'This is possible. We did it': the week Portugal ran on renewables

[foragefarmer]

"What will this extra power run that's not being run by electric now? Most homes are electric or gas heat"

Come on Braveheart, homes and business are being built everyday, populations are growing, demand from other states and provinces is where it will be sold. You export your grain don't you, did we as farmers stop producing once enough was grown for Manitoba's use.

[stonepicker]

Is that the whole story on portugal chuck? Portugal has one of the highest costs of electricity in europe, and isn't a big reason for the high cost of elec. due to the fact that their wind power is highly subsidized? Maybe they should work on their economy first.

[Braveheart]

Nothing new. Just another building with electric heat. You mean we need a carbon tax for that?

[foragefarmer]

Braveheart, where do you read in any of posts me mentioning a carbon tax? I've only stated that there is great potential for Mb Hydro selling power home and abroad, that is all I've stated. Exporting something the your farm does!

[seabass]

I believe they do that. No one wants to pay enuf to pay off the investment quickly. Ontario is ****ed and keep on ****in themselves yet won't pay up for cheap renewable energy. Minnesota is the same way. They use some but could have alot more but they want it for nothing. At least this is what I have heard from hydro workers.

[oneoff]

Now for the rest of the story chuck. This may indeed be from the exact source that you cherry picked only that which confirms what you would wish to believe; but the additional details put "your quotes"into perspective

[UThe emissions decline 7.7% in 2008–2009 was at least partly influenced by the European economic recession of 2008–2009 and not only by the sustainable changes in energy consumption. From 2008 to 2009 the change in the US was a 7.0% decline and in Canada was a 9.6% decline.[3]


Buildings and the residential sector currently account for 40 percent of Sweden's energy consumption. Buildings have a long life-span. Thus energy efficiency is important for houses being built. Better energy efficiency for existing buildings is the biggest challenge.[5]

Renewable energy[edit]
The share of renewable energy use is high in Sweden; hydro, wind, and solar power together accounted for 49.8% of the electricity produced in the country in 2014 (when measured against national electricity consumption, however, this amount rises to 55.5%).[6] Since 2003, Sweden has supported renewable energy in the electricity sector with a "green electricity certificate" obligation for retail power suppliers.[7][8] The current plan of the certificate system is to support 25 TWh of new renewable electricity generation by 2020.[9]



Wind power[edit]
Main article: Wind power in Sweden
Further information: Wind power in the European Union
Wind power accounted for 2.4% of the electricity production in Sweden in 2010, 5 % in 2012.[13][14]

Sweden has wind power potential of 510 TWh/a at land and 46 TWh/a at sea. [15] Consumption was 140 TWh of power in 2010.

In 2013 Sweden was second top country for wind power capacity per inhabitant in the world: 488 W per person.[16] In correlation one must note that Swedish use of energy per inhabitant is much higher than average in Europe.

EU and Sweden Wind Energy Capacity (MW)[17][18][19][20]
Country 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998
EU-27 105,696 93,957 84,074 74,767 64,712 56,517 48,069 40,511 34,383 28,599 23,159 17,315 12,887 9,678 6,453
Sweden 3,745 2,907 2,163 1,560 1,048 788 571 509 442 399 345 293 231 220 174
Wave power[edit]
Sweden has a wave power station outside Lysekil.

Hydroelectric power[edit]
Hydroelectric power in Sweden accounts for more than half of energy production. More than 1900 power stations operate all over the country. Forty-five produce 100 MW and over, 17 produce 200 MW and over, and 6 produce 400 MW and over. The largest station, which is located on the upper Lule River, has a maximum production capacity of 977 MW. The Lule River is also the most productive river, with almost 18% of the Swedish installed effect. Almost all of the medium to large plants are located in northern Sweden.

Solar power[edit]
While installations have historically been minimal, solar power has recently been growing quickly in Sweden with the country's cumulative PV capacity nearly doubling in 2014 to 79 MW.[21]

Biofuels[edit]
Further information: Biofuel in Sweden
Sweden aims for a fossil fuel free vehicle fleet by 2030. [22]

Sweden published the sustainability criteria for biofuels (2011) which consider the areas with high biological values to be protected in respect to fuels production. The feedstock origin used for production of bioliquids in Sweden during 2011 was Sweden 49% The Netherlands 17% United States 17% Finland 6% Belgium 3% and other 8% (Brazil, Malaysia and Russia). Palm oil is often pointed out as a dirty feed-stock for biofuels. None of the Swedish companies used palm oil in 2011. The largest share of feedstock for bioliquids comes from the forest industry in the form of tall oil pitch, tall oil and methanol.[23]

In 2013 the bus fleets in more than a dozen cities relied entirely on biomethane, local plants produced more than 60% of the total biomethane used in Swedish natural gas vehicles, and more filling stations were opened in 2012 and 2013. Goteborg Energi (Gothenburg Energy) has a 20 MW facility that gasifies forest residues and then converts the synthesis gases—hydrogen and carbon monoxide—into biomethane. [24]

Thermal and Nuclear[edit]
Nuclear is dominating in this sector. The other operational plant is, in almost all cases, fueled with renewable fuels. Oil plants are few, and are either decommissioned or used as a reserve,

Nuclear power[edit]
Main article: Nuclear power in Sweden
More than 35% of the Swedish electricity is produced by 10 nuclear reactors, spread out on 3 power stations:

Ringhals Nuclear Power Plant - 3 Pressurized Water Reactor, 1 Boiling Water Reactor, ~4,2 GW
Oskarshamn Nuclear Power Plant - 3 BWRs (One of them is also world's largest BWR), ~2,6 GW
Forsmark Nuclear Power Plant - 3 BWRs, ~3,2 GW
Before 2005, there were 12 reactors, but the two BWR reactors (~1,2 GW) at the Barsebäck nuclear power plant were decommissioned in 1999 and 2005.

Global warming[edit]
Main article: Climate change in Sweden
According to Energy Information Administration the CO2 emissions from energy consumption of Sweden were in 2009 54.77 Mt, slightly below Finland 54.86 Mt, despite the difference in the population.[25] The emissions per capita were in Sweden 5.58 and in Finland 9.93 tonnes per capita in 2009.[26]

UnQuote


So 35% Nuclear reactors power; Swedish energy use much higher per inhabitant than in Europe; POTENTIAL wind energy of 560Twh compared to total electrical use of 140Twh; maybe they are not into raw matrial production like uranium, potash, bread basket of world; steel refinery and attempting to deal with snow removal on the prairies during three day blizzards.... you know 40 islands by the moderating influences of the sea. Can't speak about that for sure; as I'm not sure it would be a wise use of energy for everyone to head there in person to check it out.


But I will post some meteolorgical data that I expect clearly shows the Prairies aren't at all like Portugal or Stockholm

[oneoff]

Well I've used the NASA 13 pages of atmospheric and meteorologic data that is available for every place on earth. Just for example

Estevan Sask Latitude 49.5 Longitude -102.5
Lisbon Portugal Lat. 38.5 Long. -9.5
Stockholm Sweden Lat 59.33 Long 18.07 Now that's East of Prime Meridian so be sure not to type in a minus sign or you might get some results for Atlantis in Atlantic ocean (or whatever) For information; places like Estevan Sk(or Portugal for example) are less than 180 degrees from the Prime Meredian (Greenwich, England) and they are West of Greenwich and thus their longitude is given as -102.5 (or alternatively 102.5W). Stockholm is less than 180 degrees from Greenwich to the east and maybe Greenwich is spelled wrong too. (will edit later)
Lesson ended.

So Sweden's a whole lot further North than other two; but its sort of at sea level; which suggests its close to an ocean or sea; that may moderate temperatures year round.



Now with 13 pages of data for each location; all but nerds have probably given up long ago. To keep this short and confined to one point; Estevan SK has only 5 continuous months with more than half of the days that are frost free; Lisbon has none; Stockholm has 8 months

Ergo...its a fact that both the names of general areas that have embraced green alternatives ; early and in a comparatively big way are not comparable in regards their weather characteristics.

And I will check on good old California to see if it indeed has a whole lot more in common with sea shore communities than North Dakota or the Canadian Prairies,

Thats only part of the rest of the story; I'm sure.

[oneoff]

So....San Francisco CA (Lat 37.77 degrees Long -122.42) also has zero months where frost occurs more days as opposed to days above freezing.

So would that potentially explain why Justin Trudeau appears adverse to junkets to the Prairies. Maybe even expanding to only ski trips and points of interest to satisfy his curiosity and entertainment needs throughout the world.

I always thought we were relatively cold; but others conveniently ignore that fact. Maybe some education is not possible.

More on "Sunshine capitals and banana belts " if anyone is interested..

[oneoff]

for decades remember Estevan SK being referred to as the "Sunshine Capital" and SE Sask was numerous times referred to as the "Banana Belt" on the local TV Weather reports (Hugh Vassus as I recall was the Yorkton weatherman of the day)

Well maybe a couple degrees above Regina or Moose Jaw; but we needed something to brag about.

Now from the NASA data on page7 of 13 it speaks to Monthly Averaged Daylight Cloud Amount (%) where obviously 100% would be total cloud cover.

Average Annual Cloud cover for Estevan (over a 22 year period) is 67,2%.....San Francisco is 56%...Portugal is 51.5% and Stockholm 61.2

We lose on cloud cover so lets try Monthly Averaged Earth Skin Temp (degrees C) on pages 9 of "all data"


Portugal 18.5.....San Francisco 14.0....Stockholm 6.1 and Estevan insulated "under the snow ???" at 3.91

Sure are lucky western prairies aren't at 59.5 degrees N Latitude. Where would that place us on map of Sask? LaRonge is hardly 55 degress and yes the northern Sask border with the North West Territories is only at same latitude as most parts of Sweden.

Starting to look like Sask had better dovetail what even fits to suit our particular circumstances.

[oneoff]

correction made above