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Showing posts from January, 2019

Misconceptions About Battery Storage

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By Paul Homewood There is a very common misconception that battery storage can solve the the problems of intermittency arising from renewable energy sources. For instance, there was a this little exchange on the Telegraph article today about wind farms along the HS2 route to power the train: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/01/26/wind-farms-could-built-along-route-hs2-confidential-government/ What the public at large, represented by Mr. Truth, don't seem to understand is just how limited the amount of energy that can be stored really is. As we know, Elon Musk sold his 100MW battery storage system to South Australia a couple of years ago. 100MW sounds impressive, but as his own specifications made clear the maximum output was only 129MWh. And for this tiny amount of storage, the Australians paid an estimated A$150M, about E80m. Hornsdale Battery Shortage -South Australia The put storage into perspective, let's take a typical 5MW wind turbine, the sort

5 Things To Watch in 2019

By: Mike Holden - Chief Economist - CM&E Economic projections are based on historic patterns, emerging trends and an understanding of a deep and complex series of cause-and-effect relationships. However, those aren’t the only things that affect how an economy performs. Government policy announcements, large-scale business investment decisions, geopolitical instability and a host of other factors are inherently unpredictable and can have a major impact on an economy’s performance. With that in mind, CME’s economics team gazes into its crystal ball every year to highlight five things to watch out for in the coming year. These are some of our “known unknowns” – factors that we know will impact the economy, whether for good or for ill, but whose effect is far from clear. 1. WHAT IMPACT WILL THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY HAVE ON THE CANADIAN ECONOMY? Businesses are pouring billions of dollars into Canada’s burgeoning cannabis industry. But the industry is still in its infancy. There will be

We Predict a Depression Unmatched in Western Canadian Oilpatch History - When Bills C-69, C-74, C-48, and C-262 Become Law

Written By: Heather Douglas Published: Energy Processing Canada Magazine (www.northnstar.ab.ca) " Whomsoever controls the volume of money in any country is absolute master of all industry and commerce and when you realize that the entire system is very easily controlled, one way or another, by a few powerful men at the top, you will not have to be told how periods of inflation and depression originate." James Garfield (1831-1881), 20th President of the United States, serving from March 4, 11881 until his assassination later that year. Unfortunately, those who control the money -- that fuels investment in industry and commerce -- are often aided and abetted by those who draft the legislation and devilishly assault its very existence. The federal Trudeau government has proposed what it claims are "well-intentioned policies to rebuild public trust and advance indigenous reconciliation" while "advancing good projects to ensure energy resources get to markets

The Seismic Industry - A New Year's Resolution

By: Rod Garland It has become a tradition as the New Year begins, to wish everyone happiness and prosperity, so in keeping with that sentiment, the CAGC extends best wishes to everyone in the CSEG family. It is also a time for New Year Resolutions, perhaps Canada should resolve to get some pipelines built, attract investment and compete for business in a meaningful way for the prosperity of all Canadians... The New Year also marks a new beginning for everyone on Earth as the planet cycles on its elliptical journey through space around the Sun. In the northern hemisphere our days will be getting longer as more light and heat reaches the surface, starting the process of regrowth for the plants and crops that are vital to sustain life.   Energy is particularly important to those living in northern climes as evidenced by the winter weather’s early arrival this year in late September. Even though the Sun provides all of the energy that we end up using in one form or another, unfo