(Replay) Is Canada's Electrification Bet Still Current? | With Blake Shaffer

This is a replay of our conversation with Dr. Blake Shaffer, an energy economist at the University of Calgary, on Canada's electrification bet. We recorded this in spring 2023, right after the federal budget's big bet on clean electricity. With AI data centres now competing for the same grid capacity electrification needs, it might be even more relevant than it was in 2023. Chapters:0:00 – Replaying Canada's electrification bet  4:52 – David's new gig: climate systems engineering at UChicago  7:16 – Why electrify: Blake's primer on capacity vs. generation  17:35 – Growth rates, NIMBYism, and selling the switch to consumers  22:11 – Capacity factor, availability, and the "clean" vs. "zero-emission" fight  26:31 – Transmission bottlenecks and interprovincial politics  36:07 – Social license, orphan wells, and Danielle Smith's pushback  44:41 – Grid instability, audience Q&A, and closing thoughts About Our Guest:Blake Shaffer is an Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Calgary where he teaches and researches on electricity markets, climate policy, and energy transitions. Shaffer uses empirical methods to evaluate policy effectiveness and better understand consumer and firm behaviour. Shaffer strives to bring rigorous evidence to help policy makers craft better policy.Send us a text (if you'd like a response, please include your email) Follow us on: LinkedIn Bluesky X/Twitter Instagram Energy vs Climate relies on the support of our generous listeners Donate to keep Energy vs Climate going Produced by Bespoke Podcasts