Green Energy Futures

Latest Episodes:

50. Canadian startup Morgan Solar shines through Aug 13, 2013

Show notes

We break out the microscope and tell the story of just cleantech startup this week at Green Energy Futures. Morgan Solar is an intriguing example of tenacity, smarts and passion. When Morgan Solar got started six years ago their goal was to get their concentrated solar pv modules down to about $1 a watt. Well, in that time the global solar market changed drastically and prices per watt are now around $0.70 a watt. That doesn't mean they folded it up and went home, no Morgan Solar, led by co-founder John Paul Morgan are now aiming to produce solar energy at $0.35 a watt. And they've got believers, they've raised $40 million in the last six years and they're planning to go to market in the summer of 2014. Learn all about their story this week on CKUA's Green Energy Futures.

49. Energy storage changes everything - 2 Canadian startups Jul 30, 2013

Show notes

If we get a future where we are integrating large amounts of renewable energy into the grid it won't come without some serious innovation in the energy storage space. We look at Temporal Power's flywheel technology and eCAMION's battery storage this week on CKUA Radio's Green Energy Futures.

48. Bullfrog Power - The story behind the cute little froggie Jul 16, 2013

Show notes

If you're a renewable energy nerd like us you've no doubt seen Bullfrog Power's ubiquitous green froggie at an event or on a piece of swag. They're darn good at being everywhere, but we wanted to get behind the cute logo and figure out if Bullfrog Power was for real. Learn what this green energy provider is all about in this week's Green Energy Futures CKUA Radio podcast.

47. Rocket stove: hyper efficient wood burning stoves Jul 01, 2013

Show notes

A rocket stove is a hyper efficient wood burning stove that was originally built for the developing world. It solved two big problems - people were dying from indoor air pollution from cooking on indoor open air fires and all of the wood needed to run these stoves was causing deforestation. Now the rocket stove has come to North America but with a bit of a twist. Instead of cooking with it the rocket stove is being turned into a heater. It's got a cult following among the DIY and permaculture crowd and it's not hard to understand why. It uses far less wood than a conventional wood burning stove, it's cheap to build and you get some built-in furniture out of the deal. Part of what makes the rocket stove so attractive as a heater is that running the heat through thousands of pounds worth of thermal mass you get a heat battery. That thermal mass typically takes the shape of a cob bench. Learn all about rocket stoves and how they work this week on Green Energy Futures.

46. Sherwood Park's City Hall is heated by district biomass heating Jun 24, 2013

Show notes

Europe and especially Germany are loaded with biomass energy projects. They're converting their old coal fired power plants so that they'll take biomass. Axel Lambion and Harry Welling have even done projects that have turned the residue left over from the wine-making process into heat and energy. So when Sherwood Park decided to build a biomass fired district heating system it was no surprise that they ended up with a couple of Germans on the project. To them Canada is a vast, undeveloped place just brimming with potential. This week learn about a couple of Alberta projects that are the first of many to come.

45. Distributed generation Jun 18, 2013

Show notes

The electricity industry is old and creaky. It depends on 40-50 year old powerplants to send power along 80 year old transmission lines. It's the same system that Edison used more than a hundred years ago. However the industry is being forced to modernize itself and some things are becoming self-evident - the old centralized hub and spoke model doesn't make sense anymore. Why build massive power plants and send that power over very expensive power lines when electricity can ge generated cheaply right where the demand is. Learn how distributed generation could change the way we generate elecrtricity this week at Green Energy Futures.

44. Electric Cars: The future is fast, efficient and electric Jun 11, 2013

Show notes

This week on CKUA's Green Energy Futures we visit the Future of Transportation Symposium at NAIT. There we met the people who are driving everything from Teslas to Volts the next generation of vehicles.

43. Future of Transportation I - Electric vehicles at the auto show Jun 04, 2013

Show notes

We head to the Edmonton Auto Show to check out the new lineup of EVs, hybrids and even some super efficient gas vehicles. We talk to auto industry execs and check out their lineups and find out where they're headed and what they really think about these new products.

42. Car2Go – Smart cars and smart phones make good bedfellows May 28, 2013

Show notes

Collaborative consumption is an idea that's gained some popularity recently with the publishing of the book "What's Mine is Yours" and the rise of car sharing services like Zipcar and Car2Go. It's a phenomenon that makes a lot of sense - why own something that sits unused for the majority of its working life when you can pay for it when you need to use it. This week on CKUA's Green Energy Futures we head to Calgary where citizens have embraced the idea of car sharing. Learn how it works and how this idea helps cities and saves energy this week on Green Energy Futures.

41. Net-zero home evolution – The secret is simplicity! May 21, 2013

Show notes

Peter Amerongen is a bit of an expert when it comes to net-zero homes. What he has learned is that simplicity is the golden secret when it comes to building a home that produces as much energy as it consumes. We reveal his secrets on a visit to one of his super-insulated, airtight homes that is powered by solar energy. That's this week on Green Energy Futures on the CKUA Radio network.

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