When President Obama came to Ottawa last year, one
of the few items that was agreed upon was to engage in a so-called "Clean
Energy Dialogue". Looking at the budgets that the governments on both sides of
the border have released since then, it appears as though our American friends
have a lot more to talk about.
Last week, we raised some concerns about the lack of federal spending on sustainable energy technology in
the 2010 federal budget. Our initial analysis done in the first few hours after
the budget was released found that the U.S. was set to spend at least 14 times
more per capita than Canada on renewable energy in 2010 (coincidentally the
same ratio we'd calculated last year
when comparing the countries' respective stimulus spending.) Having had a few
days to digest all the details, a closer look at the numbers done in
partnership with Environment Northeast found that the gap in spending on
renewable energy between the U.S. and Canada this year is widening to nearly
18:1. (The ratio of the two countries' overall
spending on sustainable energy is also set to rise to more than 8:1, up from
6:1 last year.) read more...
Renewable Is Doable!
Fact Sheet: Wind Power Realities
Harnessing the power of the wind has become one of the fastest
growing sources of global electricity generation.
As new opportunities emerge to develop wind-power generation in communities across Canada, they raise questions about the social, environmental and economic impacts of large-scale wind power production.
This fact sheet helps sort the realities of wind power from the myths.
English Factsheet | Version française
SLIDE SHOW: Wind Power Realities
Can wind turbines provide a reliable alternative to energy from fossil fuels?
Do wind farms make people sick?
How could wind power installations affect communities in Canada?
Find the answers to these and other questions in our slide show presentation.
Download (English only): PDF Slide Show
Greening the Grid in Alberta
Alberta's growing demand for electricity can be entirely met by tapping into the province's vast renewable energy resources.
Pembina's analysis of green electricity scenarios clearly demonstrates Alberta has incredible potential to become a leader in green power production and energy efficiency and doesn't have to rely on dirty fuels.
From Brown to Green
Greening the Grid outlines two scenarios for meeting Alberta's electricity demand. The more aggressive "green scenario" shows how Alberta could move from 70 per cent coal to 70 per cent renewable energy in just 20 years.
Report | Fact Sheet | Media Release | Figures for Print
Pembina's Tim Weis, author of Greening the Grid, provides insight into how Alberta can become a leader in green power production and energy efficiency.
Video Lecture; Ontario's Renewable Energy Revolution
Ontario energy revolution begins with its new Green
Energy Act and feed-in-tariff programs to support the development of
clean,
renewable energy in Ontario. Pembina's Renewable Energy Director, Tim
Weis speaks at Grant MacEwan University in Edmonton about climate
change, Ontario's amazing new green energy programs and the
possibilities for Greening the Grid in
Alberta.
Making Renewable Energy a Priority
Renewable energy has the promise to become the energy power house of the 21st Century.
Renewable energy can create jobs and new industries, and improve air and water quality, energy security, access to energy, and community development. Meeting our future power demands is one of the first opportunities for rapid deployment of renewable energy.
The Pembina Institute has launched a series of primers and fact sheets that explain the policies and technologies that can bring this about. The first two are now available:
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Feeding the Grid Renewably: Highlighting feed-in tariffs as a best practice for supporting renewable power. Primer | Fact Sheet
- Storing Renewable Power: Describing how new power storage technologies allow variable renewable power sources like solar and wind to supply all our power needs. Primer
