FAQs: Green Heat

Can I use solar water heaters now and are they affordable?

Unlike many other countries, Canada does not have a well-developed manufacturing and distribution network for solar water heating systemsor financial incentives that reflect the benefits of solar heating. Although solar water heaters would be more economical than electric or gas waters in many part of Canada, they may not be readily available in all areas. However, an increasing number of municipalities encourage the use of solar water heaters for commercial and residential use, and progress is being made in establishing codes and standards that support the use of solar water heaters.

You can help to ensure that solar water heating is an option in your area by lobbying your municipal government to approve and promote solar applications, and lobbying your provincial and federal governments to

• support the solar water heating industry
• make sure buildings have access to sunlight, and there are no by-law or code restrictions to the use of solar water heating
• ensure the design of new buildings allows for solar to be added at a later date.

Contact a local supplier or refer to the following directories:

• CanSIA — Canadian Solar Industry Directory
• Industry Canada — RE Company Directory: Solar

[MORE]

I've been hearing a lot about heating my home using geothermal or earth energy. Is this possible? I'd sure like to do it!

The earth or underground water courses retain heat from the sun throughout the year, and a heat pump can be used to upgrade this heat to a temperature usable for home or water heating. These are usually called ground source heat pumps or geo-exchange systems. These systems are available in most parts of Canada and can also be used for cooling (air conditioning) by using the earth or water sources as a sink for heat removed from the house. Earth energy systems are not cheap and are unlikely to be cost effective for smaller homes or those homes that have reduced their heating and cooling load significantly using energy efficiency measures.

Some provinces such as Manitoba provide financial incentives for earth energy systems.

Contact a local supplier or refer to the following directory:

• Industry Canada — RE Company Directory: Geothermal

[MORE]

FAQs: Green Power

Solar electricity sounds great. When will it be available? And at what cost?

Solar electricity systems that use roof-mounted PV panels and can be connected through a building's grid connection are available in most provinces. Many provinces allow net metering that means all PV power produced can be subtracted from the power used. Some local authorities are still unfamiliar with PV systems so you may have to be patient and persistent.

The cost of solar PV, while coming down in price, is still high, making it unrealistic for most consumers and businesses. However, solar electricity is an excellent match with the summer peak in demand so the Government of Ontario is offering 42 cents a kWh for electricity produced with solar energy. On a new house, where the cost of a solar PV system can be included in the mortgage, solar now makes economic sense in Ontario. Look for developers offering solar electricity as an option or net-zero energy homes in which the energy used during the year is equal to the energy produced by the solar system. These homes are also eligible for reduced mortgage insurance through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

Contact a local supplier or refer to the following directories:

• CanSIA — Canadian Solar Industry Directory
• Industry Canada — RE Company Directory: Solar

[MORE]

Can I use wind energy now and is it affordable?

Small-scale wind electric systems are not usually cost competitive with provincial electricity rates. Ontario has recently passed legislation that pays premium prices for small-scale wind and solar, but most provinces do not have such legislation.

Medium-scale wind energy systems can reduce costs for large farms, businesses and remote communities. Individuals and organizations can purchase wind energy from the grid either from their electricity retailers or from companies that monitor and sell wind energy that is put on the grid.

To encourage the continued growth of wind energy on the Canadian grid it is important to lobby the provincial and federal governments to continue to allow the industry to have equal access to the power grids that traditional sources receive.

Contact a local supplier or refer to the following directory:

• Industry Canada — RE Company Directory: Wind

[MORE]

Is there a limit as to how much renewable energy can be integrated into the grid?

The current electricity grid was designed to distribute power from large centralized power plants to many homes, businesses, farms and industries spread over great distances. It consists of base load plants that run all the time and a number of plants that can be turned on and off depending on demand. It has grown to be a huge interconnected system but was never designed to have power users feeding power into it or users managing their own power consumption and efficiency. It is therefore very inflexible and cannot absorb more than 20% of its power from local intermittent sources like solar and wind.

However, research indicates that solar and wind energy match peak demands very well. When combined with hydro electric and biomass generators, power storage and user energy demand management, much higher levels of renewable power can be achieved. Ultimately a "smart grid" will replace our current behemoths - a grid based on treating every power user as a potential supplier with sophisticated software to manage a reliable and renewable based power system. [MORE]

FAQs: Green Fuels

Why would I want to use an ethanol/gasoline blend to run my car?

Blending gasoline with ethanol increases the octane rating of fuel and helps your engine run better. And since the crops used to produce ethanol absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere (as long as the crops that are harvested for fuel are replanted), the ethanol burnt in your car engine produces no additional greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere. Allowing for the energy used to produce the ethanol fuel (if it is made from corn or wheat), then every litre reduces green house gases by 40% relative to gasoline. This is higher if the fuel is made from sugar cane.

The federal government and a number of provinces currently provide tax exemptions that make it cheaper to purchase ethanol-blended fuels. And Canadian-produced ethanol blended with gasoline can help offset price shocks in times of high fuel demand. The federal government is recently made it mandatory to have 5% ethanol in all gasoline.

Contact a local supplier or refer to the following directories:

• NRCan: Ethanol-Blended Gasoline Station Locations
• Industry Canada — RE Company Directory: Bioenergy

[MORE]

What about biodiesel?

Oils extracted from canola, soy and other oil seeds can be used as a direct substitute for diesel fuel. Waste seed oils that have previously been used for food processing (yes even french fries) can also be processed into bio-diesel. Burning biodiesel has lower emissions than burning regular diesel, and reduces engine wear because of its higher lubricity.

Contact a local supplier or refer to the following directories:

• Canadian Renewable Fuels Association: List of Suppliers
• Industry Canada — RE Company Directory: Bioenergy

[MORE]

When will I be able to use 100% ethanol or bio-diesel?

Many vehicles on the road can already use blends of up to 85% ethanol (E85). Soon all cars will be built with this capability. Ask your car dealer whether your car can use E85 and where you can find it in your area.

Biodiesel can be used as a full substitute for diesel fuel without engine modification. [MORE]

I'm told that if all the gas and diesel fuel used in the world were replaced with ethanol and biodiesel, there would be no land left to grow food. Is this true?

If we make no attempt to use fuels more efficiently or reorganize our communities and workplaces to need less energy, then yes, this is true. However, if we can reduce our own fuel demand here in Canada and help developing countries use only the best practices, then this is not the case. Fuel and food crops can be grown by farmers in most parts of the world, and with real action to reduce agricultural subsidies, practice fair trade and make trade rules fair for developing countries, our land base could once again support us. Also, the production of food and fuel are not mutually exclusive as the waste from some food crops can be used to produce biofuels. This means that farmers can gain additional income from their crops compared to the production of food stuffs alone. [MORE]

I'm not a farmer so what relevance do anaerobic digestors have for me?

Well, are you concerned about the quality of your drinking water? Currently manure from feedlots is spread on fields, and the nitrogen from the manure can run off into rivers and streams. Also the manure contains pathogens that can get into water supplies.

However, when you treat the manure in an anaerobic digestor, you produce energy from it, and one of the other outputs is a high nutrient solid that does not contain pathogens. These solids can be spread on fields in a more environmentally responsible way. [MORE]

FAQs: RE in General

How can communities benefit from large-scale renewable energy systems?

Communities in Germany and Denmark own and operate their own wind farms and sell to the grid and distribute the benefits to the community. Contact the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association to find out how your community might do this in Canada. [MORE]

What about the growing demand for energy in developing countries? Won't that be difficult to meet with renewable energy?

Yes, but the world's population is stabilizing and will peak in the second half of this century. So there will be no more moving target. If we meet the Millennium Development Goals and set targets for energy efficiency and renewable energy, renewable energy can be effective. Canada can play an important role here by working with international agencies to increase the access to clean and renewable energy sources in developing countries. [MORE]

FAQs: Energy Efficiency

What about the role of energy efficiency?

The most cost effective and environmentally beneficial steps you can take toward sustainable energy is to improve the energy efficiency of your home and car. This can both save you money and reduce consumption of resources. Once you have maximized your energy efficiency, it will then be easier and less expensive to meet a larger portion of your energy needs with renewable energy.