Ontario Government's Energy Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Ontario Government's Energy Policy - Essay Example On the other hand, hydroelectricity which depends on the water for production of power has been affected by the chaining volume of water due to the changing climate. This has prompted many countries to look for alternative sources of power to satisfy their energy demand. Notable nuclear power and other renewable sources like wind and solar energy are slowly being accepted in the world as alternative sources of reliable and environmental friendly energy. Canada has a long history of electricity planning can be traced to the 1906 Ontario public electricity utility. Ontario Hydro Electric Commission in 1925 which was later renamed Ontario Hydro construction one of the largest hydroelectric power plant in Queesnton Chippawa. This power plant was able to meet the electricity power demand for the country until the post war economic expansion period from 1950s. However there was constant expansion of the hydroelectricity power utility to match the rising demand. For the entire period, electricity as coming from the hydroelectric power which was made up of many smaller systems and therefore it was easy to manage However, as the post war economy expanded, the country started facing power shortages and there were management problems in the efficiency of the existing hydroelectric power plants. ... his period there were about twenty power reactors which were launched situated at Pickering where there were 8 reactors, Bruce where there were 8 reactors, and at Darlington where there were 4 reactors. This means that there were more efforts towards the production of efficient power for the energy efficiency of the country. During the same period, the power corporation Act requested Ontario Hydro which had been renamed HEPCO in 1972 to draw upon plans which would enable it to provide "power at cost". This was soon to rise to the culture of the country. The unit was not then expected to pay tax and in return it was not expected to generate profits. It was to provide affordable power to the people. In 1989, Ontario Hydro then come up with Demand and supply Plan (DSP) reports which was dubbed "Providing the Balance of Power". This plan was expected to fill the power gap by building more nuclear and coal-fired power generation plants. However this was then subjected to Environment Assessment Act in 1992. This study will look into the environment assessment impact of the project to determine its viability. The paper will look at the role that nuclear power can play to ensure that it addresses the power demands in the region. The study will look at the energy plan and other related matter like safety, efficiency, cost and the overall impact on the environment to understand if this is the real path that Ontario should follow. Aim of the research There are a number of countries which have adopted the use of nuclear energy as source of power to achieve energy efficiency. However there have been mixed results from the efficiency in the use of nuclear power with argument of the overall high cost of maintenance, security threats, enrichment to produce nuclear weapons,

Fish Killing Algae Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Fish Killing Algae - Essay Example The specific consideration within the article is ten fish mortality events that occurred, primarily involving Atlantic menhaden fish, between July through September 2000 in Delaware, USA. While thermal imaging revealed the occurrence of harmful algae during the 1987 North Carolina incident, such imaging was not successful in detecting elements of the 2000 occurrences. Still, a variety of boaters and residents from the area consistently reported the occurrence of the harmful toxins. There were approximately 2 million dead fish identified in one region, Bald Creek. These fish were examined and they revealed no major lesions. The reason given for the death of these fish was attributed to a lack of dissolved oxygen in the water. While a lack of dissolved oxygen was given as a major consideration in the fish deaths, further examination was conducted. Samples from two of these events were sent to a laboratory for analysis. These samples were taken on August 17th and August 18th. Both of these samples were examined within a twenty-hour period following their extraction. In addition to these samples, live samples were extracted at a later period. The collection of the samples were sent to the Center for Marine Science (CMS) and examined. Ultimately, the complete set of these samples were archived, including both preserved and unpreserved sampled. This constituted the first stage of the analysis. This analysis demonstrated that in addition to the low dissolved oxygen rates there was a phytoplankton bloom dominated by Chattonella cf. verruculosa. Still, the samples from the DNREC area that were collected did not demonstrate the presence of toxic species.The next stage of the research implemented microscopic examin ation of the samples from the fish kill site. These examinations demonstrated that the fish contained a single-cell Raphidophyte alga Chattonella cf. verruculosa. Additionally, naturally occurring brevetoxins were detected in the microscopic fish samples. The next stage of the investigation involved chromatographic, immunochemical, and spectroscopic analyses. These analyses confirmed the presence of brevetoxins. Notably, this was the first confirmed report of these toxins in the area. The analyses continued testing the water for the presence of these materials. By October the study revealed that there was no longer a presence of verruculosa in the area. These findings demonstrated that it is necessary to continually monitor the waters as a means of ensuring they are free from harmful brevetoxins.