COLLINS: Where does the power come from?
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THERE IS NO WAY WE ARE getting rid of fossil fuels anytime soon — although environmentalists put up protest flags, Indigenous groups want their pieces of the pie and concerns about environmental damage if a train derails or a ship has a major spill offshore. Millions of dollars to clean up and in many cases, residual problems that will be felt for decades. Diminished air quality as the fuel is burned.
All of this is true. But we have waited so long to find alternatives, we are now trying to right the ship way too quickly.
Electricity seems to be the consensus replacement for natural gas, but governments are making too many rash decisions without thinking them through. New regulations will prevent us from having natural gas furnaces in homes, to be replaced by electric heat. No gas ranges, no outdoor gas or propane barbecues. These are huge changes — and very expensive ones. We will have electric vehicles, to be charged at home every day. Problems with the batteries are already showing up. The world essentially will be powered by electricity.
But where is all the power coming from? We can’t keep up as it is. With our current prolonged hot, dry weather, record use is being recorded. Many institutions fear their air conditioning systems will shut down. Hospitals and other places will be unable to provide good care. Electric vehicles will ‘run out of gas’ during a long snowstorm on the Coquihalla. If power goes out, everything goes out. No backup source for heat. No backup generator for lights. Beautiful landscapes marred by a plethora of charging stations so travellers to the back country don’t get stranded. The list goes on.
