EFFORTS OF UTILITIES TO CHANGE IS ENCOURAGING

OSOYOOS TIMES-July 23, 2008

It's not always easy to give praise to major utility companies, especially when they often make the news for jacking up their energy rates.

So it was a refreshing change when a string of announcements came out in the past week about the efforts of two utilities to develop clean and renewable energy projects in British Columbia.

Right here at home, Terasen Energy Services is working with the developers of the Indigo condominium project to harness heat trapped in the ground to heat and cool residences within the development.

And FortisBC partnered with Oliver's Burrowing Owl Estate Winery for the recent installation of geothermal heating and cooling systems, solar panels for water heating and an energy efficient irrigation system for the vineyard.

Terasen Gas also announced that it is working with several partners to power 100 homes in B.C. using biomethane gas.

According to a media release, the project could lead to a yearly 500-tonne reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

Although it's difficult to say how much energy could be saved or emissions cut by such projects, the fact that these utilities are recognizing a need to adapt to a changing world is encouraging, especially since so many industries are continuing with business-as-usual operations that ignore the fact that the world is facing a looming energy and environmental crisis.

If more corporations and industry leaders would choose to make changes, to evolve beyond an operation of profit-seeking, it might just be possible to fight the good fight against the challenges ahead.