CALGARY — Two thirds of Albertans want to see more renewable energy projects built near where they live, and think the province should be doing more to encourage wind and solar development, according to new polling commissioned by the Pembina Institute.
The polling, conducted by Probe Research in late April and early May, challenges a common misconception that Albertans are automatically opposed to wind and solar development. While support is highest in Calgary (67%) and Edmonton (76%), majorities in every region said they would welcome more renewable energy projects in or near their communities. This includes 62% support in the province’s smaller cities, and 59% in rural areas.
Question: I would like to see more renewable energy projects, such as wind or solar, developed in or near the community where I live.
Question: The Alberta government should be doing more to encourage the development of emission-free energy sources, such as wind and solar, in the province.
Though Alberta once led the country on wind and solar development, investor sentiment has spiraled in the last three years following a litany of new rules and restrictions introduced by the provincial government. In 2025, a total of 137 megawatts of new wind, solar and battery storage projects came online – a 93% drop from the 2022 peak.
As part of the recently signed implementation agreement between Alberta and the federal government, both renewed their commitment to building a net-zero electricity grid by 2050. However, Pembina Institute analysis has demonstrated there is no credible pathway for Alberta to achieve that commitment without allowing more wind and solar back in – and the recently-concluded Alberta-federal memorandum of understanding (MOU) resulted in no meaningful improvements to provincial rules and policies that negatively affect wind and solar developers.
“The MOU was a missed opportunity to bring renewables back to Alberta. As this polling shows, most Albertans aren’t dogmatic about energy production. They have a proud history of engineering expertise and innovation in the energy sector, and simply don’t understand why billions of dollars of wind and solar projects are still being driven away to other parts of Canada and beyond,” said David Pickup, director of the Pembina Institute’s electricity program.
Albertans already overpaying for electricity due to wasted wind and solar energy
According to Pembina Institute analysis, Albertans are already overpaying for their electricity bills, because a lack of infrastructure investment from the province means even existing wind and solar facilities are often prevented from getting their low-cost energy to consumers.
“Even on very sunny and windy days, when the wind and solar facilities that we do have should be meeting a significant portion of Alberta’s electricity demand, more expensive natural-gas fired generation is being called on instead. This is because Alberta has failed to build sufficient transmission infrastructure to get renewable energy from where it is generated, to big towns and cities where it would be used,” said Will Noel, Senior Analyst at the Pembina Institute’s electricity program. Noel’s report Lost in Transmission found, in 2025 alone, Albertan ratepayers were charged $17m in additional fees related to filling supply gaps due to inadequate transmission infrastructure, and that these costs could increase more than ten-fold if transmission investment remains stalled.
“There are now so many reasons why wind and solar developers are being put off from investing in Alberta, but this issue around transmission is pretty simple: if the wind and solar developers can’t get their product to customers, then they can’t make money,” said Noel. “We were hoping the MOU would see some resolution to this – especially as our analysis has shown building more transmission lines would result in net savings for households in Alberta. This polling is a reminder that most Albertans recognise that adding more low-cost wind and solar energy is a no-brainer. Building the necessary infrastructure is one big step the province could take to ensure that starts to happen again.”
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Contact
Alex Burton
Director, Communications
825-561-8369
Background
Report: Lost in Transmission: How to fix clean electricity wastage in Alberta and lower consumer bills
Report: Path of Most Resistance: Can Alberta build a credible alternate plan to reduce electricity emissions?
