Day 2 at the Charrette

This is the second in a series of guest blogs written by members of a Grade 11 class that is attending our energy charrette. The following observations were made by Caleb Lane and Seamus Beairsto. Photos: www.archbould.com

Caleb's impressions
Gigawatt hour. Energy storage. Energy capacity. These are just some of the words being used on Day 2 of Yukon’s Energy Charrette being hosted at Mount Mac Centre in Whitehorse. 

Much of the day was spent learning about different sources of energy that could be used, and their pros and cons. As some of the top experts speculated on which options were viable, the grade 11 Experiential Science class joined in to give a younger perspective on the issues. 

Participants split off into smaller groups where they played an energy choices game with future demand scenarios. The problem they were given to solve: how can Yukon adjust its energy generation so it can provide enough electrical power in the future, given the uncertainly of what may unfold, while keeping in mind things like our carbon footprint?  Unfortunately, the solution is clouded with no clear answer presenting itself. Yukon’s energy needs fluctuate wildly as mining companies leave and come back. This makes it very hard to pinpoint what Yukon’s energy needs will be.

As the charrette progresses, we may be coming closer to the elusive answer we are searching for. Being a participant in the process, the only thing I can say with absolute certainty after meeting the various people with different attitudes and backgrounds is they all care for and are fighting for a better Yukon for the next generation. They wish it to be stronger, more capable, and able to handle curveballs the future may hurl at us.

Day 3 is still to go, when we will delve even deeper into the issues and problems we are facing.

Seamus' impressions
Today I feel the charrette really moved in a good direction. In the morning and early afternoon we finished the last of the presentations on different energy options, and I feel everything makes more sense now. Day 1 I really didn’t feel like I could add much to the group conversation as my only knowledge in the area came from what I had learned earlier that day. And as a student I did not have any of the experience brought forward by the rest of our group. Today however my much fuller knowledge about the energy problem and different possible options, really helped me get into the conversation. I now had the means and knowledge to communicate my thoughts and I was able to bring a point of view of a person who will be leading and contributing to Yukon’s energy situation 15-20 years from now.

In the afternoon we played a bit of a game. We were broken into groups and we had to make a plan to meet energy demands in 2015, 2025, and 2050. Our plan had to be as cost efficient and environmentally friendly as possible. There was a lot of disagreement in our group, and we only managed a plan for 2015 and a partial plan for 2025. For 2050 we decided on things that we did not want in the Yukon as far as energy production. We ended with Hydro, Wind, Solar and Biomass as our main sources. Nuclear energy and a transmission line connecting to the southern grid only had half the group’s support. But I believe that the charrette is definitely moving in the right direction and I am interested to see what happens tomorrow!