While Canada lags behind in solar adoption, many places including Germany, China, Japan and even the United States are moving quickly.

In fact, on certain days, some places are generating so much energy, the price to purchase it is dropping below zero, prompting concerns about storage capacity for the abundant power source.

  • Poutinetown@lemmy.ca
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    4 months ago

    I don’t think it’s fair to look at Canada as a monolith. Quebec is generating most of its energy from hydro, whereas Ontario relies on a well established nuclear energy infrastructure. Provinces that need to change are Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta.

    Edit: Manitoba actually relies on hydro for 97% of their usage. So correction: only Alberta and Saskatchewan!

    • Kecessa@sh.itjust.works
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      4 months ago

      In Alberta you can’t refuse to let someone exploit oil resources found on your property but you can’t willingly let someone develop solar energy on your property.

      Solar farms are financed by giant companies (with the biggest one being financed by Amazon) as a way to greenwash their emission numbers even though the electricity being produced isn’t used to power their own infrastructure.

      • calcopiritus@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        I don’t think “our operations run on green energy” matters that much. Energy is energy, if you give other people green energy, you are still reducing emissions. You are just reducing other people’s instead of your own, but global warming is a global issue.

        • Kecessa@sh.itjust.works
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          4 months ago

          It matters if it means companies don’t actually do anything to improve their emissions and just finance production instead. All that solar energy could have been produced by a crown corporation so the state would reap the profits and it would have forced Amazon to actually improve.

      • n2burns@lemmy.ca
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        4 months ago

        In Alberta you can’t refuse to let someone exploit oil resources found on your property

        TBF, I’m pretty sure that’s how it works throughout the country. The title on my home in Ontario has easements for potential minerals/resources as well.

    • ray@sh.itjust.works
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      4 months ago

      Manitoba doesn’t belong on that list. Manitoba’s electricity comes from 100% renewable sources (~97% hydro, ~3% wind, and 0% fossil fuels).

    • Phoenixz@lemmy.ca
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      4 months ago

      Isn’t Alberta just an oil interests runaway province that at this point is a damn near failed state? Every rule.coming out of that place is “how can we make it even better for our oil overlords”