But increased precipitation expected longterm
by Alex Nuti-de Biasi, Journal-Opinion
Abnormally dry conditions in Canada are forcing its utilities to turn to more fossil fuels to meet increasing demand, according to the Wall Street Journal.
“The Canadian province of Quebec has big plans of becoming the ‘battery of the U.S. northeast’ by feeding power generated from its dams and other hydro plants to millions of people in Vermont, Massachusetts and New York state. But dry conditions that have affected energy output worldwide are forcing one of the world’s largest hydropower producers to cut exports.”
As a result of a global decline in hydropower generation in 2023, many countries turned to fossil fuels to meet the shortfall.
The report comes the same month that Twin State Clean Energy Link abandoned its plans to develop a large-scale transmission project to import Quebec hydropower using an existing transmission corridor that goes through the Northeast Kingdom and parts of Grafton County. NH.
Yesterday, the operators of New England’s last coal-fired power plants announced plans to close, in a move long sought be environmental activists.
WSJ: “Canada bet heavily on hydro as a means of cleaning up its carbon footprint; it is the third-largest hydroelectricity producer in the world. But with the climate becoming markedly drier in recent years, Canada’s utilities are now investing hundreds of billions of dollars to diversify their grids, in some cases leaning on power plants fueled by gas or coal to meet mushrooming demand.”
Editor’s note: Longterm warming trends in Quebec are expected to result in increased precipitation, according to a report by Ouranos.
“Every region of Quebec can also expect significant increases in all indices of heavy and extreme precipitation, in terms of both quantity and frequency. For example, an annual maximum precipitation event that historically had a 5% chance of occurring every year, may, in the future, around 2046—2065, have a 10% to 14% chance of happening every year,” Ouranos said.
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Categories: Energy
Sure. Drought. How convenient.
https://agriculture.canada.ca/en/agricultural-production/weather/canadian-drought-monitor/current-drought-conditions
That took maybe four seconds to verify
Another linked below story reports that drought is affecting hydro power world wide. Excerpt: ” The Canadian province of Quebec has big plans of becoming the “battery of the U.S. northeast” by feeding power generated from its dams and other hydro plants to millions of people in Vermont, Massachusetts and New York state. But dry conditions that have affected energy output worldwide are forcing one of the world’s largest hydropower producers to cut exports.
“There wasn’t enough snow or rain in the regions where we needed it,” said Michael Sabia, chief executive of Hydro‑Québec, the provincial utility. “We can’t make it rain, as much as we’d like to.”
Elsewhere, China, India and the U.S. in 2023 all recorded decreases in their hydro production for the same reason, contributing to a record global decline in hydropower generation, according to the International Energy Agency. Many countries resorted to fossil-fuel electricity generation to make up for the hydro shortfall, which drove up carbon-dioxide emissions by 170 megatons in 2023, roughly equal to the annual emissions from 40 million gas-powered cars.
Story Link Here https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/canada-had-designs-on-being-a-hydro-superpower-now-its-rivers-and-lakes-are-drying-up/ar-BB1kCgtg
International Energy Agency on Hydro Here https://www.iea.org/energy-system/renewables/hydroelectricity
Verified in four seconds but, apparently, never read. If Chris-whoever-he-is actually looked at the link he posted, he would see that the drought conditions in the Hydro Quebec watershed that most affects Vermont’s largest power source is in the least drought affected area. In fact, a month ago, HQ CEO Michael Sabia insisted that HQ has enough energy to meet domestic *and* export demand.
Lesson learned…. It usually takes a bit more than 4 seconds to actually know what you’re talking about.
Where did the mushrooming demand come from? Does this mean erecting giant wind turbines on our mountain tops and plastering solar panels everywhere isn’t generating enough power to meet demand? Does this mean the snake oil sold to the population isn’t panning out? I guess the carbon taxes will solve it so they can buy more coal and gas to keep the turbines humming. Those wind towers and solar panels can rust and rot into relics of wasteful and successful tomfoolery.
I picture teams of archeologists in the year 10,000 unearthing the mangled skeletons of solar panels, turbines and EV cars carbon-dated to 2020’s.
– What did you find today?
– Ah just more stupid sh*t from the neo-liberal period.
What this means is the 3 legged renewable stool is wobbling. Wind, solar, and now hydro cannot be depended on to supply reliable power, and good luck having lithium batteries and other rube goldberg storage methods fill in when renewables are absent. What this means is we better revisit the recently abandoned plan to build a natural gas pipeline from Pennsylvania, home of the Marcellus Shale Formation, the largest natural gas field in the United States and one of the largest in the world. This pipeline will provide a stable source of low cost energy for the forseeable future and solve a critical issue with fuel supply in New England. We also need to put next generation nuclear plants at the sites of Vermont Yankee, and Maine Yankee in Maine, since the transmission infrastructure is already there. Forget wind and solar, they only make energy more expensive and less reliable.
If only there was a reliable, cheap source of energy available that works when the sun doesn’t shine, when the wind doesn’t blow and when the rain doesn’t rain…. If some bright spark could find that, they’d be rich.
If only…..???
Hydro Quebec. 7 cents per kwh for clean green hydro power compared to 17.5 cents per kwh for the alternative. And, in a pinch, there’s Seabrook nuclear for about the same cost as HQ power.
But no. The PUC and its crony lobbyists like VIPRG and VNRC, all heavily invested in the solar scam, want to extract their pound of flesh from Vermont’s taxpayers and ratepayers before everyone smartens up.
So, Vermont taxpayers and ratepayers…. SMARTEN UP!
Or perhaps this means that the pretending will continue. Thanks to Chris and his link, Quebec shows as normal or abnormally dry- so whom is telling the truth?
The current political regime in Canada isn’t particularly truthful, matching perhaps our state and federal governments desire to obfuscate? World wide, there are trillions of dollars at stake, a few lies and altered facts mean nothing.
Again, read the post. Drought conditions in the Hydro Quebec watershed that most affects Vermont’s largest power source is in the least drought affected area. In fact, a month ago, HQ CEO Michael Sabia insisted that HQ has enough energy to meet domestic *and* export demand.
https://montrealgazette.com/business/energy/hydro-quebecs-annual-profit-plunges-28-amid-drop-in-power-exports
Yes, drought conditions did cause some concern in the Northeast of Canada.
“Hydro-Québec went through similar situations in 2004 and 2014, and “relative to those years our water levels are actually better,” Sabia said. “I do want to emphasize that we don’t consider this a crisis in any way.”
Again, “we don’t consider this a crisis in any way.” And neither should we. Unless, of course, an acorn falls from a tree and hits the rest of us on the head like it did Chris-whoever-he-is.
Read the article and review the Canadian Ag chart on drought conditions. Quebec is normal or abnormally dry, with no areas in drought conditions, except the extreme NE corner of Quebec. The Editor’s note indicates the likelihood of return of precipitation. HQ even lowers reservoirs this time of year for spring runoff
The trudeau government’s likelihood of gaslighting about Climate Change™ is above normal. Past actions from Ottawa indicate trudeau and his gang of green socialists will continue to assist their US partners to continue the obfuscation here.
Climate Change™ is about political power and money, trudeau wants his just as much as US and Vermont politicians want theirs. There are trillions at stake, a few lies and altered facts mean nothing.
When flooding in Vermont (geoengineering) = drought in Canada…
Or is this just double speak?
Ru roh.. appears seeding fell short and didn’t work out like it did in NAM.
francis scott key bridge has falling down/// hit by the barge dali/// dali also known as falling bridge/// fact or fiction///// major supply chain disruption/// how about a little more inflation///
Don’t need a bridge for that Biden can do inflation all by himself
And there in lies the rub with entrusting other countries (even Canada) with the needs of our country. They will always put the needs of their own people/country ahead of the needs of others as they should. We should have learned this during covid. It doesn’t matter whether it’s face masks, toilet paper, or energy, we should not be relient on other countries ! We have the resources here, use them ! Drill baby drill ! Nuke baby nuke !