Last week , the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario released its report, Rethinking Energy Conservation in Ontario – Results. The report follows in the wake of the release of Ontario’s Long-Term Energy Plan. The Commissioner is emphasizing a number of possible areas for improvement — among them the Ontario Power Authority’s demand response programs. Under the initiative, large industrial electricity consumers are paid to reduce their consumption when electricity demand is high.

Here are some main features of the long-term plan that would ultimately affect business:

1. Demand will grow by around 15% by 2030.

2. The province will be coal-free by 2014.

3. Nuclear power will make up for around 50% of the province’s electricity supply.

4. Focus in growing Ontario’s hydroelectric capacity to 9,000 MW (up from about 8,100 MW).

5. Wind, solar and bio-energy will account for 10,700 MW by 2018, thanks to the feed-in-tariff and
microFIT programs.

6. Increase the target for conservation to 7,100 MW and 28 terawatt-hours by 2030 — a target the provincial government claims as being among the most ambitious in North America.

7. Capital investments totaling C$87-billion over the next 20 years.

On July 27th, the Western Climate Initiative (WCI) released details of its strategy to reduce regional greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 15 percent below 2005 levels by 2020. The WCI is a regional collaboration among seven American states and four Canadian provinces (Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia and Manitoba) to fight climate change and global warming. The document that was made public is billed as a roadmap to assist WCI members (known as partner jurisdictions) in developing and implementing regulations. The program start date is set for January 1, 2012. The first stage of the program will target generators emitting more than 25,000 tonnes of GHG annually.

The program aims to put a price on emissions, and offers an incentive to innovate and find new ways to reduce emissions.

The main feature of the program is a series of integrated cap-and-trade programs implemented through state and provincial regulations. Each participating partner jurisdiction will issue emission allowances to meet its specific emissions goal. Partner jurisdictions will use that cap to form a regional allowance market, where each participant recognizes one another’s allowances for compliance. Emissions allowances issued by each jurisdiction will be usable throughout the jurisdictions for compliance purposes.

The cap-and-trade program includes tight emissions reporting requirements that ensure accurate and timely measurement and recording of GHG emissions by the entities included in the program.

At least once every three years, targeted entities must turn in province one “emission allowance” for each metric ton of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions they emit and report. Consequently, the number of allowances issued will be reduced over time. Anyone can trade emission allowances, so those who succeed in reducing their emissions below the number of allowances they hold can sell whatever they have in excess or save them for a rainy day. By selling excess allowances, an entity can make up some of its costs in reducing emissions. Holding allowances for later use can also befit entities by reducing future compliance costs.

A lot can still happen to torpedo the initiative. Proposition 23, on the California ballot this fall, is intended to derail the state’s signature climate-change law. Also, Arizona, Utah, Washington, Oregon, Montana and Manitoba have all announced that they will delay joining the emissions market, out of fear of rising energy prices.

But if it does see the light of day, the WCI will be North America’s second biggest market for emissions allowances, after the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).

Aside from the integrated cap-and-trade program, the WCI strategy aims to encouraging GHG emissions reductions in industries not covered by the emissions cap, help reduce energy costs across the region and promot energy efficiency policies and programs through energy innovation in high-emitting industries. There are also plans to help individuals transition to new clean-energy jobs.

For more detail, click here.

I recently had a chance to interview Ryan Penn, President of Thindesk, a company that offers IT solutions that help you reduce your energy costs. Their solutions offshore the computer power to servers and you only have clients sitting on your desk. Though energy savings are a big attraction, the reduced maintenance required is even more impressive. By sending maintenance off-site and to a centralized systems, the environmental impact is further reduced. Take a look at the video to get more info on their system and how it might help you.

More information on the ThinDesk platform and how it can help you save energy.

ThinDesk manufacturer explains the differences.

Jeff Bezzos explains why cloud computing is the future.

Ford claims to have saved millions by turning their computers off at night. article here.

We’ve been hearing a lot lately about how one should never let a good crisis go to waste. Moving right along, Ontario appears to be following that advice seriously.

On Monday the Ontario government released its proposed Green Energy Act, a sweeping bill that would amend 15 existing provincial statutes. The new Act is incentive-based and would, among other things, encourage renewable energy projects, promote energy efficiency programs, and build a smart grid, which in turn would present opportunities to develop new technologies. Through the initiative, the McGuinty government hopes to create some 50,000 jobs.

Environmentalists, so far seem happy enough, though there are objections over the role of nuclear power. Most critics are zeroing in on the feasibility of the initiative in the middle of a cash crunch. And one of the more controversial features of the bill is the proposed $300 energy audit that would be required whenever homes are sold. Who would bear the cost of this is unclear, which is why some are calling it a disguised tax on homeowners.

Predictions are a fool’s game, especially in the wake of such an unpredictable year, but here’s one. Ontario is faced with a major decision in 2009: Who will build its next generation of nuclear plants? Two bidders — AREVA (France), and Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. — are still in the race. One could expect Ontario to favour AECL, which has been trying to line up customers for a new CANDU reactor, and is promotting job creation as an added benefit. But the design has yet to be approved by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and foreign competition — from the French mainly — is fierce. Plus, AREVA Canada has aggressively been trying to trump AECL’s homegrown argument by promising significant ‘Canadian content’ as well as helping it diversify its nuclear technology, namely by introducing light-water technology. All of which is why this blogger is betting on AREVA.