THE NEW ENERGY BOOM: The sun is shining on Alberta’s solar industry

[Blaithin]

I think of them kind of like a forest. The panels are the canopy and there’s the potential to have many other layers on the go at the same time.

A small flock rotating through a quarter isn’t productive on their own, but if it’s added in to what else the quarter is producing, in this case energy, then getting multiple layers going in the forest can make it very productive. If it was completely sprayed out then it’ll take a few years to get to supporting more sheep numbers.

There’s a proposal for a large solar farm just outside of Stettler. Apparently on one of the best quarters in the country but it’s right at the sub station so it’s handy. Be interesting to see how it develops over the years.

[Blaithin]

I wonder what the profit per acre is on one of these anyway. As farmers we’d rather see good soil raise good crops and there’s the skepticism over the effectiveness of a solar farm. But if you take away those two preconceptions then you’re down to the fact that one is producing a product year round while the other only 5-6 months on average.

Given the apparent lifespan of a field of panels, eventually the field will either go back into farming or be upgraded to newer technology (and assumed efficiency) panels.

Companies aren’t in the habit of investing in projects that don’t make them money so obviously these sites offer the ability to pay themselves off at some point and make a profit. Something farming is struggling to do with land and input prices right now.

Biggest downfall I’ve heard of them, and turbines, is nothing in the contract about cleaning up after the site is done. Which is a rather large downfall in my mind.

[shtferbrains]

California has 50000 acres of new projects this year.

They don't have to make money. The money is in selling the shares. It's the same old game when governmnt money flows freely.

[chuckChuck]

So the fossil fuel industry doesn't use lots of land to build roads, leases, pipelines, refineries, bitumen and coal mines? LOL

Lots of farmers, municipalities in Saskatchewan and Alberta complaining about all the unpaid leases and taxes from the fly by night oil and gas companies. Take the money and run type companies.

Not to mention the thousands of abandoned, orphaned, and suspended wells that taxpayers will help to clean up?

Farmers have an opportunity to generate a significant amount of their own electricity and lower their electricity costs.

But on Agrisilly often all we get is the complainers and naysayers who don't believe solar works even in the face of more and more of it being built especially in Alberta.

[TASFarms]

So the fossil fuel industry doesn't use lots of land to build roads, leases, pipelines, refineries, bitumen and coal mines? LOL

Lots of farmers, municipalities in Saskatchewan and Alberta complaining about all the unpaid leases and taxes from the fly by night oil and gas companies. Take the money and run type companies.

Not to mention the thousands of abandoned, orphaned, and suspended wells that taxpayers will help to clean up?

Farmers have an opportunity to generate a significant amount of their own electricity and lower their electricity costs.

But on Agrisilly often all we get is the complainers and naysayers who don't believe solar works even in the face of more and more of it being built especially in Alberta.

Tax payers,and all levels of govt Benefit from the oil industry. Rm of Kindersley has $42 million in the bank. Even if the fly by nite oil companies left oil leases abandoned, Society as whole still net benefited from it. The green wave crippled Ontario. Why make everyone else play for it

[shtferbrains]

So the fossil fuel industry doesn't use lots of land to build roads, leases, pipelines, refineries, bitumen and coal mines? LOL

Lots of farmers, municipalities in Saskatchewan and Alberta complaining about all the unpaid leases and taxes from the fly by night oil and gas companies. Take the money and run type companies.

Not to mention the thousands of abandoned, orphaned, and suspended wells that taxpayers will help to clean up?

Farmers have an opportunity to generate a significant amount of their own electricity and lower their electricity costs.

But on Agrisilly often all we get is the complainers and naysayers who don't believe solar works even in the face of more and more of it being built especially in Alberta.

Why do they subsidize solar panels Chuck?
They have been around for a generation. Why do we need taxpayer money for something that people are willingly investing in?
Solar farms are not a hard sell. People like you are promoting all the time.

Same for Electric Vehicles. There benefits have been proven long ago. Why do they need taxpayer money to sell them to the higher income people who are the primary market? Can't they afford to pay thier own way?
I might buy my own Hybrid but why should I expect taxpayers to help pay for it.

If they cost virtualy nothing to recharge why do taxpayers subsidize the charging stations?

[Blaithin]

My taxes subsidize lots of things. Including but not limited too:

EI of unemployed O&G workers.
Counties not paid, and left with reclamation bills, by O&G companies.
Insurance and assisting payments for various farming sections.

Many are/were as accessible to anyone wanting to install solar as they are for you to have relief payments in times of drought or EI in times of unemployment. Simply because someone isn’t interested in utilizing a specific subsidy doesn’t make them awful and a waste of tax money.

A lot of the time subsidies of this nature are meant as an incentive to try something. As incentives go I’m much more fond of the subsidies approach than the tax us into not using something approach.

[chuckChuck]

Why do they subsidize solar panels Chuck?
They have been around for a generation. Why do we need taxpayer money for something that people are willingly investing in?
Solar farms are not a hard sell. People like you are promoting all the time.

Same for Electric Vehicles. There benefits have been proven long ago. Why do they need taxpayer money to sell them to the higher income people who are the primary market? Can't they afford to pay thier own way?
I might buy my own Hybrid but why should I expect taxpayers to help pay for it.

If they cost virtualy nothing to recharge why do taxpayers subsidize the charging stations?

The tar sands originally received a lot of incentives and research development from the provincial and federal governments to develop what was considered a difficult and expensive industry trying to extract low quality oil.

Several provinces provide incentives and tax and roayalty breaks for certain types of oil drilling. Canada has relatively low royalty rates. All this is a subsidy to the oil industry.

Why do they need subsidies?

[TASFarms]

The tar sands originally received a lot of incentives and research development from the provincial and federal governments to develop what was considered a difficult and expensive industry trying to extract low quality oil.

Several provinces provide incentives and tax and roayalty breaks for certain types of oil drilling. Canada has relatively low royalty rates. All this is a subsidy to the oil industry.

Why do they need subsidies?

Why are a lot of politicians multi millionaires?

Oil companies really don’t need subsidies. Just part of the game of business

[shtferbrains]

Elon Musk is the worlds richest person because people are enthusiastic about EV's. They just keep buying shares in his company even when he says they are overvalued.
Do you think the $4500 EV subsidy influences the people buying a $150,000 Tesla Roadster? If he sells 20000 of them thats $90 million dollar subsidy to the rich.
Tesla has over two thirds of the EV market.

I didn't think NDP's had any tolerance for subsidizing the rich?