A coalition of Alberta-based environmental and renewable energy organizations today sent a letter to the Alberta government requesting new government policies to increase investments in low-impact renewable energy in the province.
The coalition letter indicates that the untapped renewable energy resource potential in the province is well over 10,000 MW of power capacity. It recommends that the Alberta government work with electricity generators and/or retailers to establish a legally binding provincial target for low-impact renewable energy development equivalent to 5% of the province's electricity supply in 2008 and 10% in 2012. This target would result in about 7,200 million kilowatt-hours of electricity supply and would displace up to 4 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions every year, equivalent to the emissions of about 700,000 utility motor vehicles.
This and other new policies proposed in the letter would result in $3 billion of new investment in renewable energy supplies in Alberta and could result in new manufacturing facilities for renewable energy equipment. These new energy supplies would impose little or no additional cost to electricity consumers by encouraging innovation and cost-reduction in the renewable energy sector and by taking advantage of federal incentives for renewable energy.
"Although the Alberta government has recently taken some small preliminary steps to support renewable energy through its climate change action plan, its challenge will be to keep pace with the extensive policy development occurring in other jurisdictions in the continental race to attract investment dollars," says Andrew Pape-Salmon, Director of the Sustainable Energy Program at the Pembina Institute. "A supportive policy environment would lead to substantial growth in renewable energy investment over the next decade, and would help position Alberta as a leader in emerging global clean energy markets."
The $260 million Wind Power Production Incentive, recently announced by the federal government, provides a market incentive for new wind power plants established before 2005. Pape-Salmon suggests, "The first province to match the incentive or legislate a renewable energy portfolio standard will receive the lion's share of new investment in wind power in Canada." As such, the Alberta Government has an opportunity to become a leader in facilitating the development of emerging energy sources and reducing environmental impacts.
For more information:
Andrew Pape-Salmon
Director, Sustainable Energy Program
The Pembina Institute
Tel: 780-542-6272
Cell: 250-703-6000