Conducting original research

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Reports

10. Results

Under a Clean Power Transformation scenario, within two decades Alberta could reduce its reliance on coal-fired power for grid electricity from today’s 63.8 per cent to a mere 3.6 per cent of...

9. Methodology

To understand the degree to which provincial policies could reduce coal’s share of Alberta’s power-generation mix, we modelled three scenarios, which we have called Continued Fossil Reliance,...

7. The Risks of Business As Usual

Alberta’s power industry is of course well aware of the looming demand-supply gap, and has a solution in mind: natural gas. As outlined in Scenario 1 on page 11, the industry expects to ramp up gas...

6. A growing need for power: Mind the supply gap

Alberta’s appetite for electricity will grow in lockstep with its oilsands sector. The Alberta Electric System Operator predicts that 6,190 MW of new electricity generation capacity will be needed...

5. A Power System Primed For Change

As any economist will tell you, the price of a given product or service should accurately reflect its true cost and value. In the case of Alberta’s electricity market, we know that pollution...

4. The Main Barrier To Renewable Power In Alberta

Simply put, it is extremely difficult to finance a wind or solar farm—or, for that matter, a hydroelectricity  or geothermal power plant—in Alberta. Renewable energy is a capital-intensive...

3. The Lay of the Land: How Alberta Sources Its Power

In early 2009, the Pembina Institute released Greening the Grid: Powering Alberta’s Future with Renewable Energy. Thereport outlined how the province could use proven technologies to harvest its...

2. About This Report

Power to Change: How Alberta Can Green its Grid and Embrace Clean Energy outlines two scenarios under which the province could cut air pollution and greenhouse gases while reducing the energy...

1. Executive Summary

Within 20 years, Alberta could reduce its heavy reliance on fossil fuel energy and instead supply the province’s electricity mostly from clean and renewable energy. In doing so, the province would:...

8. Appendix – Detailed Discussion of Results

This appendix summarizes the jobs and cost calculations for two LNG power scenarios. Scenario 1 includes renewable electricity generation backed up by combined-cycle gas turbines and the B.C. Hydro...

7. Conclusion and Recommendation

This report demonstrates that if the Government of British Columbia requires LNG proponents to principally power their facilities with renewable energy using E-Drives, the province will create more...