Greenpeace extols virtues of green energy
KITCHENER — Forget their days of harassing whaling vessels and fishing trawlers, Greenpeace today follows slightly different tactics.
Armed with statistics, a PowerPoint and a PhD instead, two members of Greenpeace visited The Record on Thursday to discuss the energy situation in Ontario in advance of the October provincial election.
Nuclear researcher Shawn-Patrick Stensil and climate and energy campaigner Keith Stewart argued that nuclear power projects should be abandoned in favour of green energy projects and energy conservation measures.
Of particular concern to Greenpeace is the government’s plan to add another two reactors at the Darlington generating station, a plan that has been put on hold after the construction bid rose to $26 billion from an initial estimate of $6 billion. The government remains steadfast in their plans to have 50 per cent of energy generated by nuclear sources, something that can only take place if current stations are refurbished and new generators are built within the next decade.
Stensil argues that the government has not been transparent in its nuclear plans, and that a cost assessment needs to take place. Both he and Stewart believe such an assessment would prove that nuclear will cost more in the long run that green energy, with greater risk involved.
“There has to be an industry review,” said Stensil. “The Ontario Energy Board should review costs of nuclear going forward, and weigh that cost against the alternatives.”
The Progressive Conservatives want to follow the Liberal designs, although they want to fast-track the plan. The NDP wants to abandon the plan and focus on energy conservation measures instead.
“No matter what side of the nuclear question you are on, we should at least look at the cost first,” says Stewart.
Key to the Greenpeace argument is that the province’s electricity demand has fallen since 2005. A report by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation predicts that electricity consumption in Ontario will fall by 9.5 per cent between 2009 and 2018, a drop which Stewart says eliminates the need for additional nuclear power.
“The reality is that as our economy continues to change from industrial-based to service-based and efficiencies rise, electrical consumption will come down,” says Stewart.
Stensil says that looking at the global picture shows that countries are abandoning nuclear projects, especially after the Fukushima reactor disaster following the Japanese tsunami. A similar trend happened after Chornobyl disaster in 1986, but Stensil argues that there is now enough of a green energy infrastructure to pick up the slack.
“Ontario needs to look at where the puck is going, and all the investment is going into green energy,” he said.
The Liberal’s Green Energy Act got kudos from the organization, as they argued that it has leapt Ontario to the forefront of the green energy industry. The act has had a particular impact on manufacturing in Waterloo Region, as companies like Automation Tooling Systems, Arise Technologies and Canadian Solar have become green industry leaders. However, the Progressive Conservatives have claimed that it has led to higher hydro bills. In 2010, hydro bills rose 16 per cent.
“We have become the most attractive place in North America for green energy,” said Stensil. “We now have to look at how it can be improved, but we can’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. Cancelling the act would take us a century backwards.”
Regardless of the politicization of the issue, Stewart says that it is all about having the proper foresight.
“The current debate surrounding green energy is similar to the one that took place about whether the Niagara Falls hydro system could afford to be built,” says Stewart.
“Just as we are thankful now that our grandparents helped build that, so will our grandchildren thank us if we invest in wind and solar energy.”
http://www.therecord.com/news/local/article/573714--greenpeace-extols-virtues-of-green-energy