Wind and Solar Cheaper than Gas Plants in Ontario and Alberta, Study Shows:

“Even without carbon pricing, wind power is set to be 40% cheaper than gas-fired power in both provinces by 2030,” the report states.
“Solar power, meanwhile, is already cheaper than natural gas power in
Alberta and is on track to be 16% less expensive by the end of the
decade.”

“Because power plants typically operate for decades, the choices made
today will have substantial ramifications for 2035 and beyond,” Clean
Energy Canada writes. “Building new natural gas-fired power plants means
locking in emissions—and costs—for many years to come. There is also
the risk that fossil fuel infrastructure is retired before the end of
its economic lifetime and becomes a stranded asset—a liability taxpayers
would likely pay for.”

The report notes that Ontario is currently
planning to install 4,000 megawatts of electricity capacity between
2025 and 2027, including 2,500 MW of storage and 1,500 MW of new gas
plants, to fill the gap when the province’s aging nuclear plants go
offline for refurbishment. The looming electricity shortage was made
worse by the Ford government’s ideologically-driven decision to cancel 758 signed renewable energy contracts and rip a fully-built wind farm out of the ground after it took office in 2018.

As a result, carbon pollution from the Ontario grid is expected to increase 375% from 2017 levels
by 2030, and 600% by 2040. The province added 7,152 MW of new renewable
capacity, mostly solar and wind, between 2010 and 2017, but just 466 MW
between 2017 and 2023.

The Alberta grid is coming off a
surprisingly fast shift from coal to fossil gas, the report says.
Provincial legislation calls for a 30% renewable grid by 2030, and
renewables have grown from 9% to 22% of grid capacity in five years.