It’s been a rough year for the many Albertans who care about the impact of global warming on their children’s future. Despite opinion polls showing that 75 per cent of respondents would like to see more renewable energy projects in their communities and 65 per cent oppose the seven-month ban on regulatory approvals for wind and solar projects, Premier Danielle Smith is taking her ideological crusade against clean energy to the next level.
Global investment in Alberta’s wind and solar resources has been on a tear since the Alberta NDP introduced the Renewable Electricity Act in 2017. The act resulted in nearly $5 billion invested in Alberta renewable energy projects, with the 465-megawatt (MW) Travers Solar Project alone providing an investment of approximately $700 million.
In the face of this outstanding business opportunity, the United Conservative Party (UCP) implemented an ill-conceived seven-month ban on renewable energy projects. According to a Pembina Institute report, “Public data shows that 118 projects are currently in development and are either waiting for permitting approval or could submit an approval application within the next few months. These projects represent at least $33 billion of investment and more than 24,000 job-years.”
The ban on project approvals is also a setback for rural municipalities that have welcomed the injection of an estimated $28 million in tax revenue and stand to benefit from the continued development of renewables in a region of Alberta where conventional oil revenues are declining rapidly.
Despite the UCP blindside on renewables, Amazon recently announced an investment in a massive 495-MW wind project near Vulcan. Texas-based Proteus Power has a date set for approval of its $200-million solar project near Medicine Hat, and one of Alberta’s largest power generators, TransAlta, just announced it will be investing $3.5 billion in renewables by 2028.
“We have significant growth opportunities across Canada, the United States and Australia with a focus on renewable and storage power solutions for large customers,” said John Kousinioris, TransAlta’s president and CEO.
The future of energy development in southern Alberta is in renewables, but now Smith is creating more uncertainty by invoking the Alberta Sovereignty Act and introducing legislation that blocks federal Clean Electricity Regulations. On the surface, it doesn’t appear to make any sense.
In her former role as a right-wing media personality, Smith joined Republican politicians in blaming wind energy for causing massive power outages in Texas during a winter storm in February 2021 despite the final report concluding that 60 per cent of the power outages were due to lost natural gas generation.
According to Smith, “Wind and solar have had their chance to demonstrate they were the only answer. They’ve failed. Now let’s get serious about the real options so we aren’t the next ones worrying about freezing to death.”
Smith’s personal views have reappeared in an ongoing misinformation campaign against renewable energy funded by Alberta taxpayers. The campaign warns that the endgame of clean energy is to replace all natural gas plants with wind and solar.
In reality, the goal is to burn fewer fossil fuels when renewable sources and grid batteries are generating. When gas turbines are needed, the CO2 emissions will be abated by Smith’s promised carbon-capture technology.
Unlike Texas, Alberta has a history of providing reliable power to the province during extreme cold weather. Even in the unlikely chance that wind and solar are experiencing low output across the entire province, there is enough reserve capacity in the system to accommodate peak demand.
On Jan. 4, 2022, the Alberta Electricity System Operator (AESO) reported a record for electricity usage in the province when temperatures plunged towards -30 C across the province. The AESO reported peak output of close to 12,000 MW, which is still two gigawatts below maximum generating capacity from all sources, excluding wind and solar.
The federal clean electricity regulations allow for continued use of natural gas electricity generation. The regulations call for carbon capture technology on power plants that generate carbon pollution and generous tax credits have been offered to assist utilities in adopting this technology.
Smith has already said the federal regulations can’t be met by the 2035 target date. Instead, she would like to shirk the province’s responsibility to reduce CO2 emissions until 2050. This distant goal is unlikely to be met if Alberta introduces legislation that removes regulatory clarity on what Alberta utilities need to do.
Transitioning to clean electricity in Canada by 2035 is possible. If a clear goal is set, utilities will invest accordingly. Smith’s opposition to renewables isn’t popular in Alberta and it sends the wrong message to the rest of Canada, misinformation campaigns notwithstanding.
Albertans aren’t a bunch of me-focused adolescents who want to take away your pension money, pollute your skies with planet-warming gases and poison Canada’s watersheds with effluent from coal mining, tarsands leaks and natural gas flaring.
Most Albertans understand the consequences of climate change and support a transition to clean electricity. Unfortunately, they overlooked Smith’s views on the matter when they cast their votes last spring.
Rob Miller is a retired systems engineer, formerly with General Dynamics Canada, who now volunteers with the Calgary Climate Hub and writes on behalf of Eco-Elders for Climate Action, but any opinions expressed in his work are his own.
Danielle Smith ramps up Alberta’s war on clean energy
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10.01.2024
It’s been a rough year for the many Albertans who care about the impact of global warming on their children’s future. Despite opinion polls showing that 75 per cent of respondents would like to see more renewable energy projects in their communities and 65 per cent oppose the seven-month ban on regulatory approvals for wind and solar projects, Premier Danielle Smith is taking her ideological crusade against clean energy to the next level.
Global investment in Alberta’s wind and solar resources has been on a tear since the Alberta NDP introduced the Renewable Electricity Act in 2017. The act resulted in nearly $5 billion invested in Alberta renewable energy projects, with the 465-megawatt (MW) Travers Solar Project alone providing an investment of approximately $700 million.
In the face of this outstanding business opportunity, the United Conservative Party (UCP) implemented an ill-conceived seven-month ban on renewable energy projects. According to a Pembina Institute report, “Public data shows that 118 projects are currently in development and are either waiting for permitting approval or could submit an approval application within the next few months. These projects represent at least $33 billion of investment and more than 24,000 job-years.”
The ban on project approvals is also a setback for rural municipalities that have welcomed the injection of an estimated........
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