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The Power of Aggregation: Enabling community renewable energy in Alberta

March 30, 2023 @ 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm

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The release of new research on the potential for smaller communities to access the benefits of renewable energy generation and purchasing.

Renewable energy development is booming in Alberta, driven almost entirely by corporate and institutional procurement supporting the financing of additional solar and wind projects. Now, municipalities, Indigenous communities and community organizations want to get in the game too—both as producers and consumers.

In recent years, communities have directly installed hundreds of micro-generation solar projects, putting panels on town halls and hockey arenas across the province. But economic opportunity also beckons in the form of utility-scale and net-to-grid distributed renewable generation. And communities are also interested in purchasing renewable energy as a hedge against rising electricity and carbon costs.

Both approaches can benefit from aggregation—joining together with other communities to gain benefits of scale and overcome barriers faced in isolation.

Please join the Municipal Climate Change Action Centre, Pembina Institute and Business Renewables Centre-Canada for the release of a new report investigating and advocating for community renewable energy in Alberta. Tune in for:

  • An overview of Alberta’s renewable energy sector
  • An explanation of energy aggregation and possible implementations
  • Results from surveys and interviews with Alberta municipalities surrounding energy and climate goals
  • Illustrations of local and international success stories related to renewable energy aggregation

This webinar is free and there will be a live Q&A. All are welcome.

About the Speakers

Jan Pepper, Peninsula Clean Energy

Jan has three decades of energy and utility experience, with focus on renewable energy contracting and financing. At APX, she developed and pioneered the first use of renewable energy credits, which are now the standard currency for trading and tracking renewable power. She joined Peninsula Clean Energy as CEO in 2016 and is leading the organization to deliver 100%, around-the-clock renewable energy by 2025. Jan also elected to two terms on Los Altos city council, serving as mayor for two of those years. She has an engineering degree and an MBA from Stanford University and is a registered professional engineer in California.

Clayton Stafford, Greenplanet Energy Analytics

For 30 years, Clayton has been leading the delivery of enterprise-class technology solutions with project management experience across various sectors, including telecommunications, energy, utilities, banking, education, health, and provincial government. He is responsible for overall business management, client engagement, and project delivery for Greenplanet and is also a project manager for Three Nations Energy. Clayton is a professional engineer with degrees from the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary.

Benjamin Thibault, Prairie Sky Strategy

Ben is a policy and regulatory expert with over a decade of strategy, advocacy and implementation experience related to climate, electricity and renewable energy policy. Ben earned his biochemistry degree from the University of Lethbridge and his JD from Harvard Law School. He has previously applied his legal and policy training with the Pembina Institute and as executive director for Solar Alberta.

Presented By

Municipal Climate Change Action Centre

The Municipal Climate Change Action Centre is a collaborative initiative of Alberta Municipalities, Rural Municipalities of Alberta, and the Government of Alberta. We deliver funding, technical assistance, and education to Alberta municipalities and community-related organizations.

mccac.ca

Pembina Institute

The Pembina Institute is a think-tank and registered charity that advocates for strong, effective policies to support Canada’s clean energy transition.

pembina.org

Business Renewables Centre-Canada

Business Renewables Centre-Canada is a non-profit initiative seeking to catalyze the market for non-utility procurement in Canada to grow renewable energy development in the country.

businessrenewables.ca