To the Editor:
I know that it is an extremely popular activity to deny the environmental crisis we are in. Somehow there has been a disconnect created between our human activity and environmental degradation. That disconnect has no greater example than the “clean coal” technology of Brad Wall’s government.
Despite the propaganda about clean coal technology, burning coal never has been or ever will be clean. Solar generated electricity is.
Mr. Wall has long championed clean coal technology for energy as opposed to renewable energy technology to the point that he has spent, reportedly, $1.4 billion tax dollars in his carbon capture program at Boundary dam. Construction setbacks, persistent design and technical issues are forcing the Sask. Government to pay up to $18,000,000.00 before the end of the year because it cannot fulfill its carbon contract to oil extraction company, Cenovus.
If you take 1,400,000,000.00 and divide it by $20,000.00, which is approximately the cost of installing enough roof mounted solar electricity to power an average modern bungalow, that would be 70,000 houses that could have free electrical production installed on those homes. That would be the equivalent of 82% of the houses in Regina. For fun let’s include the $18,000,000.00 in contract penalties and we can add 900 more houses for free production every time we have to pay that much in penalties. That is three or four reserves.
If we installed that amount of solar the existing demand on our present aging generating system would be reduced not just the equivalent of the kilowatts generated by the sun. Additional savings are realized when energy is produced on site as opposed to huge resistance losses in the hundreds of miles of transmition lines that brings the power from Boundary Dam to your house.
Local employment of Canadians to install solar to 70,900 homes would further stimulate the Sask. economy that the foreign employment being used for the carbon capture program does not.
This previous dialog is considered on the basis of Sask. Power still owning the entire system, solar included for the 1.4 billion of your money it has spent. If Sask. power would offer progressive incentives to advance the solar industry individuals could own and generate as much electricity as they wanted to, selling back the excess to Sask. power at a profit.
The technology and cost of solar electricity is getting better, more efficient and cheaper every year. Solar energy is space age technology with a bright, clean, rapidly expanding, endless and renewable future. Another wonderful thing is that solar is only one way of creating clean environmental saving energy. There are many clean, renewable energy options.
Do the math. Consider our Grandchildren.
Greg Chatterson
Fort San
