If Estevan is supposed to be the Sunshine Capital of Canada, why isn't that natural resource being tapped?
Since coming to Estevan in early December, I've noticed this place truly is a perfect storm for energy production. Estevan really is unique in the plethora of ways energy can be produced here.
The two big industries in energy are oil and coal. I get it; they are still the cheapest, most efficient means to power a country. But there are a lot of other alternative means to harnessing power that are above the ground, and these resources are found in Estevan more than most places.
It's sunny, and it's windy.
I'm not sure exactly how windy it is here compared to other parts of the country, but I get the impression it's definitely above average.
The energy companies are here; surely somebody realizes Estevan has more to offer than just what is under the ground.
The sun will always shine, and the wind will always blow.
Enbridge is taking advantage of these resources, investing in other areas, including both wind and solar projects near where I grew up in southwestern Ontario. Enbridge is already here. Estevan is definitely sunnier and easily as windy.
I know that wind turbines are never going to provide the power that coal and oil do, but we are probably never going to be able to go back to the days when our power came from a small number of sources. It seems like it's going to be a struggle to find a resource as efficient as either of those two options, but the change away from those sources is necessary.
Our power in the future may come from hundreds of sources and the need to develop those different kinds of energy production is imminent.
Estevan is plentiful in terms solar and wind power. Right now that energy is going to waste. It's already here and waiting.
Estevan may not be the best place for hydro or even nuclear power, without any current reactors. But the sun and the wind? Estevan's got that covered.
Saskatchewan's power comes primarily from coal, about 70 per cent, and much of that is mined and burned here in Estevan. Just because all the energy we need is available here in fossil fuel form, doesn't mean you ignore the other options available. The fossil fuels are unsustainable and those methods of producing energy will be fossilized themselves.
About five per cent of Saskatchewan's energy comes from wind power, most of which comes from the Centennial Wind Power facility, near Swift Current. I don't see any wind farms around here. That percentage could be hugely increased if Estevan started taking advantage of it.
This part of the province is a hotbed for all kinds of renewable energy production and those industries should be booming here the same as oil and coal.
There is so much potential in the surrounding area for investment in alternative energy projects. Estevan should be a leader in integrating solar and wind into the provincial energy grid.
The resources are here. Estevan is after all, the Energy City.
