Tag Archives: Alberta

Getting to Net-Zero in Canada

From Friends of Science Calgary

Contributed by Ian Cameron, Director for Friends of Science Society ©2024

The Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act, which became law on June 29, 2021, “enshrines in legislation Canada’s commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.” To date most of the federal government’s focus has been on its 2030 Paris Agreement target of reaching CO2eq emission reductions 40-45% below the 2005 level of 741 Mt (i.e., 2030 net emissions of 445-408 Mt).

The government’s first attempt to determine what it would take to reach net-zero was a report released in December 2021 by the Canadian Energy Regulator (CER) called Canada’s Energy Future 2021: Energy Supply and Demand Projections to 2050 (EF2021). EF2021 did not explicitly model a net-zero future, which drew criticism and resulted in a directive from the Minister of Natural Resources to the CER to “provide even more data in line with Canada achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.”

Thus, Canada’s Energy Future 2023 (EF2023), published in June 2023, became the CER’s “first long-term outlook on modeling net-zero by 2050.” The results of EF2023 are not future predictions or policy recommendations, but rather the product of three scenarios:

  • Global Net-zero – Canada achieves net-zero by 2050, and the rest of the world reduces emissions enough to limit global warming to 1.5°C.
  • Canada Net-zero – Canada achieves net-zero by 2050, and the rest of the world reduces emissions, but not enough to limit global warming to 1.5°C. This affects some of the international factors that are inputs to the CER’s models.
  • Current measures – No net-zero as there is limited action in Canada beyond current measures and also limited future global climate action.

Figure 1 (Fig. A.2 of EF2023) illustrates the iterative approach for the Global Net-zero and Canada Net-zero scenarios, which used the CER’s Energy Futures Modeling System. The main input driver for the modeling is what the CER refers to as the “aggregate cost of carbon,” which represents a hypothetical suite of policies, regulations and programs assumed for the 2030-2050 period. In the Global Net-zero scenario this means an inflation-adjusted (i.e., 2022$) $330/t of CO2eq in 2050, and $380/t for the Canada Net-zero scenario (Table A1.1).

Fig. 1

Figure 2, copied from Fig. ES.2 of EF2023’s Executive Summary, shows one of the modeling results (end-use energy use by fuel type.) As explained in the Energy Demand section total end-use energy demand for the two Net-zero scenarios declines by 22% and 12%, from 2021 to 2050, despite continuing economic and population growth. This decline is largely due to “switching to different technologies and fuels, more efficient use of energy, and lower activity levels in some sectors.” The CER assumed real annual GDP growth of 1.4% for the Global Net-zero scenario and slightly higher in the other two scenarios; see p.112 of the full report.

Fig. 2

Figure 3 (Fig. R.4 of EF2023) depicts the emissions modeled in the Global Net-zero scenario. Offsetting the positive emissions in 2050 requires “negative emissions” from electricity (-37 Mt); hydrogen production (-21 Mt); direct air capture (-46 Mt); and land use, land-use change, and forestry (-50 Mt). Table R.1 of EF2023 provides explanations for each of the nine economic sectors modeled.

Fig. 3

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, “one of Canada’s leading progressive voices in public policy debates,” took note of EF2023 and commissioned David Hughes to use it as the basis for a report, released on February 8, 2024 and called Getting to Net-Zero in Canada – Scale of the problem, government projections and daunting challenges (full 64-page report and 6-page summary). This article in The Tyee quotes Mr. Hughes’ reason for writing Getting to Net-Zero: “My objective is to provide policymakers and the public with an understanding of the scale of the problem so they can appreciate the scale that any solution is going to have to take. Only with understanding and buy-in can the necessary changes be implemented.” Figure 4, taken from Mr. Hughes’ report, illustrates the “scale of the problem.”

Fig. 4

The Discussion and Implications chapter of the full Getting to Net-Zero report (pp.56-61) states that, in the CER’s Net-zero scenarios, per capita end use of energy must be reduced 33-41% and lists a number of unrealistic outcomes (e.g., wind and solar generation must increase 10-12 times and direct air capture 4,600-5,500 times current world capacity), together with optimistic assumptions about future cost reductions in carbon capture, use and storage (CCUS), direct air capture, wind and solar capital costs, hydrogen production, battery storage, and others (see Table A2.1 of EF2023). As The Tyee article puts it, the CER “largely assumes in its successful scenarios that the cost of renewables, hydrogen, batteries, CCS and nuclear power will magically go down,” while in reality inflationary pressure is increasing these costs.

The key conclusions from Getting to Net-Zero (pp.62-63):

  • Canada’s March 2023 policies would see only a 16% reduction in emissions below 2022 levels by 2050 and must be greatly strengthened.
  • To offset the relatively large proportion of fossil fuels in 2050 end-use energy demand, the CER over-relied on CCUS (33 to 38-fold increase), and a thousand-fold increase in direct air capture. This is a high-risk strategy. Instead, Mr. Hughes recommends reducing end-use demand for fossil fuels.
  • The CER’s Canada net-zero scenario assumed maintaining high levels of fossil fuel production for export in 2050, along with carbon capture and direct air capture to offset emissions from producing oil and gas for export.
  • The CER over-optimistically assumed that hydrogen can grow from almost nothing to 11-12% of end-use energy by 2050.
  • Electricity generation will have to increase from the CER’s 39-41% share of end-use energy to a “more realistic” 55%.
  • Tripling the sequestration capacity of Canada’s forests, as assumed in the CER’s two Net-zero scenarios, will require major improvements in forest management practices.

Given his above-mentioned issues with the CER’s modeling, Mr. Hughes concludes that the government’s major priority for net-zero should be reducing energy demand, as he states on page 6 of Getting to Net-Zero:

“Reducing energy consumption is the low-hanging fruit, as it eliminates the cost of new energy production and emissions reduction infrastructure. Prioritizing conservation, efficiency and behavioral change must become a major government policy priority.”

Mr. Hughes’ report doesn’t provide any figures for how much to reduce energy consumption (or what the whole net-zero effort will cost), only that the CER’s per capita energy reduction of 33-41% won’t be enough. As he told The Tyee: “We are going to have to accept contraction, unfortunately. It has been a slice. But the math does not work for continuous growth.” In other words, getting to net-zero means an end to economic growth, let alone the 1.4%/year real GDP increase assumed in EF2023.

The Minister of Natural Resources’ statement acknowledging EF2023 ends with: “I would like to thank the CER for its thoughtful report, and I look forward to continuing my work with partners across the country in growing our economy and reducing emissions.” Among the partners working with the minister is the Pathways Alliance, a group of oilsands producers proposing to build a $16.5 billion CCUS network in northern Alberta. To date, no construction start and the minister is growing weary of waiting. So he recently told the alliance that he wants to see “progress on the ground,” but alliance members are holding back as they await details on a needed federal investment tax credit, which is yet to be passed. As well, the producers are concerned about a proposed federal initiative to impose an emissions cap on the oil and gas sector.

To burnish their climate credentials the minister and his colleagues desperately want to issue press releases and pose for photo-ops showing tangible progress for the commercially useless Pathways Alliance project. What the ministers desperately don’t want is to tell the public that fulfilling their government’s net-zero agenda will entail a quarter century of increasing energy and economic deprivation.

This article will also appear in our March quarterly newsletter.

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How did Alberta wind up facing blackouts in the extreme cold?

From Watts Up With That?

Essay by Eric Worrall

h/t cedarsand: “… at this time of year, we don’t have any solar power … Over the last couple of days, the wind has dropped off dramatically. …”

How did Alberta wind up facing blackouts in the extreme cold? A Q and A with AESO

…

Author of the article:
Jonny Wakefield
Published Jan 14, 2024 

We hit the demand peak on Thursday and it looked like we were going to be fine, there was no indication that we were going to be in a situation where we might have to shed load like we did last night. Suddenly 48 hours later, there’s warnings of potential brownouts and blackouts. I’m wondering how we got from a fairly stable situation on Thursday to what we experienced last night and might experience again this evening? 

With the extreme cold, we are seeing very, very high demand. We set an all-time record Thursday night, 12,384 megawatts. The key difference — and there’s never one single factor that puts us into a grid alert — it’s the extreme cold, we’ve had reduced imports and very little wind. And of course, when we get into the peak period from 4-7 p.m., at this time of year, we don’t have any solar power. So on Thursday, we were in a bit better situation, because we had strong wind, we had 1,200 megawatts approximately throughout the peak period from four to seven. So that really made a difference. Over the last couple of days, the wind has dropped off dramatically. We’ve also had a couple of natural gas plants, one is offline, and one is operating at reduced capacity.

…Read more: https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/how-did-alberta-wind-up-facing-blackouts-in-the-cold

State politicians were quick to point the main weak link was renewable energy.

Premiers pan green-energy plans as cold weather strains Alberta’s electricity grid

Rob Drinkwater
Published Jan. 15, 2024 3:47 p.m. AEST

EDMONTON –  

…

“Right now, wind is generating almost no power. When renewables are unreliable, as they are now, natural gas plants must increase capacity to keep Albertans safe,” Alberta Premier Danielle Smith posted on social media Friday, shortly after the province’s grid operator issued an appeal for consumers to conserve electricity to protect the system.

A day later, following a second grid alert that warned of potential rotating blackouts, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe posted that surplus power it was sending Alberta’s way was coming from natural gas and coal-fired power plants.

“The ones the Trudeau government is telling us to shut down (which we won’t),” Moe said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

…Read more: https://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/premiers-pan-green-energy-plans-as-cold-weather-strains-alberta-s-electricity-grid-1.6725876

Wake up Canada. No amount of renewable capacity can save you, when wind and solar both fail at the same time. The only reason the Alberta grid clung to life during the wind fail is coal and gas power, from Alberta and Saskatchewan – power plants which the Federal Government is pressuring Saskatchewan to close.

Those who continue to support Prime Minister Trudeau’s reckless crusade against reliable energy, the blood of your friends and neighbours will be on your hands.

Alberta Grid Under Stress: EV Drivers Under Duress

‘Green energy’ nightmare in Alberta:

When magical thinking meets a polar vortex cold, hard reality follows

The polar vortex moved in and settled over most of the prairies and Northern BC and temperatures dropped like a stone. Maue checked in on “our Canadian friends” in Edmonton, reporting on Jan. 12th at 10:30 reporting: “Bit of a struggle today with the temperature. Currently -48°F (-44 C) with a wind chill of -67°F (-55C).”

Rolling Blackouts Narrowly Avoided In Alberta

From NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT

By Paul Homewood

They seem surprised that it gets cold in Canada!

A critical emergency alert was issued on Saturday evening urging Albertans to reduce electricity use to minimize potential outages across the province.

In an alert sent at around 6:36 p.m., the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) said extreme cold is resulting in high power demand across the province, which places the electricity grid at a high risk of rotating power outages.

Albertans are asked to immediately limit their electricity use to essential needs only and to turn off unnecessary lights and electrical appliances. AESO is also asking Albertans to minimize the use of space heaters and to delay the use of major power appliances.

“We are calling on all Albertans to reduce their electric demand immediately to essentials only. Extreme cold resulting in high power demand has put the province’s electricity grid at high risk of rotating outages tonight,” said Nathan Neudorf, Alberta’s minister of affordability and utilities.

All of Alberta is under an extreme cold warning, with temperatures below -30 C and wind chill of -40 C due to a polar vortex.

On Thursday at around 6 p.m., the new hourly peak demand record was set at 12,384 megawatts (MW), beating a previous record of 12,193 MW set in December 2022.

AESO said that new record was based on energy requirements from industrial, commercial, agricultural and residential users.

Critical emergency alert issued as Alberta’s power grid put under strain

In a statement, Utilities Minister Nathan Neudorf called on Albertans to reduce their electric demand to essentials only. Th e Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) said the alert was declared as a result of the ongoing extreme cold temperatures across Western Canada, in addition to restricted imports and “very high demand.”

“On top of high demand of our own energy generation, Alberta’s grid receives electricity from neighbouring provinces,” said Neudorf. “Extreme weather in Saskatchewan and British Columbia is impacting electricity sharing, which is also a contributing factor to tonight’s grid alert. The Alberta Electric System Operator has activated its emergency grid management plan to work with local distribution utilities to avoid potential rolling brownouts.”

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/extreme-cold-alberta-system-operator-warns-of-possible-rolling-blackouts-saturday/ar-AA1mVWUU

Did they really think they could carry on importing power from neighbouring states, when the weather was just as bad there?

Fortunately during that peak demand, coal and gas were running close to full capacity, whilst wind and solar contributed just 2.6%.

Trudeau Climate Crusade Hits Alberta Wall

From Science Matters

 By Ron Clutz

Tyler Durden has the story at zerohedge Alberta Premier Defies Trudeau Carbon Agenda – Invokes Sovereignty Act.  Excerpts in italics with my bolds and added images.

It is an action which multiple red states in the US undertaken: Blocking carbon controls ingrained in “green power” initiatives conjured by the federal government.

Now it appears the momentum has spread to Canada through Alberta’s conservative leadership as Premier Danielle Smith defies the Trudeau regime by invoking the province’s recently drafted Sovereignty Act.

The Sovereignty Act is designed to give Alberta’s legislative assembly the power to identify any federal programs or actions that violate Alberta’s constitution, the government would then refuse to implement those programs.  The implementation of the act means that finally, an open dialogue on the existential threat of the UN’s “sustainable development goals” and Agenda 2030 has begun in Canada.  

The reasons for opposition to “Net Zero” objectives have been repeated over and over again by political critics, economic critics and scientific critics alike. 

1.  Net zero as the UN defines it is impossible using existing green technologies with inefficient and costly power generation.

2.  Net zero proponents refuse in most cases to acknowledge the usefulness of nuclear power as a means to reduce reliance on oil and gas.

3.  Net zero would require perpetual authoritarian oversight of individual carbon emissions and probably population reduction in the near term.

4.  None of the above even matters because there’s no concrete evidence whatsoever man-made carbon causes global warming.

In other words, the supposed crisis is a fraud and there’s no reason
for any nation, province or state to sacrifice their power grids.

Beyond the big con, stagflation has made carbon controls economically impossible. Aggressive price spikes since 2020 make gas, oil and coal more important than ever in maintaining basic services for the populace along with the needs of industry. Reducing available supply in the face of desperate demand would only fuel the fires of inflation further. Even Europe has been reverting back to “villainous” energy sources like coal to keep things running.

When people face the possibility of freezing or starving there is little chance they are going to listen to unfounded claims of climate doomsday from a bunch of ultra-rich yacht sailing private jet-setting carbon-spewing hypocrite elites.

Canadian Green Electricity Push Blocked by Alberta

Watts Up With That?

Alberta has invoked the Sovereignty Act to set limits on the exercise of federal power. But the federal government claims there is no legal basis for their actions.

Alberta invokes Sovereignty Act over federal clean electricity regulations

Premier Danielle Smith believes net-zero electricity grid by 2035 is risky and costly

Michelle Bellefontaine · CBC News · Posted: Nov 27, 2023 5:22 PM EST 

Alberta’s United Conservative government has invoked its controversial Sovereignty Act for the first time by introducing a resolution to push back against the federal government’s proposed Clean Electricity Regulations. 

The resolution, tabled in the Alberta legislature Monday, instructs governments and provincial entities such as the Alberta Electric System Operator and the Alberta Utilities Commission to ignore the regulations when they come into force “to the extent legally permissable.”

The resolution also raises the possibility of Alberta setting up a Crown corporation to protect the private sector companies that provide electricity in the province. If passed, the resolution would direct AESO, AUC and the Market Surveillance Administrator to consult with stakeholders on the feasibility of such a corporation. 

…

Steven Guilbeault, the federal minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada, said the potential use of the Sovereignty Act never came up in months of meetings between federal and provincial officials as part of a working group on the CER and the oil and gas emissions cap.

…

“There is no legal basis for what Alberta is doing ,” Guilbeault told reporters on Parliament Hill.

…Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/sovereingty-act-clean-electricity-regulations-1.7041533

A video of the Premier announcing the invocation of the Sovereignty Act, and her reasons for doing so. Well worth watching – Alberta is lucky to have a straight speaking premier like Danielle Smith.

Even if the Alberta Sovereignty Act is defeated in the end, just delaying the green menace with a tangle of lawsuits is a win, a chance for more people to wake up and start pushing back.

It is especially delicious that Premier Smith timed this act of defiance against green insanity almost on the eve of the international COP28 climate conference.

Alberta Suspends Approvals for Green Energy Projects, such as Wind or Solar Power

Solar energy and wind power stations

From Watts Up With That?

The recent suspension of all approvals for large renewable energy projects in Alberta, Canada, speaks to a reality that many are unwilling to acknowledge – that the headlong rush towards ‘green’ energy isn’t always as beneficial as it is claimed to be. As outlined in Bob Weber’s article for The Canadian Press, Alberta’s United Conservative government has responded to mounting concerns over these projects, which touch on land use, environmental impact, and the stability of the energy system itself. And rightfully so, given the disruptions and potential hazards they pose to established communities, landscapes, and industries.

https://globalnews.ca/news/9875106/alberta-pause-renewable-energy-citing-rural-concerns/amp/

In his article, Weber states,

“In a statement Thursday, the government said the Alberta Utilities Commission is to institute a six-month moratorium on approving all wind and solar power projects greater than one megawatt over issues of development on agricultural land, effect on scenery, reclamation security, and system reliability.”

Here we see a responsible, pragmatic move by the Alberta government, acknowledging the concerns of the people they serve.

Contrary to what advocates of the green revolution may believe, the transition to renewable energy is not an unblemished panacea. Energy policy requires a considered, balanced approach that takes into account not just the end goal, but the means of reaching that goal. As Paul McLaughlin of Rural Municipalities Alberta points out,

“Rural municipalities cover roughly 85 per cent of Alberta’s land and their voices must be included in the approval process for all renewable energy projects.”

Even the push for cleaner, renewable energy had value, it should not override the rights of communities and the importance of preserving landscapes. To bulldoze ahead with large-scale solar and wind farms without consideration for local environments and agricultural lands is not progress, it’s recklessness. And it’s this kind of reckless disregard for consequences that has led to the situation we’re seeing in Alberta today.

Even more critical to this discussion is the argument raised by University of Alberta energy economist Andrew Leach about the government’s inconsistent approach to the renewable energy industry compared to the oil and gas industry. He pointed out the disparity, saying,

“No one can imagine in the middle of an oilsands boom everyone saying what we need is a six-month moratorium on new approvals until we figure out how we’re going to manage cumulative effects.”

This is a sound point. It’s curious how the same caution and regulatory oversight applied to renewable energy are not seen with the same degree of urgency and stringency in the oil and gas industry, which arguably has a more significant environmental impact. Leach further highlights the ironic twist, noting that

“while the government has stopped renewable energy partly over concerns about how such sites can be cleaned up, it faces billions of dollars in environmental liabilities from the oil and gas industry for which it has little security and no real cleanup plan.”

Alberta’s decision, although controversial, may serve as a much-needed reality check on the green rush.

H/T pat-from-kerbob

May is Wildfire Month in Alberta

From Friends of Science Calgary

The information in the longer explainer video is accurate as of the time of recording (May 13, 2023). Please go to Alberta Emergency Alert for updates:

https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-emergency-alert.aspx

May is wildfire season in Alberta, but every year people in the media seem astonished that this is so. There is a short video overview, or the longer explainer video and power point if you scroll down.

Wildfires Happen in May – short video overview:

The immediate assumption of media reporters and climate activists is that it is ‘too early’ for wildfires so it must be ‘climate change.’ This is not true and this video will explain why. May wildfires occur in that interval between snow melt and spring rain. April was a very dry month in Alberta with little precipitation. Likewise, due to three consecutive years of La Nina conditions, the prairies are extremely dry. These are natural conditions unrelated to human-caused climate change. This video explainer discusses some facts and statistics on wildfires, as well as questioning the media’s drive to hype wildfires as ‘climate change’ and to amplify anxiety in young people, rather than presenting information that would calm people down and be pro-active in reducing wildfire risk. The MPA – or Mobile Polar Anti-cyclone – is a large scale weather phenomenon which is affecting the May 2023 high temperatures and wind direction in Alberta. A fuller discussion of the science behind and MPA is found in our 2022 presentation which discusses the alleged “Heat Dome” over southern BC and Alberta of 2021.

Power point of presentation:

Alberta-Wildfires-draft-2Download

This presentation references some historic wildfires like that of 1910, when Alberta’s population was only 150,000 people and we had only been a province for 5 years. Also the Chinchaga Firestorm of 1950 which was so huge, its smoke pall went round the world turning the Sun and Moon blue, and terrifying people. Alberta and BC have an additional wildfire challenge today as there is a lot of standing deadwood, the result of the Mountain Pine Beetle infestation.

Source: Natural Resources Canada – Mountain Pine Beetle

In the video, we question why the media focusses on the fears of young Sadie Vipond (who is part of a law suit against the federal government on climate change). We point out that CAPE (Canadian Assoc. of Physicians for the Environment) and Dr. Joe Vipond’s activism (her father) was largely responsible for Alberta coal phase-out. This has led to 7 Grid level 3 alerts last year in Alberta (imminent rolling brownouts/blackouts) because we are now short of 1,000 MW of dispatchable electrical power generation. The pool price has tripled, thanks to coal phase-out. This is evidence that listening to climate activists is not the best way to set energy, wildfire, or climate policies. This explainer also shows the many aspects of human-caused wildfires. Though arson is a component, the human-wildland interface is quite broad and many factors are at play. Therefore, if people were more careful and aware of FireSmart (FireWise USA) principles, it could help reduce wildfires and mitigate risk.

FireSmart Canada

FireSmart Alberta

FireWise USA

The present extreme fire risk will likely be with Alberta for the next week or so, therefore it is recommended by the Alberta government that citizens have a 72 hr emergency kit prepared and on standby. This is something you can do at home.

As always, if you’d like to support our work, we would appreciate your help, but in these times, you may prefer to help the evacuees. For information for wildfire updates, info for evacuees or how to donate, see this website: https://www.alberta.ca/emergency.asp

Passion & Power: Clever Communities Hate Industrial Wind Power And They Fight Back

This handout picture taken and released by Kyoto Prefecture on March 13, 2013 shows a windmill completely demolished after it crashed to the ground in the town of Ine, Kyoto prefecture. Kyoto prefecture announced that the propeller (50 meters in diameter and weighing 45 tons), with a generator attached fell approximately 50 meters to the ground at a wind farm. AFP PHOTO / KYOTO PREFECTURE —EDITORS NOTE— RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE – MANDATORY CREDIT “AFP PHOTO / KYOTO PREFECTURE” – NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS – DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

From STOP THESE THINGS

Rural communities are fighting back hard against the great wind power fraud, wherever the wind industry seeks to ply its subsidy-soaked trade.

Wherever wind farms have appeared – or have been threatened – big numbers of locals take a set against the monsters being speared into their previously peaceful – and often idyllic – rural communities.

Their anger extends to the goons that lied their way to development approval – and the bent officials that rubber-stamped their applications and who, thereafter, help the operators ride roughshod over locals’ rights to live in and enjoy the peace and comfort of their own homes and properties (see our post here).

As wind turbines are incapable of generating power on demand and wouldn’t last a second without massive subsidies, there is no ‘right’ place for them. Any power generation source that can’t deliver electricity on demand is pointless, so talk about appropriate siting is pure nonsense. Why bother?

Rent seekers and crony capitalists are still pushing hard to jam these things in any backyard they can find, but in the grand prairie Province of Alberta, hard-working rural communities are fighting back.

Albertans Say NO to Wind Project
Wind Concerns
Press Release
28 March 2023

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Elk Point rural residents are fighting back against Vancouver-based Elemental Energy’s proposed industrial wind turbine project on the North Saskatchewan River Valley
  • Citizens have organized themselves under the group “Wind Concerns” launching a website and mass information campaign
  • Wind Concerns cites hundreds of studies and data that now show massive wind turbines are linked to serious animal and human health effects, and these have been recognized by courts of law
  • Wind Concerns points out that the proposed project is in an official “Wildlife Sensitivity Zone” and directly in the migratory path of the endangered Whooping Crane
  • Alberta’s Environment and Protected Areas has been silent on the project

“There is nothing ‘environmentally friendly’ about industrial wind turbines,” says Wind Concerns Editor in Chief, Mark Mallett. “We call them “green” and “clean”, but the truth is that they are incredibly destructive, not only to agricultural land and habitats, but they are definitively proven to show harm to animal and human health.”

Wind Concerns was launched early in March 2023 in response to the sudden news that the picturesque valley around Elk Point, Alberta could potentially be changed forever by industrial wind farms. “I had just moved my family here less than a year ago. We couldn’t believe it,” said Mallett, who formed the citizen group when he learned that 15 turbines reaching 120m (394ft) above the horizon in the Northern Valley were planned for his “backyard”, as well as a second project just north of Elk Point by Northland Power. That one was slated to begin with 35 turbines, however, it was abruptly cancelled after some 50 families stood up against the project. The company cited “a lack of wind” as well as other environmental factors that made the project unviable. But the Elemental Energy program is still in the works.

“We have learned a lot from our neighbors in Ontario in their experience with massive wind turbine farms,” says Mallett. “The mad dash to replace traditional energy sources ran absolutely roughshod over people, basic rights, common sense, and the environment. It wasted billions of dollars — and is still not a reliable source of energy. And with today’s announcement that the Federal Government plans to spend hundreds of billions of tax dollars we don’t have to continue this mad transformation to a ‘green economy’, the citizens of Elk Point are saying no, absolutely not — not at the expense of our health, the environment, wildlife, and the beauty of the Lakeland region.”

Mallett cites over 480 studies showing the harm to human health of those living near turbines. “They want to build these among acreages and farmhouses. We heard what it did to people in Ontario. It’s just insane. It’s unethical.” A French court recently ruled in favour of a Belgium couple who suffered from “Wind Turbine Syndrome” caused, in part, by the infrasonic or inaudible spectrum of noise generated by these massive turbines. A Norwegian court awarded damages to herdsmen whose animals were adversely effected by the massive wind farms there. “The public is waking up,” said Mallett “to the scope of destruction these wind turbines are causing. The general public doesn’t know, so that’s what we’re trying to do — educate fast. We’re not against clean energy. We’re against energy corporations ignoring human rights and, in the end, doing more harm than good to the environment.”

Mallett’s comments come on the heels of an eminent Oxford scientist who is criticizing the “bluster of windfarm politics.” Emeritus Professor Wade Allison says the scientific evidence and basic math show that wind farms cannot deliver consistent energy. “Wind power fails on every count,” he said.

In a phone call with Mallett, Elemental Energy’s Development Manager, Liam Wolfe, claimed that the project slated for south of Elk Point in the Northern Valley doesn’t have “any key sensitive wildlife features” in the area. “That’s simply false,” said Mallett. “Not only is this a migratory path of the endangered Whooping Crane, which has been spotted in the area, but it’s designated by Alberta Fish and Wildlife as a ‘Wildlife Sensitivity Zone.’

In other words, these wind corporations have no business attempting to put an industrial wind farm in the middle of such a sensitive ecological area, much less in the backyards of people’s quiet farms and acreages.” He says this should essentially stop the project dead in its tracks. While Wind Concerns has reached out to Alberta’s Environment and Protected Areas office and its minister, Hon. Minister Sonya Savage, there has been no reply. “If ever there were a time for the government to protect this beautiful province, not to mention its people, it’s now,” says Mallett.

Wind Concerns sent out several thousand flyers throughout the county warning citizens of the project. “It’s amazing how quietly these wind projects are being done. Most people don’t even know — but they’re starting to.” A public meeting is planned for April 4, 2023 at the Seniors Recreation Centre in Elk Point where Wind Concerns will address the situation, educate citizens, and continue their mobilization to stop the project from advancing. “People are shaking my hand and thanking me for organizing this,” says Mallett. “But it’s not about me, though my family is directly affected. It’s really about our country heading down a path that is doing far more harm than good.”
Wind Concerns