š§µ: A thought experiment: If I was @ABDanielleSmith, how would I spend $20 billion on the #Alberta energy economy (instead of giving it to oil co.s to clean up old wells).
Public capital is scarce. We can't do everything. What SHOULD we do?
2/#1 - Boost Alberta Innovates funding (by a lot) of advanced materials research.
At the top of the list: Bitumen Beyond Combustion, especially the R&D to turn bitumen into carbon fibre.
ABI's plan includes more than just carbon fibre. Turn the scientists loose on this quest.
3/#2 - Significantly expand the Alberta Carbon Conversion Technology Centre in SE Calgary.
Don't bury CO2, turn it into concrete, cloth, soap, even vodka. China has a leg up on this burgeoning business, but US "friend-shoring" could benefit Alberta.
youtu.be/vWRo8_z8Mnc
4/Bitumen is a unique resource whose chemical composition makes it ideal for materials manufacturing and CCUS means the province will have a supply of captured CO2.
R&D dollars spent today will pay off in the future with new industries, good paying jobs.
youtu.be/bcbFV7nt5Tw
5/#3 - Build out the clean electricity sector. Can hydrogen replace gas in power plants? Wind/solar/batteries now cheaper than gas...build more of that. What about distribution infrastructure that needs to be upgraded? EV charging?
youtu.be/ACT20kjKCS8
6/Clean, low-cost, reliable electricity is the foundation of the 21st century economy. It's a must-have to attract capital for clean energy industrial development AND to decarbonize buildings, transportation, light industry.
youtu.be/s8ZW3x8vFiU
7/While we're at it, why not approach BC about building east-west inter-ties so that BC hydro dams can act like big batteries for AB renewables? The feds have $$ available for inter-ties. Some provincial $$ to sweeten the pot might kickstart a project.
youtu.be/kNX7KseN_As
8/#4 - Hydrogen. AB has made a great start on building an H2 economy, with the Edmonton Regional Hydrogen HUB leading the way. H2 still needs to be proved out, but AB could lead on making it a "safe bet" technology.
youtu.be/lv3D8N71Pe0
9/#5 - Geothermal. AB is home to Eavor Loop Technologies, which is busy building projects in Europe, of all places. Still plenty of technical challenges, though. Could some well invested public $$ put geothermal on path to commercialization?
youtu.be/ypDQ4t_lIMo
10/How about spending a few million on an energy tech industrial strategy for AB? Modern industrial strategy and policy. This is the big trend in the USA, Europe, and Asia as countries build industrial clusters AND global supply chains.
youtu.be/oPYR4Ii4t80
11/Wouldn't it be nice to have a plan that govts, industry, labour, and other stakeholders agreed on? Everyone rowing in the same direction for once.
Instead of spending huge sums of public money willy nilly on this or that pet project.
Like oil and gas well clean up.