Cool old pictures of Cowtown

[Pinner]

Street Car car crash, the first drive thru Pharmacy Recognize that building? 14St. 17th Ave SW

[frinkprof]

Originally Posted by Pinner

Where would it go ?

No where. It isn't needed and thus does not get generated.

Originally Posted by Pinner

I could say air conditioners are environmentally friendly because all the electricity they use is from wind power, and the C Train is dirty because that electricity is produced by coal.

Well technically you could say that, since you can't determine where your electrons are coming from. However, this is the case if and only if the C-Train and the "Ride the Wind" program is guaranteed to be in place. See below.

Originally Posted by Pinner

The wind power purchased for the C Train creates more demand for electricity from coal, right?

No. It creates more demand for wind and wind alone, because that is how the "Ride the Wind" program works.

The C-Train needs electricity to run, and the program dictates that the electrical load demand created by the C-Train will be supplied by the purchasing of wind power. If that power from wind sources is not purchased, the providers see no need to generate it in the first place and thus do not generate it. It doesn't "go" anywhere.

[Pinner]

We obviously don't understand each other's logic, or lack of.

[shermanator]

Originally Posted by Pinner

Street Car car crash, the first drive thru Pharmacy Recognize that building? 14St. 17th Ave SW

This building was still standing until a few years ago. IIRC the building burnt down in summer 2008.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sour...60.88,,0,11.54

[Pinner]

So if it's not windy the train won't work? Or do they have big batteries to store the "special'" wind power?

[Bownesian]

Originally Posted by Pinner

So if it's not windy the train won't work? Or do they have big batteries to store the "special'" wind power?

I'm sure you know the answer to this but the train consumes a certain KWh total in a year, which is contracted to be supplied to the grid and then to the City from wind farms.

That supply is not consistent (i.e. KW inputs change from day to day) but the total annual supply is predictable so on days when the wind isn't blowing, more of the supply comes from other sources, including coal. The converse is also true though, when it's a windy day and there is a surplus of wind-supply, it displaces the need for other grid users to consume electricity from other sources.

The City is paying a little more to pay for more wind supply to the grid. The more customers demand clean electricity, the more will be supplied - up to a limit because wind is inconsistent and always needs to be paired with variable output generators like gas, coal or to a lesser extent, hydro-electric.

[frinkprof]

Originally Posted by Pinner

So if it's not windy the train won't work? Or do they have big batteries to store the "special'" wind power?

Well the trains aren't hooked up directly to wind power. Just hooked into the grid like your house or the store down the street is. With a mix of power sources (coal, wind, some hydro, etc.) feeding into that grid, you can't determine whether the power is coming from any single one of those sources. You can't determine where your electrons are coming from if you're on the grid. What you can do though is influence the generation source breakdown of what is being fed into the grid. That is what this program does. Power to be fed into the grid that is equal to that needed to run the C-Train is purchased that is guaranteed by the supplier to be generated by wind sources. That power then of course goes into powering toasters, air conditioners, tvs, lights in offices and yes the C-Train. Take the program out though, and it would be (more) coal instead of wind.

The thing with wind power is that it can only make up so much of the load demand because of the issue you mention. Basically, you don't know exactly when it will be windiest. That's why wind sources typically make up a max of only 5-15% (I can't remember the exact numbers, but it is in this range somewhere) of the power going into the grid. Solar power has similar problems, only at a greater expense.

[Pinner]

Go find a picture to post.

[Bill Bumface]

Pinner, you do realize that a coal plant is MUCH more efficient than a diesel bus engine or a gasoline car engine, right?

Not only would there be more pollution overall if the c-train was replaced with a diesel bus network, but there would be more pollution right in the city where people are there to breath it.

Even if our electricity was 100% coal generated there would be less overall pollution and C02 if we are using all electric vehicles.

[MelBridgeman]

Originally Posted by Pinner

So if it's not windy the train won't work? Or do they have big batteries to store the "special'" wind power?

Exactly, if there is no wind to push the train on it's tracks, no service.

[frinkprof]

Stephen Avenue in 1884


Confectionery store on Stephen Avenue, also 1884


Fire Hall No. 1, 1888

[Pinner]

Hulk, I've always been under the impression that coal was a really dirty source of electricity, in my original post I suggested Alberta has alot of wind and natural gas.

The smog-causing sulphur dioxide emissions of a modern high-efficiency natural gas power plant are 99% less than those from existing coal-fired plants. Emissions of nitrogen oxides (also a source of smog) are 90% less and emissions of greenhouse gases are 60% less. Gas-fired plants emit no mercury, lead or heavy metals, all of which are emitted by coal-fired power plants.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Pinner

So if it's not windy the train won't work? Or do they have big batteries to store the "special'" wind power?

You've never been to the Pincher Creek area, have you?

It's always windy where the bulk of our windmills are.

In the end, Ride the Wind is a marketing gimimck, but it is a fair one. The demand and use was already there. They just helped bring more windmills online to reduce reliance on coal.

[OzSome]

When i moved to Calgary in 1981 i remembered Midnapore is the border in the South and Shawnessy doesn't even exist. My brother bought his place in Shawnessy, he's the first owner for $84K and his house were one of the 5 houses built in his street.
I can't believed how much Calgary grew from then. Now they have new communities in the South i don't even know and some of the Southwest, the North side and so on.

Anyone remember that hotel's name in the corner of Glenmore Trail and Macleod Trail. It is where Home Depot, used to be Office Depot location is right now. This is an awesome thread. It is so nice to see nice old places.

[Ironhorse]

Originally Posted by OzSome

Anyone remember that hotel's name in the corner of Glenmore Trail and Macleod Trail. It is where Home Depot, used to be Office Depot location is right now.

The Tradewinds Hotel, according to my wife.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by OzSome

Anyone remember that hotel's name in the corner of Glenmore Trail and Macleod Trail. It is where Home Depot, used to be Office Depot location is right now. This is an awesome thread. It is so nice to see nice old places.

It was the Trade Winds Hotel. North of it were Courtesy Chrysler and Maclin Ford. My sisters bought their first car at Maclin there in 1986. The car dealerships moved to the Automall somewhere in the 1987-88 time frame, and the hotel closed around the same time.

At one point, I believe the plan was for that area to basically be an extension of Chinook Centre, then the economy took a bit of a tailspin and the land sat empty for a few years until they finally built the Staples, Home Depot, et al.

The hotel building sat as an empty, abandoned shell for quite a long time. I think the city had to eventually condemn it and had it torn down.


25 years ago, each of the "big 3" North American auto makers had 2 dealerships along the stretch of Macleod between Heritage and 60th Avenue. Now, there's only one left (Big 4 Chrysler). When the old Jack Carter, Woodridge, and McKay lots get re-developed, that stretch of Macleod is going to look incredibly different.

[frinkprof]

Originally Posted by getbak

It was the Trade Winds Hotel. North of it were Courtesy Chrysler and Maclin Ford. My sisters bought their first car at Maclin there in 1986. The car dealerships moved to the Automall somewhere in the 1987-88 time frame, and the hotel closed around the same time.

At one point, I believe the plan was for that area to basically be an extension of Chinook Centre, then the economy took a bit of a tailspin and the land sat empty for a few years until they finally built the Staples, Home Depot, et al.

The hotel building sat as an empty, abandoned shell for quite a long time. I think the city had to eventually condemn it and had it torn down.


25 years ago, each of the "big 3" North American auto makers had 2 dealerships along the stretch of Macleod between Heritage and 60th Avenue. Now, there's only one left (Big 4 Chrysler). When the old Jack Carter, Woodridge, and McKay lots get re-developed, that stretch of Macleod is going to look incredibly different.

Yeah. I believe it had the working name of "Renaissance" or some such thing. Never ended up happening, much like a lot of developments proposed during the most recent boom.

[chalms04]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Mine are even older.



And even older Calgary:

[amorak]

Originally Posted by Pinner

So if it's not windy the train won't work? Or do they have big batteries to store the "special'" wind power?

Seriously, this is like "Pinner's Guide to 4-Way Stops" all over again.

[Pinner]

Yes, yes it is.