On April 26, 2017, more than 70 people from across Alberta gathered in Calgary to discuss the future growth of the province’s wind energy industry. The workshop, hosted by the Pembina Institute and Capital Power, aimed to generate ideas for strengthening the environmental, social, financial and technical elements that contribute to responsible wind development with community support.
A summary of the discussion at the workshop is now available. The document captures the perspectives, concerns and ideas from the broad spectrum of stakeholders who attended this event: landowners, farmers, agricultural associations, local governments, provincial government employees, industry, and technical experts. The report highlights possible pathways to leverage opportunities in four main areas regarding wind energy:
- Local economy (benefit sharing, property values, ownership models)
- Local government capacity (permitting, bylaw development, tax agreements)
- Habitat and wildlife (impact on plant, animal and bird species; surface disturbance)
- Human impacts (health, noise, view, construction disturbance)
Discussion papers developed for the workshop
Prior to the workshop, four discussion papers were developed by Pembina and Capital Power. The papers provide background on the four focus areas and offered questions to initiate dialogue and discussion:
- Communities, neighbours and wind energy facilities
- Environmental benefits and mitigation of wildlife impacts
- Benefits to local economies
- Local government capacity
Sharing the results of the workshop
The Pembina Institute and Capital Power will continue to seek opportunities to share these ideas generated at the workshop with government, companies and organizations involved in Alberta’s wind energy sector. We invite Albertans to use and share the report and discussion papers to help realize the responsible development of wind energy.
