As the world pushes towards the Great Reset, there is considerable talk about powering our future with renewable energy (RE). However, the allure of harnessing the wind and sun as sources of sustainable energy is not new. In 1931, Thomas Edison told his friend, Henry Ford, “I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don’t have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that”. There is no danger of that happening, as reliance on fossil fuels has proven to be a global warming catalyst threatening our planet with increasingly frequent severe weather events, rising seas, and the accompanying mass migrations. It is widely recognized that we must transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy for energy generation with back up energy storage to make up for when RE systems come up short.
Yet almost a century on, the RE movement is still trying to gain momentum – and that's only in certain regions of the world. As foreshadowed by the sagacious Edison, the world is still heavily dependent on oil, natural gas, and coal for energy. More than 80% of the world’s energy is sourced from coal, gas, and oil. So why is it that despite all the environmental benefits, developed and developing countries alike are struggling to make the switch? Economics would be the easy answer, as long as one ignores the tremendous social and physical costs associated with increasingly frequent severe global warming events.
To support the increased generation of RE-based power, the electrical transmission networks will need to be expanded and upgraded. A major challenge facing big transmission projects seeking to carry wind and solar power from where it’s most cost-effectively generated to where it’s most needed, is the required inter-regional planning which is practically non-existent, especially in Canada. At present, transmission planning in North America is mostly restricted to the utility or at most to the state/province. There is an urgent need for a North American-wide planning entity.
The need is urgent; the time is short.
Guy Van Uytven, Power Network Consultant, Victoria
Guy Van Uytven is an internationally recognized power consultant who has worked in many countries, Canada, China, Brazil, many countries in Africa. and elsewhere, during his career.
Guy graduated from Royal Ghent University in Belgium in Electrical Engineering in 1962. He subsequently graduated from Sir George Williams University in Montreal in 1970 with a M.Eng. in Computer Science followed with an MBA (with emphasis on Operational Research) in 1976 from Concordia University in Montreal.
Some of the major examples of his work are:
As a Consultant for the African Development Bank performed a power system assessment of thirteen East African countries.
As a Consultant for the African Development Bank Transmission analyzed and recommended solutions to the overloading of Mozambique's Southern Region electrical network.
Design of a 500 kV transmission line for BC Hydro.
Design of a 500 kV HVDC transmission line for ATCO, Alberta.
Design of a 600 kV HVDC transmission line for the Itaipu to Sao Paulo, Brazil transmission line, then the highest HVDC voltage in the world.
As Project Director lead a 25-year generation and transmission development plan for South China (including the provinces of Guangxi, Guangdong, Guizhou, Sichuan, and Yunnan) including training of Chinese engineers in HVDC technology. China is now the biggest user of HVDC with the world’s highest transmission voltage at +/-1,100 kV.
Guy has also lectured widely on the technical and economic issues related to transmission networks. He designed and lectured system planning courses at the InterAfrican Electrical Engineering College in Abidjan, Ivory Coast and created the Power Engineering course at the University of Victoria (UVic).