Tuesday 18 August 2009

Ontario Will Launch a Wind Forecasting Service



Ontario Will Launch a Wind Forecasting Service in 2010 to Help Wind Power Producers
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada from TreeHugger

It doesn't take a weatherman to know which way the wind blows, but...
The more wind power you have hooked up to the grid, the more important it is to have a good wind forecasting mechanism in place. The government of Ontario has decided to give a hand to the various wind power producers in the province by taking that responsibility and creating a central forecasting service in 2010.

From Reuters:
"Ontario, Canada's most populous province and biggest energy consumer, already leads the other provinces in installed wind energy capacity, with 1,200 megawatts of power. [...] increasing capacity this year by more than 50 percent [this year]."

"Centralized wind forecasting helps to improve forecast accuracy and consistency to make the power system more reliable. It also helps to reduce the administrative burden on wind generators, [Ontario's Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO)] said."

IESO also has a cool real-time (almost) web track that shows how much electricity the province's wind farms are currently producing. For example, as of this writing, production is at 460 megawatts (out of a capacity of 1,200 megawatts).

Here's an embedded version of the Ontario wind power tracker:




The IESO writes: "In April 2009, the average wind output was 41 per cent of capacity, while in June it was 14 per cent, reflecting the fact that the summer months aren’t as windy. IESO centralized wind forecasting, due to begin in the summer of 2010, will help address the variable nature of this energy supply, as it will allow the IESO to understand the periods of time in which they can expect greater levels of wind generation. Equipped with this knowledge, the IESO will be better able to manage all the province’s electricity resources used to meet Ontario’s needs."

Via Reuters

Saturday 15 August 2009

Valley of the 100-Mile Diet Bike Tour



by Roberta Cruger, TreeHugger.com

Come to the Fraser Valley, home of the 100-Mile Diet, where locavores can feast on artisanal cheeses, organic produce and hand-crafted wines, and get an insider’s peak into food production at local farms. A self-guided map shows the way through the Agassiz and Chilliwack Farm Cycle Tours with many stops open to the public only on these two days. The Slow Food Movement of Vancouver hosts th...Read the full story on TreeHugger

Monday 10 August 2009

10 Woodstock-Era Bands Still Rocking the Green Movement


 
Canadian Superstar - Neil Young


Woodstock may have been a one-of-a-kind concert, but the artists and bands that performed there didn't let their commitment to global, political, and social change end with the departure of the last muddy audience member. In the 40 years since the concert, several original Woodstock performers--ranging from Joan Baez to Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young have turned attention to the environmental issues facing the world today, joining other major voices of the era, including Pete Seeger and Arlo Guthrie.


Learn more about these green enthusiast-performers and more in the TreeHugger.com 10 Woodstock-Era Bands Still Rocking the Green Movement slideshow.