Evidence of meeting #16 for Indigenous and Northern Affairs in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was use.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Executive Director, Canadian Association for Renewable Energies
That would be my number one solution. Many people with pools go to Home Depot, pick up some black pipe, and throw it on their roof. They have a small pump, and as it's going through the pipe up on the roof, it's heating their pool.
Conservative
Executive Director, Canadian Association for Renewable Energies
The second one would be buying flat plate collectors, as they're called, which are slightly more sophisticated, but it's the same concept. You are circulating either water or—pardon my oversimplification—an antifreeze that circulates through there and comes back. The heat is transferred over to your drinking water so that there's no antifreeze in your water.
Executive Director, Canadian Association for Renewable Energies
I'm sorry; I missed wood stoves. They would probably be the absolute easiest and the least likely to go wrong, if you have wood.
Conservative
Greg Rickford Conservative Kenora, ON
I'm going to ask that question in a second. Let's just finish this list. After wood stoves...?
Executive Director, Canadian Association for Renewable Energies
So there's solar water heating, which may not be a big deal in the north for pools. Solar water heating for your potable water is logical, because you need that for 12% of your energy, but it doesn't work well in the winter.
Conservative
Greg Rickford Conservative Kenora, ON
We have an issue with pools in the north. So, wood stoves.... Let's move to the next one.
Executive Director, Canadian Association for Renewable Energies
Then you're probably getting into wind. That would be my guess.
Conservative
Greg Rickford Conservative Kenora, ON
You're saying wind before geothermal? I've done studies and worked as legal counsel on some fairly big files around wind power generation in northwestern Ontario, and I can say frankly that there are massive barriers there. We've done scientific breakdowns of square kilometres. There are waiting lists for 90-metre towers, which are absolutely disastrous. However, Red Lake has a geothermal municipal office, library, school, seniors centre, and now, thanks to Canada's economic action plan, a geothermal airport.
I'm sorry, I had to get that in somewhere.
To go back to Canada's economic action plan, in mid-January we announced $146 million to support renewable clean energy projects. They include solar, wind, tidal, and geothermal energies. I think Mr. Bevington was getting at some of the challenges and trying to look at them, and my next question would have asked about which is the easiest to maintain, which takes us back to LaVar's question to a certain extent.
My questions focus around wood pellets and geothermal. Those seem to be more viable renewable or alternative forms of energy than hydro lines. That's ultimately what I'm trying to get at. Thank God we have Canada's economic action plan there to help me understand what the investments are and what projects we have, but now we're drilling down—no pun intended—to see what kind of energy production is the most....
Conservative
Greg Rickford Conservative Kenora, ON
Besides saying that Canada's economic action plan is a great idea, what—
Executive Director, Canadian Association for Renewable Energies
Pardon me if I speak quickly. Differentiate between power, electricity, and heat. Geothermal heat pumps only provide heat.
Conservative
Executive Director, Canadian Association for Renewable Energies
You were talking about wind at utility scale. I was talking about wind at individual scale—basically putting a 700-watt wind turbine on your house to power a 12-volt battery.
Conservative
Greg Rickford Conservative Kenora, ON
I appreciate that. I should have been more specific, because I was aware of that.
Executive Director, Canadian Association for Renewable Energies
There are different markets, and geothermal is not easy to maintain, but once it's installed properly, it should be good for a long time.
Conservative
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bruce Stanton
No, unfortunately, we can't. We're going to finish up here.
We have one last question. It will be from from Monsieur Lévesque.
Mr. Lévesque, do you have a question?
Bloc
Yvon Lévesque Bloc Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Eggertson, people are told that they have to stop using wood stoves, for example, because they produce a huge amount of atmospheric pollution. At the same time, it is suggested that they use energy from biomass. I do not know how far north that would apply, but certainly north of 60. But don't you think that just transporting that energy to the north will require as much non-renewable energy as it will save?
As well, I believe that there are a number of coastal municipalities where the tides are quite high. In Nunavik, for example, the tides reach 39 feet in some places. A number of countries use that. The ice does not prevent them from using the tides.
Today, with new technology, it is possible to have a solar energy system combined with wind energy that provides continuous power to heat the bearings. The problem with wind turbines in the north is that the bearings freeze up. When the turbine starts up again, the bearings overheat because there is not enough lubrication.
Do you know whether there has been a study on this?
Executive Director, Canadian Association for Renewable Energies
Oui. Specifically with reference to wind turbines, there are now units that have heating coils in the nacelleand in the blades and in all of the parts that used to freeze up. You are using some of the electricity that you're generating to power electric coil resistance heating to keep the unit working even if you have severe cold, as in the Antarctic bases. Belgium has just implemented a brand new weather station down in the Antarctic. It is, I think, 50% wind-powered. They have recognized that it's a lot cheaper to put up wind turbines in the Antarctic than it is to bring the oil in from Australia, or wherever it comes from.
Regarding your comment about tidal power, yes, there's only really one tidal power site in Canada, in Nova Scotia at the Bay of Fundy. It has problems. The current trend right now is to use wave energy, whereby you put the turbines underwater, and if there's water flowing through, it drives the turbines. That's being tested in a large number of sites around the country, including off the B.C. coast, and they've just approved one in Minas Basin in New Brunswick or Nova Scotia. Those are very site-specific. You have to have a good resource; otherwise, or don't even bother with it.
I totally agree with you on what we call hybridization. Never rely on one wind turbine or one solar panel or one geothermal installation. Have as much of a mix as possible, so that you're getting both heat and electricity from a wide range. If the sun isn't shining, the wind should be blowing; if not, then you have to kick in your biomass generator.
That's why wind works so well with the hydro industry in Canada. When the wind is blowing—and they can tell five days in advance that the wind is going to blow in a particular spot—Hydro Québec and Ontario Hydro stop their dams from sluicing. They use the wind power. When the wind dies, they open the floodgates, and the electricity is generated by the dam.
Working together as a hybridized model is the best way to do it. It does increase your cost, but it increases reliability and performance and lowers the overall cost.
Bloc
Yvon Lévesque Bloc Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC
Currently, the energy in the north comes mainly from thermal plants. It costs a fortune to transport the oil used for heating and to run the plant turbines.
If wood is used, then that is another renewable resource.
I have heard that in Eastmain, on James Bay, there is a cogeneration plant powered by household waste. There are about 1,800 people in this town, and they produce enough household waste to power the cogeneration plant for about 18 hours a day.
Conservative