energyclub In this issue

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1 NEWSLETTER Hi everyone, welcome to a new year with the Energy Club! The semester has started off smoothly with our first meetings, speakers, and movie night, and we ve got some great events coming up! In this issue Upcoming Events Sustainability Awareness Week - Carbon Capture & Storage Panel Introducing the exec! Available volunteer positions Discussion Starter: Energy infrastructure burnt out The Role of Carbon Capture & Storage in Alberta s Energy and Evironmental Future Presented by the Energy Club & the SU as part of Sustainability Awareness Week 2009 Myer Horowitz Theatre, SUB 5:00pm-7:30pm Monday, October 19 The Government of Alberta has recently set out $2 Billion worth of investment for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Projects to assist in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions within Alberta. Is this the best bet for reducing Alberta's carbon footprint while sustaining its growing energy demands? Or is it just a quick fix solution? This event will bring together experts from academia and industry to discuss the role of (CCS) in Alberta's Energy Future. It will be hosted in a panel format, with ample time given for an audience Question & Answer period. There will be a reception in the lobby following the discussion. Confirmed Speakers: Tim Weis Director of Renewable Energy & Efficiency Policy Pembina Institute Dr. Andrew Leach Assistant Professor School of Business U of A Dr. Brian Fleck Associate Professor Mechanical Engineering U of A page 1 of 6

2 NEWSLETTER Other October Events General Meeting Tuesday, October 6 at 5:15pm~6:15pm ETLC E2-009 (Colt Design Lab) Informal meeting open to anyone. Upcoming events and other topics included in this newsletter will be discussed, as well as any other subjects you would like to talk to the group about. Movie Night: Home Tuesday, October 13 at 5:15pm~7:15pm ETLC E2-009 (Colt Design Lab) The documentary chronicles the present day state of the Earth, its climate and how we as the dominant species have long-term repercussions on its future. A theme expressed throughout the documentary is that of linkage how all organisms and the Earth are linked in a "delicate but crucial" natural balance with each other, and how no organism can be self-sufficient... The documentary shows the awful truths regarding our impact on the Earth, but also what we are now doing to combat and reverse it: including renewable energy, the creation of more and more national parks, international co-operation between various nations on environmental issues and the extra education and reform being had across the globe in response to the current problems facing the earth. [IMDB.com] Sustainability Awareness Week October Awareness events carrying on all week, including the CCS panel on Monday, concert night on Tuesday, Party with a Purpose, on Wednesday, and culminating with the International Day of Climate Action on Saturday (see our website or 350.org for more details). Guest Speaker: Godo Stoyke Tuesday, October 27 at 5:15pm~7:15pm ETLC E2-009 (Colt Design Lab) Godo Stoyke is a green consultant and award-winning environmental researcher specializing in energy efficiency and zero carbon design for new and existing buildings. As President of Carbon Busters, Godo has helped reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 70 million kilograms CO2e and utility costs by over $24.5 million for its North American and European clients. Godo's second book,the Carbon Buster's Home Energy Handbook, released by New Society Publishers is now available in local book stores across North America. Home owners can cut their carbon by 73% and save over $17,800 over five years with the Handbook and evaluates which measures yield the highest returns for the environment and the pocketbook. Godo is a member of the Alberta Chapter of the Canadian Green Building Council, and has been a LEED accredited professional since Source: page 2 of 6

3 NEWSLETTER Introducing the 2009 Exec! Slightly abridged in the interest of space, see for full versions Ryan Saunders Co-President (Graduate) Ryan is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, specializing in Nanotechnology and Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS). Last year Ryan served as Co-President, and previously was the VP Finance for the Energy Club. Ryan's passion for energy really developed with the understanding that many local and global issues can be broken down by the availability and use of energy, or lack thereof. Ryan has interests in sustainable housing and communities, renewable energy technologies, the social and political aspects surrounding energy generation and consumption, and issues surrounding a growing global society attempting to address the environmental impacts of their energy generation and consumption. Erich Andersen VP Communications Erich is currently in his third year of undergraduate studies in the nanoengineering stream of the Electrical Engineering program at the. His interest in sustainable energy stems from his love of hiking, outdoor climbing, and all things involving the natural world that we are threatening with our current energy consumption. He is interested in solar, geothermal, biomass, and fusion generation, and hope that this year he will decide where he wants his career to take him after graduation. Chris Lerohl VP Liason Chris is currently pursuing his MSc. in Electrical Engineering at the in the field of power systems. His research is involved with power line signaling and its applications that can increase the controllability and adaptability of the current power system. Chris' other research interests include, smart grid technology, distributed generation, and electricity policy. He wishes to learn more about government policy and business as he believes it is no longer technical barriers that are preventing our shift to a sustainable energy system. April Boyko Co-President (Undergraduate) April is currently working on her final year towards a B.Sc. in Environmental Engineering from the. Her interests in energy are related to the reliance of agriculture on fossil fuels, scarcity, as well as the environmental implications of developing our resources using current methods. She hopes to gain a greater understanding of these issues via involvement with the Energy Club and looks forward to a great year of educational Speaker Panels, Documentaries and Discussions! Brian Dupuis VP Events An Edmonton native, Brian's currently a research assistant in psychology (cognitive science) with a Bachelors of Science in Physics. His interest in energy issues (especially in response to climate change and resource depletion) borders on obsessive, particularly in respect to social perceptions and reactions to energy issues, although as a psychologist instead of an engineer, he tends to focus on communication of the issues and scaling social barriers to discussion rather than devising technical solutions. Mitchell Flynn VP Industry and Careers Mitchel will be entering into his final year of undergraduate studies at the in the Mechanical Engineering Co-op program. His decision to join the Energy Club reflects Mitchel s concern for the energy issues currently facing Canada and the rest of the world. The time he has spent with the club thus far has solidified his desire to promote energy awareness in the university community. Ultimately, Mitchel hopes to have an exciting and meaningful career in the area of sustainable resource development, which will preserve our environment into the future. Jason Luk VP Youth Engagement Jason is completing a Masters of Science in Engineering Management degree within the Sustainable Energy Research Laboratory. As part of a thesis optimizing the production of ethanol, he designed and operates the Mechanical Engineering Large Scale Fluids lab. The prospects of a biomass pipeline is being evaluated, to aggregate the potentials of agricultural and biofuel waste streams, and reduce the overall environmental impact of biofuels production. A belief that the betterment of society, requires public understanding and appreciation of science, guides his career towards science education, policy and journalism. page 3 of 6 Steve Edge VP Finance Bio unavailable, check the wiki page for updates!

4 NEWSLETTER Ken Dwyer VP Website Ken was born and raised in Labrador City, NL. He obtained his B.C.Sc. from Dalhousie University in 2004, and his M.Sc. in Computing Science from the in Currently, he is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Computing Science, and is conducting research in the area of Machine Learning. Ken became concerned with energy after viewing the documentary film "The End of Suburbia" in 2006, and has since spent much of his spare time reading about peak oil and related issues. Ken feels that most people are not aware of the challenges that will confront our society as cheap oil becomes scarce. He joined the Energy Club in order to enhance his understanding of these challenges. Kody Warriner Originally from lower mainland British Columbia, Kody decided to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering after developing an aptitude for mechanics, mathematics and design during his high school years. Over a five year period Kody completed a B.Sc. Mechanical Engineering Co-op degree at the University of Alberta. Understanding that the world is at a dramatic turning point in history regarding energy consumption and production, Kody plans to obtain a M.Sc. Mechanical Engineering in The Controlled Levitation of Complex Microfluidic Droplets; an experimentally based project which could potentially revolutionize the manner in which certain measurements are performed. Bios have been abridged in the interest of space, see for full versions Want to get involved? We re still trying to fill the following positions for the year. They represent a wide range of commitment levels, and look great on a resume! Contact.ualberta@gmail.com for more information. VP Alumni and Outreach Develop a strategy for fostering strong relationships between members and alumni Research and suggest organizations for the Energy Club to partner with Faculty and Department Liasions Distribution of promotional materials (poster boards & listserv) Talk to professors about involvement us to see if we need someone for your faculty or department Graphic Artist Development and design of promotional materials Photographer Official photographer for Energy Club events and tours Want to stay connected? Join our website! In an effort to make the Energy Club more interactive, we have converted our web site into a wiki and added a discussion forum. In case you are not familiar with the concept of a wiki, Wikipedia describes it as "a page or collection of web pages designed to enable anyone who accesses it to contribute or modify content." We want the Energy Club web site to be a gathering place and a hub for sharing ideas, rather than a traditional one-way channel of communication. Now that we have a wiki, members can share their knowledge by creating new content and editing existing pages. Members can also express their interests and opinions in the discussion forum, comment on past Energy Club events, or propose ideas for new events! The list goes on, and the possibilities for interaction and collaboration are endless. By the way, it's easy to create and edit pages on the wiki you don't need to be a web guru or a programmer in order to contribute! Moreover, we have provided some step-by-step tutorials to help get you started. So, what are you waiting for? Head over to and click the "Help / About the wiki" link in the navigation panel on the left. This will take you to a page that explains how to sign up for the wiki and become part of the Energy Club's online community! page 4 of 6

5 NEWSLETTER Discussion Starters The following opinion article was contributed to the Gateway by one of our members. If you have something to add/contest/comment on, please start a discussion on our wiki forum or at a meeting. If you would like to see your own rant here, it to.ualberta@gmail.com along with your name and the name and date of its original publication if applicable. Energy infrastructure burnt out by Jason Luk Orginally published August 27, 2009 in the Gateway So, as you re probably aware if you follow the latest in energy information news, an official for Alberta s Utilities Consumer Advocate recently quit. Now, having shed the constraints of having pure evil muzzling him, he can take it upon himself to warn the public directly that our stay-the-course march towards fully deregulated power will crush them. Despite past promises of low prices, Alberta has proven to have a power market almost designed to fail. Decades of infrastructure neglect makes it excruciating for new competition to move in. Just as we don t expect to find a Walmart in a deserted plain, a power plant won t build where the wires don t run. Now in a frantic rush to catch up, we re told to prepare to be hit by a sudden absurdly expensive transmission expansion. But even if our decrepit system is spiffed up with something that is bigger or better, utilities are still scared shitless to build here. Our ultrasensitive boom-and-bust economy may be fantastic for investors who can cash out anytime, but it s not hot for someone backing a billion-dollar plant over 30 years. The fact of the matter is, no one knows whether the next oilsands project will flood the market with a bevy of impossibly cheap electricity made from waste energy, or drain our grid to near-emptiness, pushing up power prices. As a result, having no competition has left us simultaneously under the threat of blackouts and paying some of the highest power bills the country has ever seen. Deregulating ultimately meant we ve lost control over when power plants are built, even when they re desperately needed. We were supposed to be able to shop around for the better prices, but energy retailers are just as petrified of our fragile power grid. We now have a choice of a handful of sleaze-bag militias who can only survive by going door-to-door hustling folks with outrageous energy contracts. They don t know if volatile market prices are going to be low next week, or whether they have to pay for imported power just to fight off the dreaded threat of a blackout. So they take the path of least resistance for them; they sign you up to five years of monstrous calculus-textbook-like prices to ensure they can cover their own bills. Even here in these deep city lights, our Edmonton-based utilities won t save us, as EPCOR intelligently refuses to play the demented game of selling deregulated power. It s not that having fluctuating power prices is a sin, but the energy barons could at least go out of their way a smidge to make it useful to us. When power demand is high during the day, new plants go all out and dirty old plants fire up, sending costs soaring. Earlier or later in the day, the system eases up and runs more efficiently as power demand and prices plummet. Smart Meters currently used in Ontario and California would let us slash our bills by doing the dishes at 8 p.m. rather than 6 p.m. Klein and Stelmach s developmentally delayed lovechild of a system struggles to tell time, charging us the same price day or night. Sure, we could tough out the occasional blackout, and generously spread our wealth by buying more power from British Columbia. We could man up to door-to-door utility con-men and agree to ludicrous contracts, knowing their busywork feeds their family, at least. We could even wash our delicates late at night, burning the midnight oil, all to let the grid run more fuel efficiently, and marginally lowering society s overall power costs. And all of this happening, unfortunately, without any real personal financial benefit. But if this is the best that the PCs can offer us with deregulation, how are we better off than with the socialist systems of yesteryear? page 5 of 6

6 NEWSLETTER About the Club Purpose The Energy Club is dedicated to serving as a forum for energy policy, technology, science and related issues at the. We aim to foster entrepreneurship, environmental awareness and sustainable technologies. Vision We envision a world where society's growing energy needs are adequately met while supporting our natural environment indefinitely into the future. Mission To promote energy awareness in the University community and to explore solutions that meet society's energy requirements. These solutions include new economic, technological and sociological mechanisms that align global energy demand with our generation capability. Contact Us .ualberta@gmail.com website: facebook: Energy Club page 6 of 6