How Alberta became a green energy leader then squandered it

This article offers a good read to show where Alberta is on the path to a greener transition — of course it isn’t all clear sailing

“The technology has really advanced quite a bit since,” says Sara Hastings-Simon, an energy transition researcher at the University of Calgary.

But the true catalyst for Alberta’s current renewable energy boom, she explains, can be traced back to November 2015 when a rare NDP government in the province, led by Rachel Notley, rolled out its climate plan.

One of the government’s main objectives: reaching 30 per cent renewable power by 2030, replacing coal-fired electricity, Alberta’s second largest-emitting sector.

“We will phase out all coal emissions by 2030 and we will encourage the generation of clean, renewable electricity in its place,” the then-premier said at the time.

So how did Alberta greenify its dirty grid?

First, the government needed to make Alberta attractive to investors. It held a series of auctions where companies bid to create wind and solar projects and agreed to sell the energy produced at a guaranteed price. If the price for power fell below that point, the Alberta government would pay the power generator the difference, lowering risks for investors. However, if the price rose above the agreed-upon level, the province would stand to make money — and it did.

Wind contracts alone have generated $282 million for the government of Alberta, according to Blake Shaffer, an economics professor at the University of Calgary and the co-director of the Energy Modelling Hub.

The program was later cancelled by the United Conservative Party government, but by then, market conditions had ripened. The cost to produce wind and solar fell and investment took off. |Read more https://globalnews.ca/news/10045504/alberta-renewable-energy-industry/| globalnews.ca/news/10045504/al…

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