Hudak Blows It - Again

So, one week into the election campaign and Tim Hudak has already blown it. Sad, I was going to vote PC this time around (because the Liberals are just so bad – they lie, cheat, steal, and have doubled the debt with NOTHING to show for it). But when a party leader thinks that announcing massive service cuts and layoffs is the way to win an election – it’s a sign he isn’t fit to lead.

I personally agree that the provincial government is bloated, and that we have way too many services we can’t afford. But you don’t go and make cutting everything your party’s platform. This is Ontario, not Alberta. People don’t like far-left or far-right policies and ideas. They like nice, centrist things. Until the PCs learn that, they’ll never get voted in.

Wind Power 2.0

So, there's close to 1GW of additional wind generation due to come online in Ontario by the end of the year.

Lovely. We don't know what to do with the wind generation we currently have, and more is being built.

Oh, did you know the new wind power contracts give the system operator the ability to dispatch (turn off) wind generation if it isn't needed? However, the wind generators will still get paid for this wind power they could have produced. They just won't produce it. But they'll get paid anyway.

Aren't you, the rate payer, delighted? You now have the privilege of paying wind producers not to produce power.

Thank you, Liberal Party of Ontario!

Why hydro rates are high - Part 1

So, on the morning of May 2nd, Ontario was generating about 1,000 MW of wind power. Producers are paid around $150/MWh ($0.15/kWh) for wind. At the same time, this power was being exported out of the province at an average price of around $0.015/kWh. Guess who picks up the tab for the difference? That's right - you, the rate payer. It's called the Global Adjustment.

The best part? At the same time, we were spilling water at our hydro plants (to accommodate the wind generation). This water could have been used to generate power at a rate of $0.033/kWh.

Good times.