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Ontario has been coal-free for a few years: http://www.ieso.ca/power-data/supply-overview/transmission-connected-generation http://www.ieso.ca/power-data/supply

Ontario has been coal-free for a few years: http://www.ieso.ca/power-data/supply-overview/transmission-connected-generation http://www.ieso.ca/power-data/supply-overview/transmission-c... There are many confounding factors (recession in 2008-2009) but generally, the number of days with smog advisories has been on the decline in Ontario as well: http://airqualityontario.com/history/aqi_advisories_stats.php http://airqualityontario.com/history/aqi_advisories_stats.ph... Note that in general, across North America (not sure about the world at large) electricity consumption per capita has also been on the decline, to the extent that overall/absolute electricity consumption is down in large areas like Ontario[1]. I haven't done any research, but I surmise this is due to factors like more energy-efficient devices and time-of-day usage being pushed onto the retail user. (In additional to the aforementioned recession causing loss of manufacturing/factories) 1. http://www.ieso.ca/power-data/demand-overview/historical-demand http://www.ieso.ca/power-data/demand-overview/historical-dem...

jszymborski 10y ago
Unsure how related it is, but within Canada, Ontario's energy is notoriously expesive [0] [0] http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/why-does-electricity-cost-so-much-in-ontario/article33453270/ http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/why-does-electr...
- cmrdporcupine 10y ago
  And yet merely average in the context of the rest of North America. But you'd never know it from the rantings of people in Ontario, who feel very persecuted.
  - dsfyu404ed 10y ago
    If my local area had to pay the global average but my local region mostly paid much less I'd be pissed as hell too. You might as well tell as starving kid in Appalachia to suck it up because people starve in Africa too.
  - Deinumite 10y ago
    True although Ontario also has a geographical problem. The majority of the population lives in a very small part of the province, so the electricity for the rest of the province is subsidized. Most of the ranting from Ontarians is because of how horribly the government has handled our power sector in general.
    - cmrdporcupine 10y ago
      I agree overall in principle. But then I also look at the fact that Ontario no longer has any coal generation, and only 15 years ago was part of the blackout that wiped out the whole northeastern part of NA for three days, and nothing close to that level of catastrophe has happened since. And there's a huge amount of new solar and wind. The system has evolved rapidly. The pricing has to reflect that. But I don't agree with the way it has been privatized in bits and pieces with all sorts of private and public bureaucracies incompetently managing things. I live rural and I've seen the ugly side of Hydro One... local area class action lawsuit over some really nasty brownouts that wiped out people's appliances a few years ago.
- jonathonadler 10y ago
  Can anyone please explain why electricity is called hydro?
  - brianwawok 10y ago
    If a waterway is used to make it i.e. a dam.
  - PDoyle 10y ago
    Google can: https://www.google.ca/search?q=why%20is%20electricity%20called%20hydro https://www.google.ca/search?q=why%20is%20electricity%20call...
  - jszymborski 10y ago
    Because a large amount of Ontario/Quebec electricity came from hydroelectric sources, and because the energy utility company in Ontario is Hydro One and in Quebec Hydro Quebec, "hydro" has sorta become synonymous.

jszymborski 10y ago

Unsure how related it is, but within Canada, Ontario's energy is notoriously expesive [0] [0] http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/why-does-electricity-cost-so-much-in-ontario/article33453270/ http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/why-does-electr...

cmrdporcupine 10y ago
And yet merely average in the context of the rest of North America. But you'd never know it from the rantings of people in Ontario, who feel very persecuted.
- dsfyu404ed 10y ago
  If my local area had to pay the global average but my local region mostly paid much less I'd be pissed as hell too. You might as well tell as starving kid in Appalachia to suck it up because people starve in Africa too.
- Deinumite 10y ago
  True although Ontario also has a geographical problem. The majority of the population lives in a very small part of the province, so the electricity for the rest of the province is subsidized. Most of the ranting from Ontarians is because of how horribly the government has handled our power sector in general.
  - cmrdporcupine 10y ago
    I agree overall in principle. But then I also look at the fact that Ontario no longer has any coal generation, and only 15 years ago was part of the blackout that wiped out the whole northeastern part of NA for three days, and nothing close to that level of catastrophe has happened since. And there's a huge amount of new solar and wind. The system has evolved rapidly. The pricing has to reflect that. But I don't agree with the way it has been privatized in bits and pieces with all sorts of private and public bureaucracies incompetently managing things. I live rural and I've seen the ugly side of Hydro One... local area class action lawsuit over some really nasty brownouts that wiped out people's appliances a few years ago.
jonathonadler 10y ago
Can anyone please explain why electricity is called hydro?
- brianwawok 10y ago
  If a waterway is used to make it i.e. a dam.
- PDoyle 10y ago
  Google can: https://www.google.ca/search?q=why%20is%20electricity%20called%20hydro https://www.google.ca/search?q=why%20is%20electricity%20call...
- jszymborski 10y ago
  Because a large amount of Ontario/Quebec electricity came from hydroelectric sources, and because the energy utility company in Ontario is Hydro One and in Quebec Hydro Quebec, "hydro" has sorta become synonymous.