With renewable energy costs at an all time low, the Government of Alberta is taking serious action to meet a target using 30% renewable energy to meet the province’s annual electricity needs.
The following is further information regarding this legislation announcement from CanSIA:
John Gorman, CanSIA President & CEO, released the following statement in support of today’s announcement:
“Decarbonizing and diversifying Alberta’s electricity supply to 30 per cent renewables by 2030 is not only the right thing to do, it is also the sensible thing to do. Renewable energy has never been cheaper. The technology and expertise for reliable system integration has never been more readily available. The need to balance environment and economic development while demonstrating a responsible approach to the development of our abundance of natural resources has never been more front of mind for Canadians. Legislating this target proves that 30 per cent by 2030 is not just a goal that may be achieved, it is a goal that Alberta will achieve.”
Read the Government of Alberta’s full news release here.
In support of meeting this target, the province will commence a process this month to procure the first 400 MW of the 5,000 MW of new utility-scale renewable electricity generation capacity that will be supported through the Renewable Electricity Program (REP). The REP will be a competitive procurement that will employ a mechanism called an “indexed-Renewable Energy Certificate (REC)” which is similar to the “Contract for Differences” approach used in other jurisdictions but amended to be compatible with the unique characteristics of Alberta’s electricity sector and market. The first round of the REP will be technology-neutral. The bids submitted and results will inform the design of future rounds with potential for “carve-outs” or “set-asides” or other design elements to be included in future. See further details about the REP here.
Click here to see the AESO’s ‘Renewable Electricity Program Recommendations’ submitted in May, 2016.