Tag: wind turbines

The Germans came for LNG, Trudeau offered wind/hydrogen/ammonia

Remember when Germany came to Canada, asking for liquefied natural gas, and were handed a weird wind and hydrogen project in Newfoundland instead? Looks like things are moving forward on that front.

But wait! This whole scheme is to build on-shore wind generation on the southwest corner of Newfoundland, and use that to turn water from an old mine into hydrogen. But since there’s only one very small ship on the entire planet that can ship liquid hydrogen (at 20 degrees above absolute zero), the Newfie wind-hydrogen will be converted to ammonia to ship to Germany. Got that?

Wouldn’t it be easier to just build the wind turbines in the German part of the North Sea instead?

And for something completely different: Brian Peckford was one of the premiers that signed the Constitution Act of 1982, which brought us the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Op-Ed: Brian Peckford: Now that we can amend our constitution, we have no leadership to do so

And since we’re talking about political bullshit, here’s a little bullshit.

Quick Dick McDick: How is a calf born, in 5 minutes or less

And Saskatchewan’s burgeoning helium industry is continuing to grow, using oil and gas services to do so.

North American Helium adding two more processing facilities in Saskatchewan

About those multi-lateral wells … and the Alberta grid

Photo by Brian Zinchuk

Saturn Oil & Gas has joined the multi-lateral bandwagon, having drilled two open hole multi-lateral wells that the Government of Saskatchewan announced an incentive for yesterday (shared yesterday)

I’ve been saying for over a year the Government of Saskatchewan needs to do something to increase drilling numbers. I’m wondering if this is it?

Also: Alberta’s shaking up its electrical grid by 2027. And in a related story, new rules for power generators in Alberta

So long, spinny things in front of mountains!

Wind turbines won’t be allowed near mountains anymore. And when these reach end of life, those sites won’t be rebuilt with new, larger ones, if these rules stick.

Don’t block our mountains or mess with good farmland: #Alberta releases renewable power rules. And reclamation is going to be paid up front. This story is the full meat, potatoes, gravy and carrots on Wednesday’s wind and solar announcement.

And what’s the pool at for Trudeau resigning today? It’s 40 years to the day since daddy took his “walk in the snow.”

Notley takes credit for getting rid of coal power, days after the lights almost went out

After a weekend of power shortages, Notley takes credit for getting rid of coal-fired power and building wind and solar. Because of course she did. Not sure when it was filmed, but there wasn’t a hint of shame that she was largely the cause of what happened over the weekend.

 
Also: Brian Crossman: Magic Eight Ball prediction edition for 2024. “Will the current Prime Minister continue to be a dumpster fire?” “SIGNS POINT TO YES.”

Pour on a little more coal, boys!

Boundary Dam Power Station last night

The past weekend proved to be a close-run thing for the Alberta electrical grid, and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is making statements resolving he won’t allow that to happen here.

Specifically, after having nearly completely divested itself of coal-fired power production, Alberta’s dramatic buildout of wind and solar proved impossible to keep the lights on in that province when the chips were down and temperatures hit -35 C, or worse.

Alberta’s close brush with possible rolling blackouts stiffens Moe’s resolve to keep the lights on. On Monday, he announced that SaskPower has relit a shuttered coal unit near Estevan, one the feds had supposedly forced to retire Dec. 31, 2021.

Also note: Saskatchewan has about a million cars registered. So a good bet is Alberta probably has four million. What would have happened if four million EVs were all plugged in last weekend?

If you missed them, these five stories, in order, chronicle what happened in Alberta.

Most of Alberta’s wind fleet slowly shut down Thursday night, but not for lack of wind

Grid Alert 1:

Alberta goes under grid alert for just under 5 hours on Jan. 12

Grid Alert 2:

Alberta’s electrical grid stood at the brink of blackouts Jan. 13, before pulling back in the nick of time

Grid Alert 3:

Alberta goes into Round 3, with its third electrical grid alert in three days

Grid Alert 4:

Round 4: Alberta declares fourth electrical grid alert in 4 days, second in 17 hours

Round 3, Fight! Alberta spends third evening in danger of blackouts

For the third day in a row, Alberta went into an electrical grid alert on Sunday. At one point it had no contingency reserve left at all, but imports from BC appeared to save the day. While it looked a little hairy there for a bit, there was no emergency alert declared, unlike Saturday.

Did I mention before that Alberta has more coal, oil and natural gas than God? Because guess what? It still does.

 

Alberta peered into the abyss Saturday evening

Alberta’s electrical grid stood at the brink of blackouts Jan. 13, before pulling back in the nick of time.

It was the second evening in a row Alberta saw “grid alert” issued, but this time, it was a much closer-run thing.

Alberta’s electrical grid was in such peril of falling into rotating blackouts on Saturday night, the provincial government urged people to even turn off their bathroom fans, among other things.

Also, from Western Standard:

STIRLING: When magical thinking meets a polar vortex cold, hard reality follows

Friday night was a rough one for Alberta’s power grid

Alberta went under grid alert for just under 5 hours on Jan. 12. And yes, the AESO suggested people shouldn’t run their dishwashers. Alberta has more coal, oil and gas than God, because God gave all his to Alberta, and people there shouldn’t have washed their dishes lest the lights go out. That is no word of a lie. I was up all evening monitoring it, as you’ll see in the story.

And all of this is before four million Albertans are forced to buy electric cars and pickups.

 

Also:

It looks like Trans Mountain might, indeed be allowed to finish the darn pipeline in weeks instead of years. That is, unless they find another hummingbird on the right of way. The Canada Energy Regulator apparently removed its head from its posterior.

Canadian Press story on record cold in BC, AB.

Methane fees in US.

Seven days in a row, wind went to zero in Saskatchewan

Assembly of a wind turbine near Assiniboia, SK, on Jan. 7, 2021. Photo by Brian Zinchuk

UPDATED: For seven days in a row, SaskPower saw wind generation hit zero for part of the day

The story originally said five days. SaskPower got back to me and noted the streak continued Jan. 7 and 8 as well. So that’s a whole week with wind flatlining. Total, complete flatline for part of the day, each day. How do you power the hospital my wife is an ER nurse at with zero power? Inquiring minds would like to know?

Also:

Weaker oil prices should bring some relief to consumers in 2024: Analysts

and

Quick Dick McDick: Saskatchewan Winterfront Regulation

Bonus points for Quick Dick’s instruction on how to use the box from a Pilsner 2-4 for a winterfront. Nothing says Saskatchewan like a Pil box on your pickup

Alberta’s wind power sputtered to next to nothing Sunday night, again

Wind turbines near Pincher Creek, Alberta. Photo by Brian Zinchuk

It’s starting to get cold out. The sun was down and Alberta’s wind power generation fell to next to nothing last night – less than half a per cent capacity.

Meanwhile in Saskatchewan, we’ve had several days of minimal wind power generation.

In other news, they’ve started to bring in floating accommodations for the staff to build the Woodfibre LNG facility.

And Precision Drilling meets debt reduction goal, on track to repay $500 million by 2025. 

Wind power zeros out on Jan. 2 in Saskatchewan. As in nothing. Zip. Nada.

Final assembly of a wind turbine near Assiniboia, Sask., on Jan. 7, 2021. Photo by Brian Zinchuk

Wind power flatlined in Saskatchewan on Jan. 2, after days of strong winds. Flatlined, as in zero power, at night, so no solar, either.

Zero reliability, this wind thing. And I had to start wearing my parka this week, too.

Put our trust in wind, and we’ll all freeze. In the dark.

Also, switching to third person:

Pipeline Online editor and owner Brian Zinchuk is back on the air with CJME/CKOM’s Evan Bray Show. He was on the air for a full hour on Wednesday, Jan. 3. Here’s the podcast of that appearance, including responses to several calls. One was on whether or not the Trans Mountain Expansion will ever be finished. (With the ads and news breaks removed, it’s only 35 minutes).

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