Renewable Energy:
Diverse Technologies
with Amazing Potential
Renewable energy technologies (RETs) are a significant part of creating a sustainable electricity system and reducing the harmful effects of electricity generation on our natural environment and our climate.
Unlike conventional forms of generation such as nuclear, coal and gas-fired generators, RETs do not cause harmful emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide that contribute to climate change. Also, RETs do not rely on non-renewable carbon-based fuel sources, nor do they produce harmful radioactive waste the way nuclear power does.
Did you know?
Although wind and biomass, and hydro are generally considered to be fuel sources on their own, like nearly all energy on the planet, their energy can be traced to the sun. Wind is created through differences in temperature created when the sun warms the earth’s surface together with the rotation of our planet. Biomass is actually a product of plants using solar energy to remove CO2 from the atmosphere and combining it with water, a process called photosynthesis. Hydro energy can be traced to the sun-powered cycle of water evaporation and rain.
Renewable energy technologies, as the name would suggest, rely on fuels that are renewable, not finite. The most common “fuels” that RETs harness for the generation of electricity include wind, the sun, water, and biomass such as wood chips, wheat chaff, manure and waste. These fuels are abundant, widely available, and capable of supplying all of humanity’s energy needs, given the right technology to harness them.
The other great thing about renewables is that they require only a relatively simple process and very few conversions to make the energy useful. For example, Hermann Scheer details in his book, The Solar Economy, how many steps and conversions it takes to change a lump of coal to electricity. You have to mine the coal, refine it, and transport it to the generation plant. From there, the coal is converted from chemical to heat energy by burning it, the heat is used to create steam, the steam drives the turbine, converting to mechanical energy, and finally, the mechanical energy is changed to electricity. The electricity is transported through high voltage lines over long distances, and has to be ‘stepped down’ to increasingly lower voltages to make it usable in the home.
There are economic costs, environmental costs, and energy losses associated with all of these steps. In comparison, solar energy is very simple to harness. The fuel (the sun) is free and available at the generating site, and the electricity created is used at the site. The sunlight is converted into direct current by the photovoltaic cell, and then needs only be changed to alternating current to power your home. This represents a much simpler process.
The main RETs used to harness renewable energy today are wind turbines, solar heat and photovoltaic systems, small-scale hydro, tidal, and wave installations, and biomass and biogas installations.
OSEA believes that a 100% renewable energy grid in Ontario is fully achievable. OSEA’s activities are designed to support the goal of 100% renewables. Our mission is to facilitate the transition to a sustainable energy economy in Ontario through the development and support of community-based sustainable energy initiatives.
For more information on any of these technologies, and other energy technologies not discussed here such as geothermal, consider visiting the Canadian Renewable Energy Network (CanREN) webpage.
The Renewable Energy Sector in Ontario
Until very recently, the growth of renewable energy in Ontario has been exceedingly slow. Although wind power and other renewable energy sectors grew significantly in Western Europe in the early 1990s, significant growth of the sector has only occurred in the last five or so years in Ontario.
Effective government support for small-scale renewables was virtually non-existent in Ontario until very recently. The growth of the renewable energy sector in other countries is often attributed to government support in the form of advanced renewable tariffs (ARTs) or standard offer programs.
The Ontario government sought OSEA’s input on a standard offer contract program (SOP) to support the growth of the Community Power Sector in Ontario, and the program was implemented in 2006. The SOP is designed to support the development of renewable energy by offering fixed rates for electricity generated by wind, solar, biomass, and small hydro installations. The SOP has been successful at promoting the development of renewable energy in Ontario.
Another key program in place for small electricity producers is the net metering program. Net metering allows homeowners to generate electricity for their own use and sell a little back to the grid to help offset their regular use. For information on net metering, visit the Ministry of Energy's Net Metering webpage.
For more information on other forms of government support for RETs including tax incentives, see the Ministry’s support for Renewable Energy webpage.
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