16,000 kilometres a year, the car would draw 500 kWh a year. At 6 cents a kWh, with electricity from the wind or hydro, that would cost you just $2.50 a month.

If you wanted to install a solar panel on your roof to deliver 500 kWh a year in Vancouver, with 2000 hours of sunshine a year, a 275 watt system would be sufficient, and last for 25 years. That would cost $5,342 Canadian from www.energyalternatives.ca, plus $1,400 for installation (could be d-i-y) and the net metering and electrical permit expenses. Call it $6,750. With a 6.5% 25 year mortgage, no down payment, your monthly payment would be $45. As the world demand for solar rises, and production increases, the cost could fall by half. With the panel connected to the grid, the lack of winter sunshine would not be a problem since you would treat the grid like a bank, paying in or drawing out energy as you needed it.

A wind-electric car for $2.50 a month. A solar-electric car for $45 a month. Who needs oil?

For contrast, a car that does 9 litres per 100 km (25 mpg) will use 1818 litres a year, and cost you $151 a month. When the price of gas doubles, that’ll be $300 a month, or ten times more than the wind-electric car.

Guy Dauncey, President BC SEA
First published in Common Ground magazine, November 2004.

Launch Of Vancouver Island Biodiesel
Evaluation Study (VIBES)

On December 10th, 8 Capital Region Fleets are taking part in the largest cross-sector field test performed in Canada. Selected vehicles in these fleets will use biodiesel, a cleaner burning alternative fuel made from plant based oils.

This project was made possible by the commitment by participating companies as well as funding secured from the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia.

"Environment Canada is pleased to contribute to this innovative alternative fuels test project," said Federal Environment Minister Stéphane Dion. "Cleaner fuels and the exploration of alternative fuels will deliver health and environmental benefits to all Canadians."

Representing public and private fleets, the City of Victoria, BC Transit, Canada Post, Sooke School District 62, Columbia Fuels, the District of Saanich, BC Mail Plus, and Vancouver Island Powerline will begin using a biodiesel blend in 17 diesel vehicles for the next six months.

"The City of Victoria Engineering Department views itself as a leader in fostering and promoting environmentally sound processes and practices. Biodiesel fits well with our emissions reduction strategies and we are pleased to be playing a role in promoting this alternative fuel" said Wayne Carlow, manager operations division, City of Victoria.

The transportation sector’s challenge is to reduce exhaust emissions cost-effectively. Biodiesel’s internationally recognized emissions reduction benefits will assist organizations in their environmental commitments without the need for expensive engine modifications. Over the six month test period the participating fleets will displace more than 40,000 litres of diesel and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 140 tonnes.

Canada Post represents the first federal fleet in Canada to use biodiesel and Sooke School District 62 represents the first School bus fleet in Western Canada to use biodiesel.

"We are excited to be participating in this project as it is very important to us to ensure our children receive transportation that is as safe as we can make it" said Nancy Hueston, purchasing manager of Sooke School District 62 .

This project is being managed by WISE Energy, a Victoria consulting firm specializing in biodiesel project and market development. WISE Energy is supplying the biodiesel for this field test, whom it purchases from Topia Energy, Canada’s largest supplier of biodiesel.

"One of the key success factors resulting from this field test for WISE Energy is the growth of a booming B.C. biodiesel industry, and an overall reduction in greenhouse gases and toxic exhaust emissions" said Kees Schaddelee, senior managing partner of WISE Energy.

During the field test, for the first time in Canada, an emissions tracking framework will be set up for the fleets to account for their current and future emissions reductions resulting from the use of biodiesel.

Vancouver Island owned, Columbia Fuels will be distributing the biodiesel blend to the participants as well as running it in the distribution truck.

Kees Schaddelee, Senior Managing Partner, WISE Energy and BC SEA Board Member, kees@wiseenergy.ca

MILLIJOULES

NAI KUN

The large offshore Nai Kun wind farm project proposed for the waters of the Hecate Strait, East of Haida Gwaii, has made a significant step forward. Approval from the Council of the Haida Nation was granted to allow the installation of a temporary wind mast on the sea bed, which will monitor the ocean temperature, wave and current, as well as sea bird activity in the area. The proposed 700 MW wind farm will have up to 350 turbines, enough to provide electrical power for 240,000 homes. The Haida Nation has also agreed to purchase shares in the project, giving them a chance to participate in its development. Nai Kun Wind Development Inc is owned by Uniterre Resources, in partnership with ABB New Ventures of Mannheim, Germany. The project still has a way to go, but it’s looking good. See www.naikun.ca

COLORADO SUCCESS

November 2nd was not a happy day for progressive voters in the USA, but for many voters in Colorado, it was a success. A proposal (Amendment 37) was on the ballot that 10% of the state’s power must come from wind and solar energy by 2015, and it passed with 53.4% support, in spite of vehement objections by Colorado’s major energy companies. Colorado is a conservative state that gets most of its power from coal, and has a strong fossil fuel lobby. The move started at the University of Colorado, in 2000, when students voted by 5:1 to increase their fees by $1 per semester to buy green power from a local wind farm. From there it spread to Fort Collins, which adopted a renewable energy standard in 2003, requiring that 15% of the city’s electric load must come from wind by 2017. The students have also been a driving force behind the campaign for Amendment 37. See www.cogreenpower.org/Grssroot.htm

SOLAR CANADA

Sepheral Solar Power has built a complex, state-of-the-art automated manufacturing facility in Cambridge, Ontario, that will employ 200 people producing 20 MW of its innovative products a year, expandable to 40MW. Spheral Solar’s technology is a revolutionary solar design, which consists of thousands of tiny silicon spheres, bonded between thin, flexible, aluminum foil substrates to form solar cells. These are assembled into durable, lightweight products that can be applied to virtually any surface, such as a roof. The company received $29.5 million from Technologies Partnerships Canada in 2002, to develop the process. See www.spheralsolar.com

NET ZERO ENERGY HOMES

A new Canadian coalition has been struck, called the Net Zero Energy Homes Coalition, with the goal that by 2030, all new home construction in Canada will meet a net-zero energy standard, by combining passive solar design, active solar thermal and PV, groundsource heat, super-efficiency, and other technologies. Based on the Pembina Institute’s estimate that every million dollars invested in onsite renewable electricity systems would create eight jobs, the Canadian coalition estimates that the Net Zero Energy Home proposal would generate a total of 168,000 new jobs. See http://netzeroenergyhome.dns77.com/aboutthecoalition.htm

SUSTAINABLE DOLLARS

A recent study by the US Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) entitled "A Responsible Electricity Future" found that if the US were to adopt a more renewable approach to electricity production, it could accumulate savings amounting to $36 billion a year by 2030, while reducing CO2 emissions by 47%. The "balanced energy plan" that they recommend would reduce fossil fuel use by 19% below the 2001 level, by 2025, and increase the share of renewables in the grid from 3% to 15%, using wind, solar, biomass and other renewable resources. It would also reduce the projected growth in electricity demand from 42% down to 5% by employing cost-effective energy efficiency strategies. The $36 billion savings would come from the reduced need to invest in new generation and transmission facilities, and from lower energy costs, as the US moves to a smart distributed grid.

See www.uspirg.orguspirg.asp?id2=13883&id3=USPIRG

US ENERGY INFORMATION

Every week, I receive an email from the US Energy Information Administration. Sometimes, I just ignore it, but sometimes it has a real gem, such as the day recently when it showed global oil reserves estimates, revealing that peak oil might already have passed in October 2004, or that it could come as soon as 2008. For global oil information see http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/international/petroleu.html#IntlBalance

Or it might tell you how many states in the US are using green power pricing, or net metering, via the latest report on Green Pricing and Net Metering Program for 2003.

See www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/solar.renewables/page/greenprice/grnprc.html

To sign up: www.eia.doe.gov/listserv_signup.html

LOOK NORTH: WIND COMING!

The Peace Energy Cooperative is planning to build a 50 MW wind farm on Bear Mountain Ridge, just southwest of Dawson Creek. After a year of legal wrangling, the Cooperative has been granted an investigative use permit. The next steps are to (1) survey the area to choose the best place to install their monitoring equipment, (2) to file for a license of occupation and a long-term development permit, and (3) to open negotiations with BC Hydro to get a test turbine hooked up to the grid. The Cooperative believes it is about two years away from having installed turbines on the site, and is building a partnership with the Aeolis Windpower Corp (based in Victoria) to work out a joint venture agreement for the development of a wind park on Bear Mountain. The Cooperative is also on a major membership drive. For $200 plus $20 a month, you can become a member, and participate in BC’s first wind power cooperative. See www.peaceenergy.ca

LOOK SOUTH: MORE WIND!

Seattle City Light, the US city’s publicly-owned power utility, made a commitment back in 2001 that all of its new electricity demand would come from conservation and renewables. It has now signed off on a 20-year contract for the delivery of wind power from the Stateline Wind Project, near Walla Walla, sufficient for 45,000 homes. Seattle City Light also has a Green Power Program, through which 4,500 customers pay a premium on their power bills to support the development of new renewable resources.

Guy Dauncey, President BC SEA

Energetic Solutions to Nigeria’s Energy Needs

I have just returned from what was a truly memorable conference, "Energetic Solutions - An international conference on making renewable energy a reality" held in Nigeria, West Africa. It consisted of lectures, workshops and a field trip.

Some Factoids: Nigeria has a landmass slightly smaller than BC and a population of 137 million people (BC has 4.1 million). Nigeria is the 6th largest oil producer in the world (yet has no refineries so has to import usable fuel). Total electricity production is 2/3 of total demand, so power interruptions are par for the course.

Kevin Pegg facilitating a workshop on solar activism

After 40 hours of transit, I arrived in Abuja, Nigeria. Abuja is the capital city, and is a very modern, planned city that has only existed for 20 years. The moment I left the plane, I knew I was not in Kansas anymore.

It smelt different, tasted different, sounded different and was very hot. A 30 min car ride to the hotel showed me a city full of development; dozens of sky cranes were visible on the horizon. I also got a glimpse of the poverty that is present throughout the country, before being whisked into the gated & guarded hotel complex.

On Monday, the conference opened with a typical session of dignitaries spewing various forms of misinformation, exaggerations or just plain going on about nothing at all. The last speaker was an energy activist in Nigeria, and was like a breath of fresh air, telling it like it really is. Not all is as happy and rosy as the dignitaries may have had us think. It was reassuring to know some things are the same everywhere.

Tuesday was a workshop day. I facilitated a workshop on Solar Activism, with a Nigerian solar professional. It was a lot of fun trying to make a small system work with various defective or sub-standard components. This was a great lesson in practical troubleshooting. Other workshops included fuel-efficient stoves and gender issues, as well as policy related discussions. Tuesday afternoon we traveled by domestic air to Calabar, which was a much more authentic Nigerian experience.

Wednesday was field trip day. We all piled into a couple buses and hit the road. After a couple hours spent locally trying to get some diesel fuel, we were en-route. There were heavily armed Police checkpoints every few kilometres. After 6 hours and maybe 150 km down some questionable roads, we arrived at our destination, a small native village in the Niger Delta.

The whole place reeked of crude oil. Pipelines, oil spills, and general industrial waste were present through the drive to the village. Our purpose was to witness first-hand how oil exportation impacts indigenous people. A formal welcome ceremony was conducted including a sharing of stories.

A 5-minute walk from the village brought us to a gas flare site. I have never witnessed such blatant waste of energy as I did at this site. There are 129 of these gas-flaring sites, which contribute 4% of the worlds GHG emissions. The reason the natural gas is flared off is that Shell and other greedy multinationals find this is the cheapest way of disposing it.

Natural gas is regarded as a byproduct of oil production.

Natural Gas Flares

Thursday, we met back at the hotel conference room and broke into working groups to tackle specific aspects of the policy document we were to create as the outcome of the conference.

Friday, the final day of the conference was spent developing The Calabar Declaration - A Declaration on Sustainable Renewable Energy. It’s not a public document yet, but I hope to be able to share it once it’s finalized.

It’s difficult to try and put my experiences of the last couple weeks into a few hundred words. So many of the challenges we face in Canada seem trivial compared to what the majority of the citizens of the earth have to deal with on a daily basis. Yet, there are many similarities.

Electricity supply is sporadic, at best in Nigeria. Some days, we only had 1 hr of utility power and we either went without or ran a generator. It was fairly typical to have the power on and off over 20 times per day - the hotels all had backup generators.

Energy Efficiency is basically unheard of. The main problem with the power grid is under-capacity, but there were no attempts to address energy conservation. Similar to Canada, wasteful, ancient incandescent light technology is prevalent everywhere. Lights were left on day and night, needed or not.

Buildings are being constructed with blatant disregard to the local situation. While the people have existed in this hot climate for 1000’s of years without the need for air conditioning, it’s now absolutely required. Electricity was used to heat hot water, even though the water sitting outside in the sun was hot enough to bathe in. It’s completely silly!

Change is needed in architecture around the world. Architects and developers need to realize that the status-quo is no longer acceptable. Green building standards need to become the norm, not the exception. Then, we will be on our way to a smart energy revolution.

Kevin Pegg
Vice President, BC SEA

Nigerian village in the Niger Delta

Sustainable Energy:
Not "If," But "When"

Taking an imaginative leap into the heads of the political leadership of North America, the energy landscape - now and forever - seems to look like fossil fuels all the way. After all, we "all" drive cars and fly in airplanes; governments get their biggest chunks of revenues from oil, gas and coal; the most powerful industries live, think and breathe the carbon-carbon and carbon-hydrogen bond; and jobs, jobs, jobs thrive on the incessant need to explore ever farther; drill ever-deeper and build ever-longer pipelines. What could we possibly do but keep on driving, drilling and burning forever, and clearing away any obstacle in that path?

This vision is strongly reflected in our government’s actions. Since coming into office, the Liberals have single-mindedly promoted fossil fuel developments of all kinds, bringing an unprecedented series of plans, initiatives, subsidies and regulatory stream-linings:

" Laws to stop publicly owned generation projects and to favour private energy wheeling on the BC Hydro grid;

" A loudly promoted commitment to double gas production in the north-east of BC;

" Legislation and initiatives to auction coal bed methane rights and $50,000 per well subsidies to promote exploration and development;

" The slashing of air standards to "level the playing field" for coal-fired power plants;

"A vigorous political attack a gainst the offshore oil and gas development moratorium;

" The removal of assessment standards and mandatory provisions in the Environmental Assessment Act, including the publicright of participation;

" The enactment of Bill 75, which lets cabinet suspend any regulatory process on any project.

This surely reflects a powerful and consistent commitment - but commitment to what? The government has felt no need to articulate, let alone justify, any vision beyond simple cheerleading for more, more and more development.

Certainly, the gas royalties that are flowing so abundantly for the moment are a major benefit to the province. But they are being squandered in massive corporate tax cuts. When our modest BC conventional gas resource is used up, it will leave behind no accumulated capital wealth, only destroyed landscapes and pollution, and a lasting contribution to global climate instability. In economic terms, we will be back at square zero, facing another round of non-renewable development to keep jobs and the economy rolling: another cycle of frontier-type jobs (the best ones filled by semi-nomadic workers from outside BC), communities blooming and then withering, according to the resource cycle: first conventional gas and coal; then coal-bed methane; then offshore oil and gas.

This way to run the economy may make some sense - until one factors in global warming and climate change. It is well established that human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, particularly those from fossil fuel use, are the main driving force in the global climate changes currently taking place. In BC, we are experiencing unprecedented fires and a huge mountain pine beetle infestation in our forests - both climate-related events, both costing hundreds of millions of dollars.

At present, leaders in BC are in denial about global climate change. Such denial is widespread in North America. Witness the Bush administration’s symbolic initiative to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve, a resource so small it could only meet US demand for a couple of years (or allow SUVs a couple of miles per gallon less fuel efficiency). The BC government developed an energy policy within a year of coming to office, but the promised climate change policy does not exist. A semi-official climate change group recommended sensible initiatives to make BC less energy wasteful and develop strategic alternatives to our total reliance on fossil fuel technologies. This report has been ignored, and the most important statement by the BC government has been a childish attempt by the premier to fight with Ottawa over speculative carbon credits from BC forests.

The George Bushes and Ralph Kleins have been able to lie about and deny climate change because enough people have been more afraid of social and economic change than of climate change. This denial cannot go on forever, as the on-the-ground evidence of climate change mounts each year.

Society must have a positive vision in order to sustain itself over the long haul, and that vision must include the idea of providing for future generations, making sure the world we bequeath to the future is healthy and provides opportunities for a full life. Fossil fuel energy cannot give this.

But the wind blows regularly without being used up, and harnessing that energy in a turbine does not threaten our salmon spawning rivers with temperature rises. The sun’s energy shines down on BC roofs every day, and no gas-fired power plants are needed to use that energy to heat water. BC’s tidal currents are some of the strongest in the world. Using them to make electricity will require no massive pipelines to the arctic or drilling rigs off our coasts.

There is natural energy all around us, from the sun, wind, waves, tidal currents. And there are abundant opportunities to avoid the waste of energy through fuel-efficient design, good building design and good planning. Many of these technologies are economically viable now. Many others will be economic soon. In many cases, the biggest obstacles are political: we - Canada, the US and BC - still all give massive subsidies and political favouritism to fossil fuels. In the upcoming election next May, we must all challenge our leaders. With all the future ahead of us, BC cannot afford to stick itself deeper into the dead end of a one-track energy plan. A good place to start is with wind. In Europe, many countries get 20% or more of their electricity from wind. All across North America, wind projects are coming forward, and the Canadian government now offers price support. Yet in BC, we have not a single commercial wind project. The BC government refuses to support a wind turbine factory in Squamish that would provide hundreds of jobs and supply wind projects across North America. We need a better approach. This time, let’s go for a sustainable solution.

Thomas Hackney
Treasurer, BC SEA
thackney@island.net

Review of:

A Green Power Vision and Strategy for Canada:
Towards a Sustainable Electricity Future for Canada....

....And a Call to Action For:

A Green Power Vision and Strategy for British Columbia: Towards a Sustainable Electricity Future for our Province.

Between October 2003 and April 2004, Pollution Probe and the Summerhill Group sponsored a series of national workshops that brought together government representatives, policy experts, potential investors, developers, marketers, and other stakeholders in the green power/renewable energy industry. The purpose of these workshops was to identify a ‘concise and progressive path forward’ for green power in Canada. This path forward is documented in the report "A Green Power Vision and Strategy for Canada: Towards a Sustainable Electricity Future for Canada.’

The report’s strengths are its vision of a Canada powered by Green Energy, its identification of three priority areas of action, and its set of concrete strategies to remove barriers to Green Power development and deployment.

The "Green Power Vision and Strategy for Canada" report is an invitation. The recommendations highlighted for each priority and strategy are general in nature - providing a framework for policy discussion but leaving the particulars open so that municipal, territorial, and provincial governments can take into account their resource potential, economic circumstances, and citizens’ preferences. Yes, we can and should be creating our own provincial green power vision and strategy.

Two main messages are the foundation and inspiration of the document: The first message: "Green Power is not a niche market." With the combined potential to supply a large percentage of Canada’s electricity generation and the ability to create new opportunities for Canadian companies to participate in the growing global energy market with clean energy and technology exports, Green Power should be viewed as a strong market contender.

The second message: Green Power has a central role to play in our national response to the challenge of climate change and reducing pollution. While these messages are not new to most people, the intent behind the messages may just be: "If we can agree on these points - why aren’t we all doing something about making Green Power a reality in Canada?"

While only a relatively small group of people participated in the workshop series that led to the "Green Power Vision and Strategy for Canada" report - the time is right for British Columbians to initiate and participate in local and province wide green power visioning and strategizing. The priorities and strategies, and complementary recommendations, outlined in this report provide us with discussion points to create a Green Power Vision and Strategy for British Columbia.

In the new year, the BC SEA will be releasing a ‘Sustainable Energy for British Columbia Policy Paper’ - outlining a framework for a provincial green power vision and policy recommendations and implementation strategies to make green power a reality in our province. With the release of this report, BCSEA will call for public input and discussion to engage British Columbians in an open process to identify and work towards our preferred energy future.

"A Green Power Vision and Strategy for Canada: Towards a Sustainable Electricity Future for Canada" can be viewed at:

www.pollutionprobe.org/whatwedo/greenpower/gpvisionstratdwnldpg.html

Peter Sundberg is a research consultant, a community development project coordinator, a sustainable energy activist, an environmental entrepreneur, and a member of the BCSEA.

Kamloops Chapter: Gaining Momentum for 2005

We are very pleased to announce that we received a $2,300 grant from the Youth Environmental Network to develop an educational program designed to inform youth about sustainable energies. With the help of our treasurer, Sara Goddard, we were able to bring this proposal together in just a few days. The funds will be used to create information packages for children and youth; to develop interactive games centered around reducing energy use; and to create a challenge where youth can compete against each other while decreasing their energy output.

We held two very successful events on the campus of the University College of the Cariboo (UCC). The first was a presentation called "Melting Mountains: The Effects of Global Warming on Alpine Regions." A student planning team from the UCC School of Tourism Management helped with the event. We nearly fill the 220-seat Alumni Theatre 220 people. Thanks to our sponsors: Ropes End Climbing Gym, Valhalla Pure Outfitters, Java Express and UCC for their very generous donations. We raised approximately $90 in donations from this event - thank you Kamloops!

Our next event was a screening of the documentary, "The End of Suburbia" (www.endofsuburbia.com) which looks at how entire communities live miles away from where they work, shop, and play. As oil prices increase, suburban societies will be forced to rethink the commuter life as they will not be able to afford to fill up. Over 100 people attended the screening. We raised nearly $150, which is split 50/50 with the Post-Carbon Institute (www.postcarbon.org). Thanks to Patrick Welch for organizing this event.

Our December 3rd chapter meeting was focused on 2005. Our 2005 projects will educate our community and demonstrate the benefits of sustainable energy.

The first project is a media campaign to invite members of the community to take up the One-Tonne Challenge, an initiative that challenges Canadians to reduce their carbon footprint by 20%. We will focus on consumption patterns and efficiency.

The media campaign will dovetail with a Sustainable Energy Fair in Fall 2005. The Energy Fair is still in the development stage, but the chapter is confident it can produce a successful event. The event will host sustainability workshops, vendor tables promoting sustainable energies and a keynote speaker. Thanks to Dave Simms for helping to develop this initiative.

Our policy committee is attempting to revive the Kamloops Energy Committee. - a dormant City of Kamloops committee charged with considering the role of energy in planning for growth. The policy committee will also reacquaint the City with its own "Community Energy Plan," a document developed by the Community Energy Association in 1997 as a guide to community planning within an energy-minded framework.

Our chapter has achieved incredible success in five months since we have formed. We are proud of what we have accomplished and we are excited about 2005 and beyond. Our chapter will have a powerful presence in our community.

To learn more about the Kamloops chapter, please go to: www.bcsea.org/kamloops.

Ernie Ware
Chapter Correspondent,
Kamloops BC SEA
ernie_b_ware@canada.com

Vancouver Chapter Update

A Sustainable Chapter!

The Vancouver Chapter has been meeting on a monthly basis since the summer. Attendance at monthly meetings has been steady at about 20 people who represent a range of backgrounds and experience. Each person wants to ensure our energy future is sustainable. All BC SEA members are welcome to attend meetings and participate! The Chapter established an email list serv to allow work to continue at the committee level between meetings.

Active Committees

Outreach, Events, Projects, Research and Policy, and Networking Committees have formed. The Research group has completed a search of other sustainable energy organizations around the world and determined that the BC SEA is a unique grassroots organization providing the opportunity for individuals to be active members. There are, however, indications that similar organizations are starting up in Manitoba, Ontario and Hawaii. Awareness of the need for sustainability energy is growing!

A project is in the works to develop a chart depicting the current energy supply and demand flows in and out of BC for electricity and fossil fuels. The Events Committee is developing a Sustainability Tour and investigating opportunities for BC SEA to exhibit at upcoming conferences and trade shows. A speaker series is also in the works. Fundraising opportunities are being explored.

Have Exhibit, Will Travel

Several members of the Vancouver Chapter developed a display to participate in UBC Sustainability Day on October 13. It included an interactive component with an energy quiz powered by solar panels. The booth generated a lot of interest. The Events Committee is looking for more opportunities to use the display to promote sustainable energy to the public.

Member Engagement in the Community, as part of the Cool Vancouver initiative, the City of Vancouver has developed a draft community climate change report and has been engaged in public consultation. A number of BC SEA members participated in the two public consultation sessions held in September and November. More information on the Cool Vancouver initiative can be found at www.coolvancouver.ca

Learning Opportunities

Monthly meetings of the Vancouver Chapter combine opportunities to learn something new before breaking into the Committees. The October meeting was held at the SPEC facilities and attendees were treated to a tour of its sustainable energy features before getting down to the business of developing action plans.

Sea Breese Power hosted the November meeting and educated the group on wind power in BC. Although BC’s large hydroelectric power base is a good complement for wind power, BC lags behind much of the rest of Canada in wind power development. Sea Breeze presented some of the details of its Knob Hill project on the northern tip of Vancouver Island. Sea Breeze received a BC Environmental Assessment Certificate for this 450 MW project. Visit www.seabreezepower.com for more information.

The next Vancouver Chapter meeting will be in the third week of January. We hope to combine a facilities tour with the meeting. Watch for more information on our BC SEA website. Vancouver-based members are welcome to join the Vancouver Chapter list serv to receive activity updates.

Cathy Marr,
Vancouver Chapter Correspondent
cmarr@istar.ca

Victoria Chapter is Off and Running

Starting the ball rolling in September was relatively easy. We did not have to re-invent the wheel. We used documents from the BC SEA website to plan and organize our first meeting. We knew there would be interest in having a Victoria Chapter since there is nearly 100 BC SEA members in the Greater Victoria area. Twenty enthusiastic people came to our first meeting in October, and 30 people came to the November meeting, graciously hosted by the Raymond James Group. The new kid on the block is off and running!

There was a lot of enthusiasm and energy during our first meetings, as people presented their vision, interests and ideas. It was quite powerful to see a group of men and women - teachers, engineers, retirees, physiotherapists, University students, investment advisors and others - come together as a like-minded community, united by their care for the world and desire to make a difference. Exciting ideas for projects came out of the brainstorm session, such as:

* Develop a "phone tree" for quick response to misinformation in the media

* Create a sense of COOL around the renewable movement.

Anyone with bright COOL ideas out there ?

We are building on the momentum. Four groups have been established to add, refine, regroup project ideas, and to start planning :

- Media Letter Writing

- Policy/Lobbying

- Public Education/Displays

- Projects/Housing

As well, we will be setting up a Steering Committee for the Chapter.

Being an active chapter member requires commitment and work, but it is also rewarding. Energy, enthusiasm

and humour are generated; and its contagious! We have the power to turn things around and make a difference.

All BC SEA members in the Greater Victoria area are encouraged to come to a chapter meeting. Check the Chapters and the Events sections at www.bcsea.org for up-to-date information. Come and share your ideas, your energy and your humour!

All power corrupts, but we need the electricity.

Denise Stocco,
Victoria Chapter Lead

Events

AROUND BRITISH COLUMBIA

January 12, 2005 Kamloops
Kamloops BC SEA Chapter meeting. 7pm at the UCC Campus Activity Centre. Tentatively hosting a presentation from a sustainable traveller who toured Canada in his biodiesel bus. Stay tuned for details.

Mon Jan 17, Victoria.
Victoria BC SEA Chapter
Meeting. 7pm at the Royal BC Museum (ask for the Newcombe Room). Chance to explore the Sustainable Energy Weekend Showcase planned for June, at the Museum.

Wed Jan 19, Vancouver
Vancouver BC SEA Chapter Meeting, 6pm to 9pm, location to be determined.

Thur Jan 27, Burnaby.
Geothermal Technologies, with Daniel Booy, LEED Professional. BCIT,Burnaby Campus, JW Inglis Building (NEI) Rm 331.

Mon Feb 7, Victoria.
BC SEA Board Meeting.
Call Guy at 250-881-1304 if you’d like to attend as an observer.

Thur Feb 24, Burnaby.
Solar Electricity in Building and PV Research at BCIT, with Eric Smiley. BCIT, Burnaby Campus, JW Inglis Building (NEI) Rm 331.

Sat March 5th, Victoria
BC SEA Get-Together and Annual General Meeting. Billets can be arranged. Put this in your diaries now! Details tba.

March 17 to 19, 2005.
Burnaby BC. GeoExchange 2005 International Conference and Tradeshow will be a leading event for this industry in Canada. Prominent speakers will share their experiences and knowledge of this green and sustainable option.
Please join us for the speaker seminars, exhibition and tours. www.GeoExchangebc.ca
Linda Mackay, 604-453-6438.
info@geoexchangebc.ca. Some exhibitor booths are still available

April 29th & 30th, 2005
Nanaimo Renewable Energy Forum, Malaspina University College, Nanaimo.

AROUND THE WORLD

March 1-3, Las Vegas
POWER-GEN Renewable Energy: Moving into the Mainstream. Las Vegas, Nevada.
www.power-gengreen.com

March 2-4, Weis, Austria
World Sustainable Energy Days, 2005, www.esv.or.at
National Green Building
Conference, Atlanta, Georgia.
National Association of Homebuilders. www.nahb.org

March 15-17, Boston
Building Energy: The Practice of Sustainability - Art, Science, Business.Northeast Sustainable Energy Association
www.nesea.org

April 24-29, Antalya, Turkey
World Geothermal Conference, 2005 www.wgc2005.org

May 15-18, Denver, Colorado
Windpower 2005 Conference and Exhibition,
American Wind Energy Association. www.awea.org/wp05.html

May 25-28, Havana, Cuba
4th International Conference for Renewable Energy, Energy Saving and Energy Education
www.cujae.cu/eventos/cier

August 8-12, Orlando, Florida
ISES 2005: Solar World
Congress, www.sws2005.org

August,Vancouver Solar Energy Society of Canada, 30th Annual Conference
www.solarenergysociety.ca

September 12-15, Jyvåskylå, Finland, Bioenergy 2005,
International Bioenergy and Wood Exhibition.
http://seminaarit.ohoi.fi/default.asp?seminarID=3

September 27-29, Tokyo
World Sustainable Building Conference: Action for Sustainability,
www.sbo5.com

Events - please visit our Events section for other listings!

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