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In early September, Prime Minister Chretien announced that Canada would ratify the Kyoto Accord before the end of the year. Ever since then, Nova Scotia's Energy Minister Gordon Balser has been demanding to know how Canada will meet its Kyoto obligations since the federal government has yet to release its plan. Mr. Balser's demand for a plan will probably reach a fever pitch on Monday [28 October] when he meets with his federal, provincial, and territorial counterparts in Halifax to discuss Kyoto. Interestingly, if Mr. Balser were to read the Nova Scotia Energy Strategy, he would soon discover some things that the province could be doing without having to wait for Ottawa's plan. As most Nova Scotians are aware, Canada's Kyoto commitment is to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to 94 percent of 1990 levels no later than 2012. If Nova Scotia were to adopt this reduction target, what would it mean to this province's greenhouse gas emissions? Nova Scotia's emissions totaled 19.4 million tonnes in 1990; meeting the 94 percent reduction would require lowering provincial emissions to about 18.2 million tonnes. It is estimated that by 2012 Nova Scotia's emissions will be between 20.1 and 20.9 million tonnes. In other words, for Nova Scotians to meet their Kyoto target of 18.2 million tonnes, they will need to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by two to three million tonnes. There are surprisingly few sectors of Nova Scotia's economy where significant reductions in emissions can be achieved. During the 1990-1999 period, residential emissions actually declined (as did the fossil fuel industries, with the closure of coal mines), while the commercial, industrial, and manufacturing sectors had minor increases. The sectors showing the most significant growth in emissions during this period were transportation and electrical generation. The government of Nova Scotia is committed to paving roads, which means that without a significant policy change, it is unlikely that any meaningful emission reduction strategy will be proposed for the transportation sector. However, if the government were to promote the creation of a provincial biofuels industry (as is being done in Saskatchewan and Manitoba), ethanol and biodiesel could help make a significant reduction in our greenhouse emissions while allowing people to continue their driving habits. The single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Nova Scotia (slightly over eight million tonnes in 1999) comes from the generation of electricity. The province could achieve anywhere from one-third to one-half of its emissions target if Nova Scotia Power were to reduce its emissions by one million tonnes. How could this be done? One way is to shut down 130 megawatts of existing coal-fired generation and replace it with 130 megawatts of electricity from other sources. The provincial energy strategy lists a number of ways to generate electricity sustainably from renewable energy sources, including biomass, wind, solar, and tidal. Of course, it isn't possible to turn off 130 megawatts of coal-fired electricity tonight and have 130 megawatts of clean electricity tomorrow morning. Clearly, a long-term strategy is needed, which spells out to Nova Scotia Power what the province expects from them by 2012 (the Kyoto deadline). Surprisingly, the provincial energy strategy discusses just such a method; it is known as Renewable Portfolio Standard or RPS. With RPS, the local jurisdiction requires the utility to generate a certain percentage of its electricity from renewable sources within a given period. For example, to reduce the province's emissions by one million tonnes by 2012, the provincial RPS would require Nova Scotia Power to increase its use of renewables by 13 megawatts every year for the 10 year period between 2003 and 2012. Each year, Nova Scotia Power would reduce the generation of coal-fired electricity by an equivalent amount. A Nova Scotia RPS could be enacted in the upcoming session of the legislature. Biomass, wind, solar, and tidal are all proven technologies and are readily available. Many Nova Scotians who want long-term employment in the energy sector could be trained to work with these technologies. There is no need for Energy Minister Balser to wait for Ottawa's Kyoto plan. By adopting a provincial Renewable Portfolio Standard, Nova Scotia could go a long way towards meeting its Kyoto obligations. All that the Energy Minister needs to do is recognize that there is more to energy than oil and gas. Larry Hughes, PhD Professor Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Dalhousie University Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3J 2X4, Canada v: 902.494.3950 f: 902.422.7535 e: larry.hughes@dal.ca u: http://www.dal.ca/~lhughes2 -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- SUST-MAR TIP: to leave the list, PLEASE send "unsubscribe sust-mar" (or unsubscribe sust-mar-digest") to majordomo@chebucto.ca -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
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