6 ms·
Quebec is having 94% hydro (and has been for what, at least 2-3 decades now?) and is not suffering 1-2 days of falling apart every year.
by jeromegv 4y ago
Quebec is having 94% hydro (and has been for what, at least 2-3 decades now?) and is not suffering 1-2 days of falling apart every year.
- mabbo 4y agoOh, to be clear, I'm all in favour of hydroelectricity. I grew up beside a hydro dam with many neighbours who worked there. It's great stuff. My concern is that we'd be talking about perhaps doubling the variable output needed from the existing system if we turn off the gas plants. Instead of needing 1 MW from them on a hot summer day, we suddenly need to ask them to provide 2 MW. Maybe it's doable, but it's asking a lot. Imagine you've got a proposed project that will double the peak demand on my database. I say "What's the problem? The database works fine. There's no need to upgrade the hardware!". Same idea. And climate change just adds more uncertainty, because droughts and floods are more common- while hydro does best with a steady input of water. I'm certain Quebec will be fine, because it's not planning to try to double the peak load on its plants.
- bshipp 4y agoAgreed. While climate change is a real threat, I don't think many people realize just how much water is in Canada, and Quebec in particular. Snow/rainfall patterns certainly can fluctuate, but Canada experiencing severe water shortages would mean the rest of the world is long past the crisis stage.
- randomdata 4y agoMuch of Texas is in severe drought. Southern Ontario, where the bulk of the hydro is produced, is also in moderate drought. Quebec is only expiring a small area of drought way up in the north where there is no human activity. Not exactly comparable.