Canada’s wind industry is on the way to a record-breaking year with almost a billion dollars invested and a doubling of installed wind capacity. And experts are predicting that sometime over the next decade, this country will begin to produce more electricity from wind power than from natural gas. ‘Wind generation has moved out of the margins and into the mainstream in Canada,’ says Robert Hornung, president of the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA). CanWEA represents more than 250 wind energy companies including wind turbine and component manufacturers, wind energy project developers, electric utilities and service providers. Pincher Creek turbines deliver some of the 354.97 MW of wind energy Alberta produces. Federal policy is one of the current challenges to the industry, says Hornung. Funds in the federal Wind Power Production Incentive program (WPPI), which has subsidized a portion of the cost of establishing wind farms since 2001, have been frozen since April as the Conservative government hammers out its energy and environmental policies. Developers across the country are committed to start projects after winning competitive power supply contracts based on bids in which the WPPI funds were calculated as part of projected […]
BAGHDAD — Gunmen bent on revenge burned mosques and homes in a Sunni enclave of Baghdad on Friday as Iraq’s leaders pleaded for calm, a day after the worst bomb attack since the U.S. invasion. Some 30 people were killed, police said, as suspected Shi’ite militiamen rampaged for hours, untroubled by a curfew enforced in the capital by U.S. and Iraqi forces after bombs killed 202 people in the Shi’ite stronghold of Sadr City. Four mosques and several houses were burned in a small Sunni part of the mainly Shi’ite Hurriya area in northwest Baghdad, Sunni Deputy Prime Minister Salem al-Zobaie told Reuters. One witness said 14 people were killed in his mosque during Friday prayers: ‘It was attacked by rocket-propelled grenades,’ university teacher Imad al-Din al-Hashemi said. ‘When the gunmen moved on to attack another mosque, we evacuated the wounded.’ The White House called the violence a ‘brazen effort to topple a democratically elected government’. The U.S. military said it sent no troops to Hurriya but that Iraqi police were on hand. Many police units are close to Shi’ite militia groups. It was the second daylight raid by guerrillas in two days. With the […]
Taking folic acid can reduce the risk of heart disease and strokes, according to research. British scientists have discovered that raised levels of the amino acid homocysteine in the blood is one of the causes of cardiovascular disease. They say that increasing intake of folic acid would be a relatively cheap and simple way of reducing heart disease. Previous studies have also suggested that eating plenty of folic acid, a type of vitamin B, could help to prevent strokes and some cancers and could potentially halve the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Since folic acid helps to lower homocysteine, the scientists believe increasing intake of the vitamin could help to reduce the risk of disease. The Department of Health recommends that all women take a daily supplement of 0.4mg of folic acid before they conceive and for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy while the baby’s spine is developing to help prevent spina bifida. Folic acid is already recommended to pregnant women as it is known to help prevent spina bifida in babies. Rich dietary sources of folic acid include fortified breakfast cereals, bread, green leafy vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, broccoli, spinach […]
DENVER — Renewable energy is gathering steam in several states as voters and governors push electric utilities to generate a set percentage of electricity from clean sources such as wind and solar power. In Washington state, voters approved a measure Nov. 7 mandating that 15% of electrical power come from renewable sources by 2020. That makes 20 states and the District of Columbia with such requirements, according to the Department of Energy. Two others states - Illinois and Vermont - have non-binding goals on using renewable energy sources. More states are forcing utilities toward wind, solar and other renewable energy sources, such as geothermal and biomass, to cut the use of coal and natural gas and spur greater U.S. energy independence. Burning coal produces greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide that contribute to climate change. Power plants fueled by natural gas pollute the air with sulfur dioxide. Opponents, including some utilities and industries, say the switch will be costly for consumers and businesses. In Senate testimony last year, the National Association of Manufacturers opposed a proposed federal requirement to use renewable energy because it would reduce the flexibility of utilities in choosing fuels and harm businesses […]
TORONTO — Canada has some of the world’s most extensive water resources, but a new report released today warns that even a modest amount of global warming will reduce flows in the Great Lakes and the Athabasca River enough to crimp hydro-electricity production in Ontario and oil sands development in Alberta. The report, from the World Wildlife Fund Canada, reviewed the likely impacts of a 2-degree rise in average global temperatures on the two water systems, which play a critical role in the country’s economic development and environment. It says there will be less abundant water resources primarily because warming will lead to more evaporation from water bodies, changes in rainfall patterns, and alterations in glacial melting, lowering levels in streams and lakes. ‘We think of our water resources as endless, but they’re not only finite, they’re diminishing with global warming,’ said Julia Langer, a spokeswoman for the environmental group. ‘All of the data indicates that these are diminishing water resources.’ The study predicts there will be enough water scarcity driven by the 2 degrees of global warming — expected to occur some time between 2026 and 2060 — that Canadians should begin planning now to […]
Remote Viewing the Year 2060
