Biomass plan triggers questions

Hedonistic Sustainability turns Copenhagen's ARC waste-to-energy plant into a public playground, blending ski slope, climbing wall, and trails with carbon-neutral heating, renewables, circular economy design, and green growth for climate action and liveability.

Key Points

A design approach fusing public recreation with clean-energy infrastructure to drive carbon-neutral, livable urban growth.

✅ Waste-to-energy plant doubles as recreation hub

✅ Supports carbon-neutral heating and renewables

✅ Stakeholder-driven, scalable urban climate model

“We call it hedonistic sustainability,” says Jacob Simonsen of the decision to put an artificial ski slope on the roof of the £485m Amager Resource Centre (Arc), Copenhagen’s cutting-edge new waste-to-energy power plant that feeds the city’s district heating network as well. “It’s not just good for the environment, it’s good for life.”

Skiing is just one of the activities that Simonsen, Arc’s chief executive, and Bjarke Ingels, its lead architect, hope will enhance the latest jewel in Copenhagen’s sustainability crown. The incinerator building also incorporates hiking and running trails, a street fitness gym and the world’s highest outdoor climbing wall, an 85-metre “natural mountain” complete with overhangs that rises the full height of the main structure.

In Copenhagen, green transformation goes hand-in-hand with job creation, a growing economy and a better quality of life

Frank Jensen, lord mayor

It’s all part of Copenhagen’s plan to be net carbon-neutral by 2025. Even now, after a summer that saw wildfires ravagethe Arctic Circle and ice sheets in Greenland suffer near-record levels of melt, the goal seems ambitious. In 2009, when the project was formulated, it was positively revolutionary.

“A green, smart, carbon-neutral city,” declared the cover of the climate action plan, aligning with a broader electric planet vision, before detailing the scale of the challenge: 100 new wind turbines; a 20% reduction in both heat and commercial electricity consumption; 75% of all journeys to be by bike, on foot, or by public transport; the biogas-ification of all organic waste; 60,000 sq metres of new solar panels; and 100% of the city’s heating requirements to be met by renewables.

Radical and far-reaching, the scheme dared to rethink the very infrastructure underpinning the city. There’s still not a climate project anywhere else in the world that comes close, even as leaders elsewhere champion a fully renewable grid by 2030.

And, so far, it’s working. CO2 emissions have been reduced by 42% since 2005, and while challenges around mobility and energy consumption remain (new technologies such as better batteries and carbon capture are being implemented, and global calls for clean electricity investment grow), the city says it is on track to achieve its ultimate goal.

More significant still is that Copenhagen has achieved this while continuing to grow in traditional economic terms. Even as some commentators insist that nothing short of a total rethink of free-market economics and corporate structures is required to stave off global catastrophe, the Danish capital’s carbon transformation has happened alongside a 25% growth in its economy over two decades. Copenhagen’s experience will be a model for other world cities as the global energy transition unfolds.

The sentiment that lies behind Arc’s conception as a multi-use public good – “hedonistic sustainability” – is echoed by Bo Asmus Kjeldgaard, former mayor of Copenhagen for the environment and the man originally tasked, back in 2010, with making the plan a reality.

“We combined life quality with sustainability and called it ‘liveability’,” says Kjeldgaard, now CEO of his own climate adaptation company, Greenovation. “We succeeded in building a good narrative around this, one that everybody could believe in.”

The idea was first floated in the late 1990s, when the newly elected Kjeldgaard had a vision of Copenhagen as the environmental capital of Europe. His enthusiasm ran into political intransigence, however, and despite some success, a lack of budget meant most of his work became “just another branding exercise – it was greenwashing”.

We’re such a rich country – change should be easy for us

Claus Nielsen, furniture maker and designer

But after stints as mayor of family and the labour market, and children and young people, he ended up back at environment in 2010 with renewed determination and, crucially, a broader mandate from the city council. “I said: ‘This time, we have to do it right,’” he recalls, “so we made detailed, concrete plans for every area, set the carbon target, and demanded the money and the manpower to make it a reality.”

He brought on board more than 200 stakeholders, from businesses to academia to citizen representatives, and helped them develop 22 specific business plans and 65 separate projects. So far the plan appears on track: there has been a 15% reduction in heat consumption, 66% of all trips in the city are now by bike, on foot or public transport, and 51% of heat and power comes from renewable electricity sources.

The onus placed on ordinary Copenhageners to walk and cycle more, pay higher taxes (especially on cars) and put up with the inconvenience of infrastructure construction has generally been met with understanding and good grace. And while some people remain critical of the fact that Copenhagen airport is not factored into the CO2 calculations – it lies beyond the city’s boundaries – and grumble about precise definitions and formulae, dissent has been rare.

This relative lack of nimbyism and carping about change can, says Frank Jensen, the city’s lord mayor, be traced to longstanding political traditions.

“Caring for the environment and taking responsibility for society in general has been an integral part of the upbringing of many Danes,” he says. “Moreover, there is a general awareness that climate change now calls for immediate, ambitious and collective action.” A 2018 survey by Concito, a thinktank, found that such action was a top priority for voters.

Jensen is keen to stress the cooperative nature of the plan and says “our visions have to be grounded in the everyday lives of people to be politically feasible”. Indeed, involving so many stakeholders, and allowing them to actively help shape both the ends and the means, has been key to the plan’s success so far and the continued goodwill it enjoys. “It’s so important to note that we [the authorities] cannot do this alone,” says Jørgen Abildgaard, Copenhagen’s executive climate programme director.

Many businesses around the world have typically been reluctant to embrace sustainability when a dip in profits or inconvenience might be the result, but not in Copenhagen. Martin Manthorpe, director of strategy, business development and public affairs at NCC, one of Scandinavia’s largest construction and industrial groups, was brought in early on by Abildgaard to represent industry on the municipality’s climate panel, and to facilitate discussions with the wider business community. He thinks there are several reasons why.

“The Danes have a trading mindset, meaning ‘What will I have to sell tomorrow?’ is just as important as ‘What am I producing today?’” he says. “Also, many big Danish companies are still ultimately family-owned, so the culture leans more towards long-term thinking.”

It is, he says, natural for business to be concerned with issues around sustainability and be willing to endure short-term pain: “To do responsible, long-term business, you need to see yourself as part of the larger puzzle that is called ‘society’.”

Furthermore, in Denmark climate change denial is given extremely short shrift. “We believe in the science,” says Anders Haugaard, a local entrepreneur. “Why wouldn’t you? We’re told sustainability brings only benefits and we’ve got no reason to be suspicious.”

“No one would dare argue against the environment,” says his friend Claus Nielsen, a furniture maker and designer. “We’re such a rich country – change should be easy for us.” Nielsen talks about how enlightened his kids are – “my 11-year-old daughter is now a flexitarian ” – and says that nowadays he mainly buys organic; Haugaard doesn’t see a problem with getting rid of petrol cars (the whole country is aiming to be fossil fuel-free by 2050 as the EU electricity use by 2050 is expected to double).

Above all, there’s a belief that sustainability need not make the city poorer: that innovation and “green growth” can be lucrative in and of themselves. “In Copenhagen, green transformation goes hand-in-hand with job creation, a growing economy and a better quality of life,” says Jensen. “We have also shown that it’s possible to combine this transition with economic growth and market opportunities for businesses, and I think that other countries can learn from our example.”

Besides, as Jensen notes, there is little alternative, and even less time: “National states have failed to take enough responsibility, but cities have the power and will to create concrete solutions. We need to start accelerating their implementation – we need to act now.”

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Ontario Utilities Hurricane Irma Aid mobilizes Hydro One and Toronto Hydro crews to Tampa Bay, Florida, restoring power outages with bucket trucks, lineworkers, and mutual aid alongside Florida Power & Light after catastrophic damage.

Key Points

Mutual aid sending Hydro One and Toronto Hydro crews to Florida to restore power after Hurricane Irma.

✅ 205 workers, 52 bucket trucks, 30 support vehicles deployed

✅ Crews assist Tampa Bay under FPL mutual aid agreements

✅ Weeks-long restoration projected after catastrophic outages

Hurricane Irma has left nearly 7 million homes in the southern United States without power and two Ontario hydro utility companies are sending teams to help out as part of Canadian power crews responding to the disaster.

Toronto Hydro is sending 30 staffers to aid in the restoration efforts in Tampa Bay while Hydro One said Sunday night that it would send 175 employees after receiving a request from Florida Power and Light.

“I've been on other storms down in the states and they are pretty happy to see you especially when they find out you're from Canada,” Dean Edwards, one of the Hydro One employees heading to Florida, told CTV Toronto.

Most of the employees are expected to cross the border on Monday afternoon and arrive Wednesday.

Among the crews, Hydro One says it will send 150 lines and forestry staff, as well as 25 supporting resources, including mechanics, to help. Crews will bring 52 bucket trucks to Florida, as well as 30 other vehicles, reflecting their Ontario storm restoration experience with large-scale deployments, and pieces of equipment to transport and replace poles.

Hurricane Irma has claimed at least 45 lives in the Caribbean and United States thus far. Officials estimate that restoring power to Florida will take weeks to bring power back online.

“I’m sure a lot of people wish they could go down and help, fortunately our job is geared towards that so we're going to go down there to do our best and represent Canada,” said Blair Clarke, who’s making his first trip over the border.

Hydro One has reciprocal arrangements with other North American utilities to help with significant power outages, and its employees have provided COVID-19 support in Ontario as part of broader emergency efforts. All the costs are covered by the utility receiving the help.

In the past, the utility has sent crews to Massachusetts, Michigan, Florida, Ohio, Vermont, Washington, DC, and the Carolinas, while Sudbury Hydro crews have worked to reconnect service after storms at home as well. In 2012, 225 Hydro One employees travelled to Long Island, N.Y., to help out with Hurricane Sandy.

“This is what our guys and gals do,” Natalie Poole-Moffat, vice president of Corporate Affairs for Hydro One, told CP24. “They’re fabulous at it and we’re really proud of the work they do.”

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Ontario Clean Electricity Regulations accelerate renewable energy adoption, drive emissions reduction, and modernize the smart grid with energy storage, efficiency targets, and reliability upgrades to support decarbonization and a stable power system for Ontario.

Key Points

Standards to cut emissions, grow renewables, improve efficiency, and modernize the grid with storage and smart systems.

✅ Phases down fossil generation and invests in storage.

✅ Sets utility efficiency targets to curb demand growth.

✅ Upgrades to smart grid for reliability and resiliency.

Ontario has taken a significant step forward in its energy transition with the introduction of new clean electricity regulations. These regulations, complementing federal Clean Electricity Regulations, aim to reduce carbon emissions, promote sustainable energy sources, and ensure a cleaner, more reliable electricity grid for future generations. This article explores the motivations behind these regulations, the strategies being implemented, and the expected impacts on Ontario’s energy landscape.

The Need for Clean Electricity

Ontario, like many regions around the world, is grappling with the effects of climate change, including more frequent and severe weather events. In response, the province has set ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase the use of renewable energy sources, reflecting trends seen in Alberta’s path to clean electricity across Canada. The electricity sector plays a central role in this transition, as it is responsible for a significant portion of the province’s carbon footprint.

For years, Ontario has been moving away from coal as a source of electricity generation, and now, with the introduction of these new regulations, the province is taking a step further in decarbonizing its grid, including its largest competitive energy procurement to date. By setting clear goals and standards for clean electricity, the province hopes to meet its environmental targets while ensuring a stable and affordable energy supply for all Ontarians.

Key Aspects of the New Regulations

The regulations focus on encouraging the use of renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, hydroelectric, and geothermal power. One of the key elements of the plan is the gradual phase-out of fossil fuel-based energy sources. This shift is expected to be accompanied by greater investments in energy storage solutions, including grid batteries, to address the intermittency issues often associated with renewable energy sources.

Ontario’s new regulations also emphasize the importance of energy efficiency in reducing overall demand. As part of this initiative, utilities and energy providers will be required to meet strict energy-saving targets and participate in new electricity auctions designed to reduce costs, ensuring that both consumers and businesses are incentivized to use energy more efficiently.

In addition, the regulations promote technological innovation in the electricity sector. By supporting the development of smart grids, energy storage technologies, and advanced power management systems, Ontario is positioning itself to become a leader in the global energy transition.

Impact on the Economy and Jobs

One of the anticipated benefits of the clean electricity regulations is their positive impact on Ontario’s economy. As the province invests in renewable energy infrastructure and clean technologies, new job opportunities are expected to arise in industries such as manufacturing, construction, and research and development. These regulations also encourage innovation in energy services, which could lead to the growth of new companies and industries, while easing pressures on industrial ratepayers through complementary measures.

Furthermore, the transition to cleaner energy is expected to reduce the long-term costs associated with climate change. By investing in sustainable energy solutions now, Ontario will help mitigate the financial burdens of environmental damage and extreme weather events in the future.

Challenges and Concerns

While the new regulations have been widely praised for their environmental benefits, they are not without their challenges. One of the primary concerns is the potential cost to consumers, and some Ontario hydro policy critique has called for revisiting legacy pricing approaches to improve affordability. While renewable energy sources have become more affordable over the years, transitioning from fossil fuels could still result in higher electricity prices in the short term. Additionally, the implementation of new technologies, such as smart grids and energy storage, will require substantial upfront investment.

Moreover, the intermittency of renewable energy generation poses a challenge to grid stability. Ontario’s electricity grid must be able to adapt to fluctuations in energy supply as more variable renewable sources come online. This challenge will require significant upgrades to the grid infrastructure and the integration of storage solutions to ensure reliable energy delivery.

The Road Ahead

Ontario’s clean electricity regulations represent an important step in the province’s commitment to combating climate change and transitioning to a sustainable, low-carbon economy. While there are challenges to overcome, the benefits of cleaner air, reduced emissions, and a more resilient energy system will be felt for generations to come. As the province continues to innovate and lead in the energy sector, Ontario is positioning itself to thrive in the green economy of the future.

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France Electricity Crisis drives record power prices as nuclear outages squeeze supply, forcing energy imports, fuel oil and coal generation, amid gas market shocks, weak wind output, and freezing weather straining the grid.

Key Points

A French power shortfall from nuclear outages, record prices, heavy imports, and oil-fired backup amid cold weather.

✅ EDF halted reactors; 10% capacity offline, 30% by January

✅ Imports surge; fuel oil and coal units dispatched

✅ Prices spike as gas reverses flow and wind output drops

Electricity prices surged to a fresh record as France scrambled to keep its lights on, sucking up supplies from the rest of Europe.

France, usually an exporter of power, is boosting electricity imports and even burning fuel oil, and has at times limited nuclear output due to high river temperatures during heatwaves. The crunch comes after Electricite de France SA said it would halt four reactors accounting for 10% of the nation’s nuclear capacity, straining power grids already facing cold weather. Six oil-fired units were turned on in France on Tuesday morning, according to a filing with Entsoe.

“It’s illustrating how severe it is when they’re actually starting to burn fuel oil and importing from all these countries,” said Fabian Ronningen, an analyst at Rystad Energy. The unexpected plant maintenance “is reflected in the market prices,” he said

Europe is facing an energy crisis, with utilities relying on coal and oil. Almost 30% of France’s nuclear capacity will be offline at the beginning of January, leaving the energy market at the mercy of the weather. To make matters worse, Germany is closing almost half of its nuclear capacity before the end of the year, as Europe loses nuclear power just when it really needs energy.

German power for delivery next year surged 10% to 278.50 euros a megawatt-hour, while the French contract for January added 9.5% to a record 700.60 euros. Prices also gained, under Europe’s marginal pricing system, as gas jumped after shipments from Russia via a key pipeline reversed direction, flowing eastward toward Poland instead.

Neighboring countries are boosting their exports to France this week to cover for lost nuclear output, with imports from Germany rising to highest level in at least four years. In the U.K., four coal power units were operating on Tuesday with as much as 1.5 gigawatts of hourly output being sent across the channel. 

The power crisis is so severe that the French government has asked EDF to restart some nuclear reactors earlier than planned amid outage risks for nuclear-powered France. Ecology Minister Barbara Pompili said last weekend that, in addition to the early reactor restarts and past river-temperature limits, the country had contracts with some companies in which they agreed to cut production during peak demand hours in exchange for payments from the government.

Higher energy prices threaten to derail Europe’s economic recovery just as the coronavirus omicron variety is spreading. Trafigura Group’s Nyrstar will pause production at its zinc smelter in France in the first week of January because of rising electricity prices. Norwegian fertilizer producer Yara International, which curbed output earlier this year, said it would continue to monitor the situation closely and curtail production where necessary.

Freezing weather this week is also sending short-term power prices surging as renewables can’t keep up, even though wind and solar overtook gas in the EU last year. German wind output plunged to a five-week low on Tuesday.

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Western Denmark Negative Electricity Prices stem from wind energy oversupply, grid congestion, and limited interconnector capacity via Nord Pool and TenneT, underscoring electrification needs, renewable integration, special regulation, and system flexibility.

Key Points

They are sub-zero power prices from wind oversupply, weak interconnectors, low demand, and balancing needs.

✅ Caused by high wind output, low demand, and export bottlenecks

✅ Limited Nord Pool interconnector capacity depresses prices

✅ Special regulation and district heating absorb excess power

A downturn in the cable connection to Norway and Sweden, together with low electricity consumption and high electricity production, has pushed down European electricity prices to a negative level in Western Denmark.

A sign that the electrification of society is urgently needed, says Soren Klinge, head of electricity market at Wind Denmark today.

The heavy winds during the first weekend of July, unlike periods when cheap wind power wanes in the UK, have not only had consequences for the Danes who had otherwise been looking forward to spending their first days at home in the garden or at the beach. It has also pushed down prices in the electricity market to a negative level, which especially the West Danish wind turbine owners have had to notice.

'The electricity market is currently affected by an unfortunate coincidence of various factors that have a negative impact on the electricity price: a reduced export capacity to the other Nordic countries, a low electricity consumption and a high electricity generation, reflecting broader concerns over dispatchable power shortages in Europe today. Unfortunately, the coincidence of these three factors means that the price base falls completely out of the market. This is another sign that the electrification of society is urgently needed, 'explains Soren Klinge, electricity market manager at Wind Denmark.

According to the European power exchange Nord Pool Spot, where UK peak power prices are also tracked, the cable connection to Sweden is expected to return to full capacity from 19 July. The connection between Jutland and Norway is only expected to return to full capacity in early September.

2000 MWh / hour in special regulation

During the windy weather on Monday morning, July 6, up to 2000 MWh / hour was activated at national level in the form of so-called special regulation. Special regulation is the designation that the German system operator TenneT switches off Danish electricity generation at cogeneration plants and wind turbines in order to help with the balancing of the German power system during such events. In addition, electric boilers at the cogeneration plants also contribute by using the electricity from the electricity grid and converting it to district heating for the benefit of Danish homes and businesses.

'The Danish wind turbines are probably the source of most of the special regulation, because there are very few cogeneration units to down-regulate electricity generation. Of course, it is positive to see that we have a high degree of flexibility in the wind-based power system at home. That being said, Denmark does not really get ahead with the green transition, even as its largest energy company plans to stop using coal by 2023, until we are able to raise electricity consumption based on renewable energy.

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Geothermal Power Plant Risks include hydrogen sulfide leaks, toxic gases, lava flow hazards, well blowouts, and earthquake-induced releases at sites like PGV and the Geysers, threatening public health, grid reliability, and environmental safety.

Key Points

Geothermal Power Plant Risks include toxic gases, lava impacts, well failures, and induced quakes that threaten health.

✅ Hydrogen sulfide exposure can cause rapid pulmonary edema.

✅ Lava can breach wells, venting toxic gases into communities.

✅ Induced seismicity may disrupt grids near PGV and the Geysers.

If lava reaches Hawaii’s PGV geothermal power plant, it could release of deadly hydrogen sulfide gas. That’s the latest potential danger from the Kilauea volcanic eruption in Hawaii. Residents now fear that lava flow will trigger a meltdown at the Puna Geothermal Venture (PGV) power plant that would release even more toxic gases into the air.

Nobody knows what will happen if lava engulfs the PGV because magma has never engulfed a geothermal power plant, Reuters reported. A geothermal power plant uses steam and gas heated by lava deep in the earth to run turbines that make electricity.

The PGV power plant produces 25% of the power used on Hawaii’s “Big Island.” The plant is considered a source of clean energy because geothermal plants burn no fossil fuels and produce little pollution under normal circumstances, even as nuclear retirements like Three Mile Island reshape low-carbon options.

The Potential Danger from Geothermal Energy

The fear is that the lava would release chemicals used to make electricity at the plant. The PGV has been shut down and authorities moved an estimated 60,000 gallons of flammable liquids away from the facility. They also shut down wells that extract steam and gas used to run the turbines.

Another potential danger is that lava would open the wells and release clouds of toxic gases from them. The wells are typically sealed to prevent the gas from entering the atmosphere.

The most significant threat is hydrogen sulfide, a highly toxic and flammable gas that is colorless. Hydrogen sulfide normally has a rotten egg smell which people might not detect when the air is full of smoke. That means people can breathe hydrogen sulfide in without realizing they have been exposed.

The greatest danger from hydrogen sulfide is pulmonary edema; the accumulation of fluid in the lungs, which causes a person to stop breathing. People have died of pulmonary edema after just a few minutes of exposure to hydrogen sulfide gas. Many victims become unconscious before the gas kills them. Long-term dangers that survivors of pulmonary edema face include brain damage.

Hydrogen sulfide can also cause burns to the skin that are similar to frostbite. Persons exposed to hydrogen sulfide can also suffer from nausea, headaches, severe eye burns, and delirium. Children are more vulnerable to hydrogen sulfide because it is a heavy gas that stays close to the ground.

Geothermal Danger Extends Far Beyond Hawaii

The danger from geothermal energy extends far beyond Hawaii. The world’s largest collection of geothermal power plants is located at the Geysers in California’s Wine Country, and regulatory timelines such as the postponed closure of three Southern California plants can affect planning.

The Geysers field contains 350 steam production wells and 22 power plants in Sonoma, Lake, and Mendocino counties. Disturbingly, the Geysers are located just north of the heavily-populated San Francisco Bay Area and just west of Sacramento, where preemptive electricity shutdowns have been used during extreme fire weather. Problems at the Geysers might lead to significant blackouts because the field supplies around 20% of the green energy used in California.

Another danger from geothermal power is earthquakes because many geothermal power plants inject wastewater into hot rock deep below to produce steam to run turbines, a factor under review as SaskPower explores geothermal in new settings. A geothermal project in Switzerland created Earthquakes by injecting water into the Earth, Zero Hedge reported. A theoretical threat is that quakes caused by injection would cause the release of deadly gases at a geothermal power plant.

The dangers from geothermal power might be much greater than its advocates admit, potentially increasing reliance on natural-gas-based electricity during supply shortfalls.

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