Jim Harris

News

Energy Efficiency cheapest way to replace Ontario’s aging nuclear power

By

ocaa-reportBy: Jordana Levine

Energy efficiency, renewable energy and co-generation alternatives provide cheaper, more secure, and less wasteful forms of electricity generation than nuclear, concludes a new report, Powerful Options: A review of Ontario’s options for replacing aging nuclear plants. Increased funding for electric utilities’ energy efficiency programs, establishing fees for natural gas-fired combined heat and power (CHP) and making long-term electricity supply agreements with Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador would all provide the power Ontario needs in the future as aging nuclear plants are phased out. The research report by the Ontario Clean Air Alliance (OCAA) was released in May 2009.

By 2021, 47 percent of Ontario’s nuclear power will be gone because the generators will be past their service life.  That means 60.4 billion kWh of nuclear power will need to be replaced. The Government of Ontario plans to sign a contract to build two nuclear reactors at the Darlington Nuclear Station east of Oshawa.  The report points out that conservation and efficiency would cost only 2.7 cents per kWh and, if the power authority was to aggressively promote efficiency — demand for electricity will fall by 28.6 billion kWh between 2008 and 2021.

The OCAA doesn’t support replacing old nuclear reactors with new ones, and recommends that, instead, the provincial government require the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) to get serious about energy efficiency (EE), renewable energy (RE) and co-generation.

The construction of new nuclear generators costs more than any of the five other options that the OCAA gives for how to maintain Ontario’s power supply when the old generators die.  It costs at least 15.1 cents US per kWh (or 18 cents Canadian as of May 2009).  It also has a history of higher-than-projected costs, quickly aging equipment and unexpected errors.  Overall, nuclear power is suggested to be the least reliable option.

The replacement options that the OCAA gives are:
•    Conservation and efficiency to reduce need for electricity
•    Wind power
•    Natural gas-fired CHP (combined heat and power)
•    Renewable electricity imports from Quebec
•    Hydro-electricity imports from Labrador

In terms of wind power, Ontario’s onshore potential alone is 11 times as much as Ontario’s electricity consumption each year, meaning it could easily cover all of the lost nuclear power.  Also, even though the power is intermittent, Ontario and Quebec could join forces and share excess generation at times when winds are mild in some areas.  At the 2010 rates, Quebec could replace 40 percent of the lost power from nuclear at only 9 cents per kWh.  Labrador could also contribute 28 percent of Ontario’s lost power in 2021 for the same price.

Natural gas-fired CHP, although it can emit more greenhouse gases than nuclear power plants, has an efficiency of 80 to 90 percent versus a nuclear reactor’s efficiency of 33 percent because it uses the same molecules of gas to produce heat and electricity at the same time.  Natural gas-fired CHP could supply 100% of the lost power from nuclear for a mere six cents per kWh.

Ontario will have phased out almost all coal by January 2010, accomplishing the largest greenhouse gas reduction initiative in North America.  The phase-out is the equivalent of taking nearly seven million cars off the road.  The next step is figuring out how to replace nuclear power to make the air even cleaner.

Renewable energy creates more jobs than fossil fuels

By

By: Jordana Levine.

If renewable energy production in the US was increased 20% by 2020, 185,000 new jobs would be created in renewable energy development.  Consumers would also save $10.5 billion on electricity and gas bills and farmers, ranchers, and rural landowners would have $25.6 billion added to their total income.

The Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory in Berkeley discovered that renewable energy not only creates more jobs per megawatt of power installed, but also more jobs per unit of energy produced and per dollar invested compared to the fossil fuel energy sector.

In the European Union, net employment growth in the EU is projected to increase to 950,000 with current policies, and up to 1,666,000 jobs by 2010 under the Advanced Renewable Strategy (ARS) that has been implemented.  Renewable energy would also make up 22.1% of the EU’s total energy by 2010

The Environmental Energy Study Institute has a fact sheet discussing jobs from renewable energy and energy efficiency both within the US and around the world.  It lists the improvements in energy resources, including the increase in wind, geothermal, solar and tidal energy and well as biofuels and clean-coal plants.  The fact sheet shows the immense number of jobs that these industries add to the economy.

The full fact sheet can be downloaded at the EESI website

Inaction will cost $7 trillion

By

By: Jordana Levine

If the issues of climate change are not addressed, it could cost every person on earth $1000 a year, or $7 trillion worldwide, says Nicholas Stern, former World Bank chief economist.  In the report, Climate Change and Green Jobs: Labour’s Challenges and Opportunities, the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) stresses that taking action will cost a lot less than doing nothing.

If the federal government invested $30 billion over ten years to transition to an economy that is consciously aware of climate change, 330,000 jobs would be created and Canada’s GDP would increase by $140 billion.  There would be $95 billion added to personal income and $28 billion in energy savings.

Just under half of Canada’s CO2 emissions come from heavy industry, mainly using coal, gas and oil.  The report gives the example of the tarsands, which the CLC says are the single most destructive project anywhere in the world, consuming one gallon of oil for every two gallons it produces.  The tarsands have already made a hole the size of Vancouver Island, and it is predicted to grow by 400-500% in the next ten years if no changes are made, which would make the area the size of Florida.  The CLC urges Canada to stop racing to provide the US with oil and focus on slowing down the use of non-renewable energy in its own country.

The CLC believes that good jobs and a strong economy will only happen if we take into account every area that contributes to a high-quality life, including the economy, jobs, equality an the environment.  Both the global economy and the environment will be in major trouble if temperatures rise more than two degrees Celsius, leading to destruction of ecosystems, hugely diminished biodiversity, dangerously high sea levels and extreme weather.

The CLC especially supports four major areas:
•    Promoting energy efficiency
•    Investing in rail and mass transit infrastructure
•    Creating proper fuel efficiency standards
•    Developing renewable energy sources

The report stresses the importance of ensuring that policies, such as carbon taxes, do not increase inequality between classes.  The biggest polluters should be paying the most and household carbon taxes should only be imposed if 100% of the revenue goes towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions. A Just Transition Fund is a vital aspect that would compensate communities and individuals for wage cuts, displacement and job losses; it would fund the retraining of these workers and encourage them to work in a greener economy without diminishing the quality of life or contributing to inequality.  

 

CLC: “There will be no good jobs on a dead planet”

By

By: Jordana Levine

To prevent global warming, Canadian experts call for a 25% reduction below 1990 levels of CO2 emissions by 2020 and 80% below by 2050.  

The CLC Statement on Climate Change was written for the House of Commons regarding Bill C-30: Canada’s Clean Air and Climate Change Act as a recommendation.  It insists, “There will be no good jobs on a dead planet.”

The statement highlights key opportunities to create new jobs that do not generate emissions.  A serious program to retrofit older houses in Canada over 25 years would create 50,000 jobs a year on its own; construction jobs can substitute industrial, polluting jobs.  There could also be opportunities for jobs developing efficient and renewable fuels.  The CLC gives a number of ways that new industries could create more jobs that are kinder to the earth.

The CLC insists on creating strategies to regulate practices, encourage public investment and get the government directly involved through taxes and spending measures.  The government will need to be active, insuring that it makes useful investments that will help us transition to an environmentally sustainable, low-carbon economy.

The CLC calls for eliminating tax subsidies for the oil and gas industry.  Instead, the government should provide companies with tax incentives to invest in equipment that reduces emissions and that there should be a cap-and-trade system to limit emissions. Emissions caps should be lowered as green strategies and tax measures improve and the cost of reducing emissions falls.  The Pembina Institute and other experts calculate that a carbon charge of $30 per tonne would force actual change in an orderly manner.

The report points out that energy-efficient and low-carbon economies are more labour intensive, creating new opportunities for workers, but notes that some sectors will see job loss.  The CLC suggests that a Just Transition fund should be set up, which will compensate workers for loss of money and contribute to retraining them in new, greener fields.

The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) calls for new, effective climate change policies to keep emissions down and provide new jobs centred around environmentally sustainable practices in the workplace.

The CLC brings Canada’s national and international unions, as well as provincial and territorial labour federations and district labour councils.  The members work in nearly every sector, occupation, and area of the country.

“Greening” the economy across the board

By

unep-background-paper-on-green-jobs

By: Jordana Levine

We are on the verge of an economic transformation to a greener economy, notes the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).

Compared to fossil fuels, renewable energy generates more jobs per dollar invested.  Looking at the countries that had data available, the world employed nearly 2.3 million people in the renewable energy sector in 2006.  The UNEP report estimates that there could be over 20 million workers in this area by 2030.

Energy efficiency retrofits of buildings not only creates new jobs it also reduces carbon emissions.  It has been estimated that this could reduce CO2 emissions by 29% by 2020 at no extra cost, thereby fighting climate change and avoiding the increase in extreme weather it causes.

Other new jobs while decreasing damage to the environment include the development and alteration of mass transportation and creating small, sustainable farms. 

The UNEP points out the importance of having a properly developed system to support the “greening” of our economy.  Some areas that need to be addressed are the importance of sharing research both within the community and worldwide, job training for the new types of work that will arise, and assistance for the affected workers who may lose jobs in areas that cloud up the environment with smog.

A solid green jobs strategy will help ensure that the money spent between now and 2030 generates workplaces and jobs with low carbon emissions.  The UNEP report points out that green jobs will “radiate” across various workplaces, creating a greener economy overall.

The UNEP Background Paper on Green Jobs focuses on the Green Jobs Initiative, which is a collaborative project of the UNEP, International Labour Organization (ILO) and International Trade Union Confederation (ATUC).

The Green Jobs Initiative looks at, analyzes and promotes employment in relation to climate change.  It supports jobs that are environmentally sustainable and development that contributes to the environment’s well-being.  These “green jobs” are defined as positions in agriculture, manufacturing, research and development, administrative, and services activities meant to combat environmental issues.

5M US green jobs by 2018 & $284B energy savings

By

apollo 04

The Apollo Alliance calls for investing $500 billion by 2018, which will create five million high quality green-collar jobs.  The Alliance’s first report, New Energy for America (Jan ’04) called for $300 billion of public expenditure to create three million jobs, stimulate $1.4 trillion in new GDP, add billions in personal income and retail sales, and produce $284 billion in net energy savings –- all while generating sufficient returns to the U.S. treasury to pay for itself over 10 years.

The 2004 report pointed out that 43% of the global solar power market is controlled by Japan, while European countries control 90% of the wind turbine production.

The 2008 report revised upwards the potential for green collar jobs by two million. What accounted for the difference? Well, when Obama was elected President committing to create five million green collar jobs, two million more than the Apollo Alliance’s 2004 report, the Alliance could not very well be lagging the new Prez – so they revised upwards their numbers. That’s my theory.

Apollo Alliance Board member Van Jones was appointed Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation to the White House Council on Environmental Quality in March 2009.  Jones’ book, The Green Collar Economy,  was a 2008 New York Times bestseller. He launched Green for All  – a campaign to create 250,000 green-collar jobs in urban neighbourhoods.

The Apollo Alliance is a coalition of environmental groups, labour unions and politicians seeking to convince legislators to have a concerted effort to transform the US economy into a green economy based on energy efficiency and renewable energy. A green-collar job is, in essence, a blue-collar job that has been upgraded to address environmental challenges.

 

Jim Harris is an expert on disruptive innovation, who has appeared on Idea City, Canada’s version TED Talks on numerous occasions. Contact him today to book him for your next event.

40M US green jobs by 2030

By

renewable-energy1

By: Jordana Levine

In 2006, there were 8.5 million Americans working in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RE & EE) industries. By 2030, the country could potentially have up to 40 million green collar jobs.  That’s one in four Americans bringing in a total of $4.5 trillion in revenue for the US instead of the $970 billion in 2006.

Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency: Economic Drivers for the 21st Century, released by the American Solar Energy Society (ASES), discusses the importance of making RE&EE jobs available.  The report describes different types of jobs in the industry and the plethora of positions that could be available in the next couple of decades.

Roger Bezdek, the principal investigator of the study, stresses the importance of investing in RE&EE industries before other countries take the lead and reap economic and environmental benefits before the US gets the chance.  If little action is taken, there will be almost no increase in jobs and revenue, but if the US “pushes the envelope,” it could lead to a 30% increase in the amount of RE available and EE products b 2030.

The predictions include both direct and indirect jobs.  Direct jobs involve people working for a solar company, say building solar panels. An indirect job would involve someone working for a company that sells silicon to the solar company.

The report also examines job levels in:

* Federal, state, local, non-governmental  organizations and foundations.

* Manufacturers of energy efficiency (EE) products.

* Renewable Energy (RE) technologies include hydroelectricity, biomass, geothermal, wind, photovoltaic and solar thermal energy.  In 2006, renewable energy made up only 6% of US energy.

The report uses Ohio as a case study.  Over 10 years, overall US employment has increased more than five times as fast as Ohio’s.  However, a significant boost in RE&EE employment could increase the state’s number of jobs by over 1.7 million and revenues by over $220 billion.

All jobs in a renewable energy company, may not seem ‘green’ — for instance the majority of jobs created by the RE&EE industry are ‘standard’ jobs, such as accountants, clerks, secretaries, cashiers, factory workers and truck drivers.  In fact, the report explains that there are many more ‘standard’ jobs that will be created compared to ones you would naturally think are ‘green’ such as those for biochemists, environmental engineers, conservation workers and other environmentally specialized positions. ‘Standard’ jobs created in green industries are counted as ‘green’ jobs in the report.

$150B/yr Investment in Building Efficiency gives 2X long-term return of stocks

By

energy-efficiency-in-buildings-report-193-x-193

A $150 billion a year can be invested in energy efficiency retrofits of buildings in six major markets with returns substantially better than the stock market and real estate investing.

 

In 2008 buildings account for 40% of the world’s energy use — resulting carbon emissions substantially greater than those from the transportation sector.

 

Aggressive reductions in energy use in buildings in order to reduce the planet’s energy-related carbon footprint by 77% (or 48 Gigatons) by 2050 to stabilize CO2 levels as called for by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

 

At $US60 per barrel oil, $150 billion a year can be invested building energy efficiency in the six markets which will reduce energy use and carbon footprints by 40% with five year discounted paybacks. That’s a 20% internal rate of return (IRR) – better than the long-term historical stock market returns (10% IRR) and better than real estate investment (16% IRR).

 

A further US$ 150 billion a year can be invested with paybacks between five and 10 years (10% to 20% IRR) will further reduce energy use and carbon emissions by 12% and bring the total reduction to slightly more than half.

 

Energy Efficiency in Buildings: Transforming the Market released May 2009 developed by World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and published by Continental Automated Buildings Association (CABA) focused on six markets that produce more than half of the world’s GDP and generate almost two-thirds of global primary energy: Brazil, China, Europe, India, Japan and the US.