A new wind farm approved
recently for east-central Alberta will not only be the province's largest, but
will also be one of the last to benefit from federal support through the
depleted ecoENERGY for Renewable Power program.
The federal funding, which
will grant Greengate Power Corp. one cent per kilowatt hour for 10 years of wind
farm operation, proved pivotal to bringing the project forward, the Calgary
Herald reported this week.
Despite
its success in creating clean energy and new jobs across the country, the
federal government's support for renewables through the ecoENERGY program effectively ended when the money quietly ran
out last month - more than a year ahead of when it was supposed to, due to its
popularity. 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.
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.
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:
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