Maybe. There's an open question around whether hydro can handle that much more variable load. Climate change is changing rain patterns, which changes the parameters around hydro dams.
Look at Texas- they only fall apart 1-2 days per year, but that's enough that it's a crisis every time. How confident are we that our hydro dams can sustain us in the worst case every year or decade?
I think to achieve it, we would need to see financial incentives, direct or indirect, to have everyone buying up power batteries for their homes, reducing the variable load. Maybe price incentives like nearly free electricity at night and extra costs during the day, etc.
People in Texas will be conserving power for most of the summer to "protect the grid". There's a good chance the power won't fail spectacularly like it did in the winter, but their lives are impacted.
> it's still failing if they're having as many blackouts as they currently are.
We've had zero blackouts where I live in Texas. Not saying they don't exist, but they haven't been happening in my area and people seem to be very hyperbolic about it.
> We've had zero blackouts where I live in Texas. Not saying they don't exist, but they haven't been happening in my area and people seem to be very hyperbolic about it.
For most of the state, there appear to be no blackouts so far. Be careful and safe. I'd have some sort of back up plan for AC if I were you. This heat sucks. A few links for someone's edification and perusal.
Oh, 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.
Agreed. 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.
Much 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.
Look at Texas- they only fall apart 1-2 days per year, but that's enough that it's a crisis every time. How confident are we that our hydro dams can sustain us in the worst case every year or decade?
I think to achieve it, we would need to see financial incentives, direct or indirect, to have everyone buying up power batteries for their homes, reducing the variable load. Maybe price incentives like nearly free electricity at night and extra costs during the day, etc.