Finding pathways out of Ontario’s hydro and climate mess5/2023 - POLICY OPTIONS: New ground has been broken in thinking about electricity systems, but there needs to be transparent and accountable planning for implementation.
Toronto city council voted against more gas-plant production. The province is making it happen anyway5/2023 - TORONTO STAR: “The pace that electricity sector emissions are rising is going to offset a lot of the gains made elsewhere. We’re a little further behind every year," says Bryan Purcell.
How a downtown Toronto condo defied the odds to save energy and money5/2023 - TORONTO STAR: “This particular project, we were interested right off the bat because of the emission reduction potential for sure, but also because of this particular use of technology: A drop-in replacement for a chiller really has the potential to scale and we wanted to do what we could to make sure the project was a success,” said Keith Burrows, TAF's Director of Low-Carbon Buildings.
Putting high-rises on a low-carbon diet5/2023 - GLOBE AND MAIL: Policy paper published last year by U of T, City of Toronto, The Atmospheric Fund and Mantle Developments calls for the regulation of embodied carbon as well as the development of standardized ways of measuring these emissions.
What to make of IESO’s natural gas expansion, and what cities can do now5/2023 - Ontario just announced the results of a competitive procurement process, which will expand natural gas-powered electricity generation capacity by up to 586 megawatts. What's next for cities who need to decarbonize?
TAF Newsletter: May 20235/2023 - This edition highlights priorities for Toronto’s next mayor and the latest council climate roundup, market opportunities for heat pump bulk buys, new retrofit projects, advocacy for Canada’s Green Building Strategy, and summer internships.
Toronto climate priorities every mayoral candidate should get behind5/2023 - Toronto’s next leader should put fast, effective climate action at the centre of the city’s cornerstone strategies for economic development, housing, transportation, health, and more. VP Bryan Purcell discusses three practical actions needed.
Heat pumps are ready for prime time. Bulk buying can pick up the pace. 5/2023 - One way to get heat pump purchases and installations faster in communities is to aggregate local demand and take advantage of bulk buying strategies, based on a new TAF-commissioned report. TAF Director, Ekaterina Tzekova’s new blog highlights what we learned.
Ontario wants new gas plants to boost the province’s electricity system5/2023 - "We're quite concerned about where Ontario's electric grid is going," says Bryan Purcell
Ontario’s carbon emissions rose only slightly in 2021 and pandemic-driven shifts could be why4/2023 - "Climate action really is going to create a lot of benefits, and it's important to make sure that the government follows through," said Ekaterina Tzekova, director of research and innovation for The Atmospheric Fund
Could offshore wind in the Great Lakes provide the cheap, clean power Ontario needs?4/2023 - Offshore wind farms in the Great Lakes could provide enough carbon-free energy to meet all of Ontario’s growing demand at nearly half the cost of new nuclear reactors. There’s just one problem: Ontario declared a moratorium on offshore wind projects in 2011.
Reeling from home-heating costs? Meet the heat pump — an old idea that’s gaining new ground4/2023 - It’s an old technology that’s experiencing a renaissance as a way to save money with the added bonus of reducing carbon emissions.
