What about Dams?

Here's a link describing how dangerous to the environment they are.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&sqi=2&ved=0CBMQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fanshawec.ca%2Fassets%2Fthe~learning~centre~-~tlc%2Fsample1argument.pdf&rct=j&q=what%20are%20the%20dangers%20of%20dams&ei=4Q6ITYPdLsKcOpSvjZcO&usg=AFQjCNGcTbTm-jVlhlfLWzcNBdKW7yIv6Q

So, is Solar Energy perfect?

How about reading this article to enspire some thought

http://www.lhup.edu/~dsimanek/solar.htm

It appears there is no perfect solution for finding a new source of 300kw. No matter what you do they'll be some environmental group protesting.

I was impressed after reading information from www.peatresources.com

I pasted a little of it here. I think what some are missing here tonight is the understanding that not all companies are the same when it comes to wet peat harvesting. What is very important to note is the fact that :Peat Resources Limited is the only company in Canada to measure methane emissions for its proposed harvesting sites.

What is important to understand is that Peatlands with a high water table emit HIGH methane gases in excess of absorbed carbon dioxide. Methane is a green house gas. By getting rid of this fuel grade peat, you do the environment a favor by reducing greenhouse emissions. Keep in mind that Peat Resouces is going after "this peat". The high methane peat that emits the high methane that puts out high green house gases which are the culpruit of Global warming.

Many people don't realize the dangers of high levels of methane. You have to get rid of it. We see it in this peat example. Where, Peat Resources is going after the sites that will benefit the environment with methane reduction.

We see high methane readings at garbage dumps. Some Municipalities are putting generators to run on methane to get rid of these landfill gases. High levels can be seen in cow and pig manure. Farmers will put pipes underground to collect the methane and a generator will run on the methane and create electricity for the farm.

Wet peat harvesting is an ecologically sound way to manage peatland ecosystems. Wet peat harvesting is a new process for harvesting fuel peat and eliminates the problems caused by dry peat harvesting. In Canada, 1.2 million tonnes of peat for horticultural use are harvested annually2 by draining peatlands to permit the drying of peat for dry harvesting methodologies. The wetland function of the bogs is permanently eliminated. In contrast, wet peat harvesting, as developed by Peat Resources Limited, does not drain peatlands. The wetland functions are maintained and through careful land use planning the bogs can be restored for other uses. Wet harvesting permits peat ecosystems to recover quickly after harvest and application of ecological rehabilitation approaches allows the wetland to begin accumulating carbon within 2-3 years.

Managing peatlands has a positive impact on the provincial carbon budget. Fuel peat is decomposing plant material under an active layer of living Sphagnum moss. Peatlands accumulate carbon by fixing atmospheric carbon dioxide through photosynthesis in the active layer. As proven by our comprehensive field research, peatlands with a high water table emit methane gases in excess of absorbed carbon dioxide. Methane is a greenhouse gas with 23 times the greenhouse warming potential of carbon dioxide. Therefore, removing fuel-grade peat from peatlands with high methane emissions leads to a net overall reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. More importantly, the process can generate additional carbon offset credits especially when plant growth is restored after harvest.

Burning peat fuel can lead to carbon offsets. Under ISO 14064, as defined by the Canadian Standards Association, material used to displace coal can generate carbon credits3 . Peat, when harvested using wet harvesting methods, may generate carbon offset credits under cap and trade systems. These credits are that much greater if the fuel peat is harvested from ecosystems where greenhouse warming gases are significant because of high methane emissions. Peat Resources Limited is the only company in Canada to measure methane emissions for its proposed harvesting sites4 . Use of peat fuel therefore provides additional and cumulative economic benefits.

Peat is an economically better fuel than wood fibre. Peat fuel can be used directly as a substitute for coal in power generating stations5 . In contrast, wood pellets require new technology for handling and processing as well as extensive retrofit of existing coal burner systems. The current downcycle of the forest industry has led to the freeing of some wood resources but not enough to support economically the demands of Ontario power generation. There is also a need to protect wood assets to support the forest industry during the next economic upswing. As a study commissioned by the Government of New Brunswick shows, diverting forestry resources to wood pellets offers the least economic benefit as compared to other fibre usages6 .

Fuel peat supports local economies. Currently, lignite coal for OPG’s generating stations is purchased from Saskatchewan and Wyoming. It is brought to the end users by ship and by rail. Every tonne of coal purchased exports at least $44 outside the Ontario economy. Every tonne of peat harvested and processed in Ontario adds $150 to the Ontario economy through economic multiplication factors. A 1.5 million tonne per year peat fuel production operation in northwestern Ontario, which would satisfy the biomass fuel demand of the Atikokan and Thunder Bay Generating Stations, would generate over 200 new permanent direct local jobs and annually inject $225 million into the economy of northwestern Ontario.

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