ManSEA News

April 11, 2008

Manitoba has indroduced Kyoto legislation. The initiative proposes that Manitoba reduce its annual emissions to 17 megatonnes (MT) from approximately 20 MT. Manitobans can expect to see support for developing biomass as an alternative to coal, expansion of the use of low-carbon fuels, and clean energy expansion including energy-efficiency initiatives and the further development of hydro, wind and geothermal.

November 23, 2007

Les Routledge, ManSEA's co-founder and leading voice since ManSEA's inception four years ago, has passed the baton. Les has been a critical part of ManSEA's success. His shoes will indeed be hard to fill. The members and directors of ManSEA thank him for his insight, thoughtful commentary, and commitment to ManSEA's well-being and long-term success. See Les' note to the ManSEA community.

October 15, 2007

ManSEA Workshop in The Pas (Oct 31) and Swan River (Nov 1). "Alternative Energy Options for Farms and Communities" presents participants with an opportunity to learn about renewable energy, including wind energy, biomass, biodiesel and geothermal. The workshop start time is 7:30 am, and the end time is at 12:30 pm. Registration is $10 (breakfast included).

September 20, 2007

A new alternate energy loans program will enhance opportunities for individual and provincially-based corporations and partnerships to develop smaller-scale ethanol, biodiesel and wind operations in Manitoba.

Septeber 17, 2007

Veteran Michigan Assemblywoman Kathleen Law (Dem-23rd District) has submitted the first comprehensive renewable energy feed-in bill, HB 5218 (2007) to an American state legislature on Monday, September 17, 2007 in Michigan’s House of Representatives to revive Michigan’s flagging economy and create thousands of new jobs. Rates are proposed as follows: biogas less than 150 kW: $0.145 USD/kWh; wind: $0.105 USD/kWh; rooftop solar less than 30 kW: $0.65 USD/kWh.

September 7, 2006

Manitoba government announces RFP process for 300 MW of wind energy. Today’s announcement follows a process that concluded in February in which the Manitoba government and Manitoba Hydro called for expressions of interest in Manitoba wind development. Over 40 responses were received from wind developers, First Nations, communities, turbine manufacturers and consultants – a strong signal that Manitoba will meet its 1,000-megawatt target. Future phases of Manitoba’s wind strategy will include smaller, community-based wind projects where individuals such as farm producers or other community groups can sell power back into the energy grid.

August 15, 2006

Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) is accepting Statements of Interest (SOI) for its twelfth round of funding for Clean Technology Funding. The closing date for submissions is October 24, 2007. Please see here for more information.

May 1, 2006

We've posted the presentations from the March 2007 ManSEA workshop titled Renewable Energy Opportunities - Making it Happen. A link to this information can also be found on the "About the ManSEA Program" area of the web site.

May 17, 2006

New Holland Approves Blends of 20% Biodiesel - New Holland today informed the National Biodiesel Board that it fully approves use of up to B20 blends (20% biodiesel, 80% petroleum-based diesel) on all equipment currently produced with New Holland engines.

March 21, 2006

Ontario Implements Standard Offer Contracts (SOCs) - On March 21st, the Province of Ontario announced the implementation of a Standard Offer Contract initiative that allows homeowners, landowners, farmers, co-operatives, schools, First Nations, municipalities and others to install renewable energy projects up to 10 MW in size and sell the power to the grid for a fixed price for 20 years. The Ontario Sustainable Energy Association has created the following documents describing this program: press release, and Q & A.

January 18, 2006

Biomass Conference - The Frontier Policy Centre for Public Policy and the Manitoba Sustainable Energy Association invite you to attend a one-day conference on February 2 to discuss the potential linkages between switchgrass production and bio-mass energy production. Increased energy costs are motivating many to explore agriculture bio-mass energy alternatives for space heating and electrical generation needs in Manitoba. Installed bio-mass heating systems can offer cost reductions of more than 60% over fossil fuel-based systems. Switchgrass is a perennial species of tall-grass native to southern Manitoba with the potential to produce a high yield of bio-mass with limited input costs, an ideal option for an agri-energy crop. It also holds promise as a means of sequestering carbon in the soil, making it eligible to capture environment incentives. This conference will also introduce the audience to Manitoba-based efforts that are advancing our ability to produce switchgrass and convert it to usable energy.

November 27, 2005

Promise for Less Expensive Biodiesel - National Geographic is reporting that Japanese scientists have discovered a way to convert vegetable oil into biodiesel with a much less expensive catalyst (between 10 and 50 times cheaper) than what is currently used. From the article: 'Any vegetable oil can become fuel, but not until its fatty acids are converted to chemical compounds known as esters. Currently the acids used to convert the fatty acids are prohibitively expensive. Michikazu Hara, of the Tokyo Institute of Technology in Yokohama, Japan, and his colleagues have used common, inexpensive sugars to form a recyclable solid acid that does the job on the cheap.'

November 21, 2005

Manitoba To Develop 1000 MW of New Wind Over the Next Decade - The province and Manitoba Hydro released an invitation for expressions of interest (EOI) from proponents that have potential wind-power projects of more than 10 megawatts (MW) and up to 1,000 MW. This is the first formal step in process that will result in additional renewable energy generation and significant economic development. Over their lifetime, these projects are anticipated to result in $2 billion in capital investment, $1 billion in operating expenditures, $7 billion in energy sales, $100 million in wind-rights payments to landholders and over $300 million in provincial and municipal taxes. In addition to the 1,000 MW, it is expected that another 50 MW will be set aside for the development of smaller, community-based projects.

September 20, 2005:

Poll Shows Support for Sustainable Energy - A poll conducted for the Manitoba government found that 70% of the province’s residents surveyed would like the government to spend more on developing renewable energy like ethanol and wind power. It also found that 80% of Manitobans feel that a strong economy and a clean environment are possible without picking one over the other. The poll was designed to survey opinions on a variety of environmental issues.

September 16, 2005:

Wind Sites in Manitoba Optioned - Vector Wind Energy Inc. said yesterday it has optioned 7,200 hectares of land at six sites in Manitoba. The deal will give Vector a land position that can support more than 400 megawatts of wind capacity and allow it to become a major player in the market, the company said. Company information here.