Dirty oil to Cleaner Energy, What is Next?

What is Dirty Oil in Alberta oilsands

Dirty oil or tarsands in the Alberta oilsands industry is what environmentalist are all worried about. Dirty oil refers to the remains after the removal of the oil from the oilsands. Alberta oilsands accounts for the only commercially mined oilsands in the world. Though there are other oilsands reserves, in the United States and Venezuela, Canada has the only commercially viable development. Located in Northern Alberta in the Athabasca region, Alberta oilsands companies such as Suncor, Petro Canada, and Husky Energy have been extracting the dirty oil for over 30 years. With the improvement in technology and the rising US dollar per barrel cost of oil, Alberta oilsands represents the worlds largest growing oil reserves. Dirty oil is what the environmentalist focus on, however, when they discuss this potential. The Alberta government and the Alberta oilsands companies disagree with the environmentalist and cite reasons such as the improvement in extraction technology and the already present dirty oil in the region. The fact is dirty oil exists in Northern Alberta’s Athabasca region and the oilsands companies are not making the situation any worse. However, in the eyes of the environmentalist they measure the green house gases created by dirty oil production and the environmental impact on wildlife such as ducks who are dying as a direct result of exposure.

What types of Clean energy alternatives are there?

But if dirty oil is not the solution for the worlds energy consumption then what other clean energy alternatives are there? We have solar energy which harnesses the power of direct sunlight to convert the heat to usable power. Solar energy is clean and renewable. The harnessing of solar energy does not create greenhouse gases and solar energy is a renewable resource. While solar energy technology has been available for more than two decades, the production of solar energy has not been cost effective or commercially viable up to the present time. We see limited uses of solar energy as a clean energy alternatives by homeowners who place solar panels on their roofs to supplement their home’s power consumption needs. Some firms have been selling solar energy packs which can be used to recharge batteries on cars or boats and even provide hot water for a shower in the wilderness. Another clean energy alternative is wind power. The clean energy alternative created by wind is through the use of wind farms that harness the power of wind to turn turbines and create energy that can be stored or transmitted for direct use. Wind energy is a growing clean energy alternative but currently still plays a small role in clean energy consumption in the world. One of the requirements of using wind energy is the availability of lots of land in a fairly windy environment. Afterall we need wind to turn the turbines to create the energy. The cost of wind turbines and the need for constant replacement is also one of the reasons why we don’t see a large development of wind turbines in every city.

Dirty oil or clean energy alternatives, who will win the Energy wars?

Dirty oil or clean energy alternatives, who will win? The answer is not as simple as stating that one energy is better than the other and we should stop using one for the other. The world is a bit more complex than this and dirty oil makes money for many investors as well as provides a reliable, fairly inexpensive source of energy. Dirty oil has a limited supply but this supply will stay last for more than a few hundred years given current technology. With the improvement in technology we may see dirty oil last even longer and burn cleaner than it is currently doing. Clean energy alternatives such as solar energy and wind energy will depend greatly on the improvement in technology in helping lower their production cost and raise their output. The ability to provide a commercially viable source of clean alternative energy is the big hindrance in the rapid development and acceptance of this apparent valuable resource. It is interesting to note that even Alberta Oilsands company Suncor produces clean energy using biofuel and is wind power. Suncor is an integrated energy company and uses oilsands, biofuel, and wind power as the tools to provide energy to the world.

Tainted Alberta Oilsands and Environmental impact

The current Alberta Oilsands environmental problem

A recent study stated that Alberta Oilsands production is releasing four billion litres of tainted water into Alberta and surrounding regions including Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, and the Athabasca River. This report states that it’s a matter of fact that the Alberta Oilsands poses a significant environtmental problem to the areas affected and to the global ecosystem. Alberta Oilsands or Tarsands produces leaks called tarsand tailings which are held in tarsand ponds. The environmental problem is that some scientists and environmentalist believe that there is no way to control the leakage and the negative effects of this Tarsand leakage will destroy the delicate ecosystem including fish, animal and plant life. The Alberta Oilsands poses an increasing environmental problem which will worsen by five fold over the next ten years as more projects are started. It is for this reason that the Alberta Government and Alberta Oilsands companies have invested heavily into studying the environmental impact of the oilsand and ensuring that the public is well educated on its findings. Part of the role of the Alberta Government and Alberta Oil sands companies is to dispel myths and lies about the environmental impact.

Tailing ponds and Alberta tarsands

A tailing pond is created as a result of how Alberta tarsands are produced. A process that uses hotwater to separate the Alberta oil from the sand leaves behind the tailing pond. The tailing pond holds contaminated material from the original product and can continue to be contaminated for decades to come. Alberta Tarsands tailings ponds have been continuously examined to assess its environmental impact on humans, wildlife, and vegetation. It is believed that Alberta tarsands tailing ponds poses significant threat to the surrounding area. Studies on birds have found increased mortality rates. Birds that live in the area or migratory birds that come to the area have been tested and negative effects have been noticed in their expected life. Another significant impact is to plant life and studies have been done on germination. These studies have found that lower seedling weights have been a result. While Alberta Oil Sands companies have been increasing their ability to control the leakage of tailing ponds through use of better technology, some scientists still believe that we are a long way away from having no environmental impact on the environment. It is impossible to stop tailing ponds as a result of the Alberta tarsands production to leak.

Differing view of environmental impact of Alberta Oilsands

Differing views of the environmental impact of the Alberta Oilsands is a matter of where you are standing and what effect you are testing for. A scientist for the Alberta’s Environmental Department said the reports are misleading on the tailing ponds. While tailing ponds do hold waste from Alberta Oilsands production, this waste is overstated and the environmental impact is not as significant. The tarsands waste is going into deep aquifiers that are already naturally contaminated by the geology of the Alberta Oilsands. Another false myth that these scientists are trying to dispel is that tarsands leakage is a big environmental problem. This is a myth and there has not been a serious run off of toxic tailing ponds into surrounding regions. The scientists are confident that they can prevent any serious contamination of groundwater and ecosystems. Of course problems will existing with tainted Alberta oilsands but with continuous research and action taken by the Alberta Government and Oil sands companies, any siginificant environmental impact should be avoided.