Peak oil is likely already upon us, according to a report from Canwest News Service:
“Sometime during the year 2008, humanity will probably pass the point at which it collectively consumes 1,000 barrels of crude oil every second of every day. More than half of it — and the share continues to rise — is dedicated to the movement of goods, services and people. Despite the pivotal role which oil is playing during the early years of the 21st century we are, without a doubt, entering the twilight of the Oil Age.”
So writes Dr. Gary Kendall, an analyst for the World Wildlife Fund, in his report Plugged In: The End of the Oil Age. But, he warns, oil alternatives like hydrogen or biofuels could cause as much environmental damage as oil. He sees the solution in electric vehicles.
Even so, he acknowledges the strain they could put on electricity supplies. Consider British Columbia, for example. We import 15 per cent of our electricity from dirty sources. Even if we conserve 10 per cent of our per-capita usage, our growing population will need up to 45 per cent more electricity over the next 20 years. How could electric cars help our environment, let alone complement our energy security?
In Denmark, an environmental leader in many ways, proponents are launching a new idea: Wind-powered cars.
At the Copenhagen Climate Council last March, an American company called Project Better Place laid out plans for an extensive network of recharging stations to supply specially designed cars with wind-generated electricity. This announcement follows the launch of a similar project in Israel.
Denmark already gets 20 per cent of its electricity from wind. But this plan relies partly on wind energy that’s currently wasted. Electric vehicles provide an outlet for excess electricity that’s generated at night, when wind is strongest and cars are most likely to be charging. Car batteries also provide a means of storing wind power.
Project Better Place plans to build a Danish network of 20,000 recharging stations by 2011, along with 125 stations where batteries can be swapped to avoid down time while recharging. Specially designed cars by Renault, powered by lithium-ion batteries from Nissan, will have a range of about 150 kilometres. Dong Energy A/S, an operator of several Danish wind farms, will provide the wind-generated juice.
PBP will sell the cars on contracts similar to cellphone plans. Buyers will pay according to the number of kilometres they plan to drive and the length of the contract. The more kilometres and the longer the contract, the cheaper the car.
The network of recharging stations works best in smaller countries like Denmark and Israel. But, according to the company, the networks would also suit urban areas of North America. The Lower Mainland comes to mind.
The proposal is one of many that show how electricity can fuel a sustainable future. That is, of course, provided the electricity comes from clean sources. In B.C., much more than Denmark and most other countries, we have almost unparalleled potential to provide clean energy. In fact we have the opportunity to create an international example of sustainable living.
Postscript: As of January 2009, Ontario and Australia are considering the same project.