Enamored by whitewater growing up, I always looked for the �Ã�¢�â��¬�Å�biggest�Ã�¢�â��¬�Â�. I found it not only on the Ottawa River but in Montreal on the St Lawrence and on the Niagara River below the Falls.
Rafts weren�Ã�¢�â��¬�â��¢t effective so we developed jet boats to experience their huge rapids.
For the past six decades, the amount of water going over the falls and beneath our speedy jet boats was 100,000 cfs (cubic feet per second). This flow is mandated by Canada/USA Treaty for day time viewing of the Falls from 8 am until dark when the flow drops to 50,000 cfs. The real flow of the Niagara River is 200,000-350,000 cfs and the difference is used to generate massive amounts of electricity.
Because Niagara generates the world’s cheapest power, every drop of water above the Falls not mandated by treaty to go over the Falls is diverted to the generators for a dirt cheap penny per kilowatt hour. Not only is it the cheapest on the planet, it’s also the greenest.
Now, for the first time since 1950, more than the mandated 100,000 cfs is going over the Falls. Last week it was a record flow of 135,000 cfs. When Ontario has the highest electricity in the world, why would we not use the cheapest and lower the cost for all Ontarians? The answer is simple wind farms operating under Feed In Tariff (FIT) Contracts, originally set at 44 cents per kilowatt hour. When the wind blows at the right speed, the wind farms produce large amounts of electricity. When that happens, other forms of generation must be taken off line, since hydro generation can be switched on or off instantly by opening and closing gates.
To sum up, Ontarians are paying 44 cents for unreliable wind power while we have curtailed using Niagara River water, the cheapest and greenest generation on the planet. Go figure!
Joe
