Renewable Energy Atlas
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Sunshine Coast Renewable Energy Atlas October 2012 A Preliminary Review of Renewable Energy Potential on the Sunshine Coast Prepared by the Sunshine Coast Regional District and Enerficiency Consulting 2 | P a g e 2 | P a g e 3 | P a g e Contents List of Figures ................................................................................................................................................ 4 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 5 Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................................... 6 Energy Supply and Distribution..................................................................................................................... 7 Energy Demand ............................................................................................................................................. 7 The Maps ....................................................................................................................................................... 8 Forms of Renewable Energy and Renewable Heat ....................................................................................... 9 Multiple benefits - Reduced emissions, increased efficiency, less costly technology, and more .............. 10 Eight types of Renewable Energy on the Coast .......................................................................................... 11 Solar Energy ............................................................................................................................................ 11 Solar Thermal ...................................................................................................................................... 11 Solar Photovoltaics (PV) ...................................................................................................................... 13 Geo-exchange and Heat Pumps .............................................................................................................. 14 Wind ........................................................................................................................................................ 17 Hydro ....................................................................................................................................................... 19 Tidal ......................................................................................................................................................... 22 Biomass ................................................................................................................................................... 23 Solid Waste and Landfill Gas ................................................................................................................... 26 Conclusions ................................................................................................................................................. 28 Incentives ................................................................................................................................................ 30 Table of Potential Small Hydro Sites (0.5 to 12 MW) on the Sunshine Coast ........................................ 33 Works Cited ................................................................................................................................................. 34 Maps 1 to 6 ................................................................................................................................................. 36 3 | P a g e 4 | P a g e List of Figures Figure 1. Renewable energy technologies have lower life-cycle CO2 emissions than fossil fuels ............ 10 Figure 2. A basic residential on the coast and a larger capacity solar hotwater installation ................... 11 Figure 3. Basic operation of Solar Hotwater system . ................................................................................ 12 Figure 4. Thin-flexible film solar PV installations on a Sechelt home ........................................................ 13 Figure 5. Solar PV installations like this one in rural Ontario . ................................................................... 14 Figure 6. A recently added home on the Gibsons District Energy Utility (GDEU) Geo-Exchange ............ 15 Figure 7. Heat source pumps are increasingly visible on businesses and homes . .................................... 16 Figure 8. Large 3 MW turbines at Bear Mountain, Dawson Creek ............................................................ 17 Figure 9. Small scale (1.5-15 kW) wind turbines like this one in rural Ontario. ......................................... 18 Figure 10 Relative ratio of bird mortalities by different human causes ..................................................... 19 Figure 11. A microhydro installation illustrates the small scale and low impact opportunity t ................ 20 Figure 12. A Nexterra biomass power plant opened September 2012 at UBC, ........................................ 23 Figure 13. A General Electric 2 MW Jenbacher engine produces electricity at UBC. ................................ 25 Figure 14. The Columbia Shuswap Regional District system to collect and destroy landfill gas. .............. 26 4 | P a g e 5 | P a g e Introduction The Sunshine Coast shares characteristics with many rural BC communities but is unique in its proximity to the province’s major city – Vancouver. Inhabited almost entirely along its western and coastal margin, the Sunshine Coast relies almost entirely on energy imported from outside it’s’ borders. Spending over $106 million and emits over 355,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases annually (SCRD, 2010), the region faces both the need to meet growing demand for energy sustainably while finding means to reduce its reliance on imported energy. The development of a Renewable Energy Atlas was identified in the Community Energy and Emissions Plan (CEEP) adopted in 2010 as a means to optimize use of local and regional renewable and alternative energy sources. One of the six goals in the CEEP was ‘Expanding Local Renewable Energy Opportunities’. In We Envision, the Regional Sustainability Plan, renewable energy is identified as a fundamental component to supporting an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 (p.54) (SCRD, 2011). Specific actions include supporting 5 to 10 projects by 2020, as well as supporting renewable energy technology requirements for buildings, home based renewable energy systems, and local opportunities for professional skills development. The purpose of this Atlas is to serve as a preliminary review of Renewable Energy on the Coast, an invitation to the residents, businesses and the communities of the Sunshine Coast to learn more and consider the powerful potential of more integrated Renewable Energy resources. This document serves as a first step to better understanding what types of Renewable Energy technology are viable on the coast. Some technologies are already in operation on people’s homes on smaller scales or out of view in more remote corners of our communities. Ensuring future projects also meet the community’s social and environmental goals will be an essential component of advancing Renewable Energy on the coast. This atlas helps determine and identify for each of eight key renewable energy types: a brief overview of suitability on the Coast and basic requirements opportunities for residential, community, commercial and local government applications working examples, costs and benefits, potential impacts and risks In addition this atlas touches on key approval and permitting processes, serving as a useful starting point for residential, community, local government and commercial applications to create more renewable energy opportunities on the Sunshine Coast. While this document does not describe how each technology works it does provide helpful links for readers interested in learning more. More detailed assessments of Renewable Energy that include primary data collection (e.g. Strait-Highlands Energy Asset Map in Cape Breton) (Strait-Highlands Regional Development Agency, 2008) could be conducted in the future to provide detailed assessment of potential. Every year for the past five, global wind power supply and capacity has shot up by 25% and solar by 50% (International Energy Agency, 2008). While Canada lags in development, Ontario and parts of BC and Alberta are taking steps in this direction. While Alberta currently generates only 2% of its electricity needs from wind, Denmark harnesses over 20% of theirs since 2004. Denmark has also provided a 5 | P a g e 6 | P a g e compelling model of engaging communities to embrace renewable wind energy, as has Germany – a leader in solar PV technology. District Energy systems which often generate heat centrally for distribution to many buildings in city or town centers, are appearing in many large centers in Europe and North America (in cities of Vancouver and Burnaby’s size, to smaller centers like Revelstoke). In BC, communities like Dawson Creek, the City of Abbotsford, T’sou-ke First Nation and Cowichan Valley Regional District are pursing renewable energy like solar, wind and biogas technology. Renewable energy sources provide a major step towards local energy resilience. For the Sunshine Coast it would mean less dependence on all of its energy