RePower Alberta

What is the potential for a Green Energy Act in Alberta?

The potential for building the green energy economy in Alberta is here and is now.

After decades of riding the roller-coaster of the fossil fuel sectors’ boom and bust cycles, the time has come for Alberta to forge a new energy path.

Renewable energy resources and green just solutions are ready and waiting to meet our increasing energy demands. By entering into the green energy market, we are joining one of the fastest growing sectors in the world.

Diversifying our energy economy will provide tens of thousands of new clean and green jobs for Albertans, and has the opportunity to create just solutions to our province’s contribution to the climate crisis. The government of Alberta, however, continues to drag its heels on introducing real policies, strategies or legislation that would set Alberta on a proactive course of strengthening the province’s position with one of the fastest growing sectors in the world.

Alberta is the only province in Canada without a Green Energy Strategy, and the only province that doesn’t offer direct support to wind power generation. Meanwhile, subsidies to fossil fuels continue, creating an obvious advantage to the fossil fuel industry over clean and green energy sources.

The Alberta government has recently allocated $2 Billion for Carbon Capture and Storage for coal fired power plants. Instead of servicing an archaic and polluting resource, that money could have gone towards building the sustainable and green renewable energy industry. Currently there's 5,972 MW of coal capacity online in Alberta at 7 different generating stations. Alberta has also the distinction of being the only Canadian jurisdiction currently building a new coal-fired power plant, Keephills 3 (450 MW).
 

How Can the Government of Alberta Help?

The government of Alberta can develop renewable energy by:

•    Fast-tracking renewable energy development applications currently in the queue
•    Establishing renewable energy feed-in-tariffs that encourage new renewable energy development at little or no added cost to consumers or taxpayers
•    Setting a mandatory renewable energy target of 50% renewable by 2025, and bans on new carbon-emitting energy projects
•    Stop all subsidies and royalty cuts to the fossil fuel industry and redirect investment into green energy efficiency and renewable energy projects

The government of Alberta can boost energy efficiency by:

•    Covering the costs of retrofits for residences and public buildings that need them
•    Providing loan financing for commercial building upgrades
•    Making building code standards greener, e.g. by adopting the EnerGuide 80 standard or the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) gold standard
•    Requiring energy audits and, if necessary, upgrades for buildings being sold

The government of Alberta can improve transportation efficiency by:

•    Repairing and rehabilitating existing bus fleets
•    Investing in rapid bus systems in small and large cities
•    Expanding LRT systems in Calgary and Edmonton
•    Building a high-speed rail link for the Edmonton – Red Deer – Calgary corridor

The above policies are merely indicative; they are not a complete list of all the policy changes that are needed. What Alberta needs is a broad, comprehensive shift in incentives to build a strong green jobs economy now and into the future.