Last year was a big year for advancing the conversation on renewables and electricity in Alberta. Key decision-makers and opinion leaders are recognizing that the province’s current policies perpetuate our risky and costly fossil-fuel reliance, and neglect the opportunities offered by Alberta’s exceptional renewable energy resources.
Pembina was a big part of fostering that understanding. So, as we turn the page on the calendar, let’s take a moment to look back at what changed in 2014, and ahead to how we can secure policy to clean up Alberta’s electricity system in this pivotal year.
A productive year
We co-published a new report, Power to Change, in May. It documented the opportunity Alberta has to reduce pollution and consumer price risk by increasing renewable energy adoption, and made a significant media splash:
on the front page of the Edmonton Journal with the headline “Kick coal habit: report”- a leading column in the Calgary Herald by Stephen Ewart asking, “Where is Alberta’s support for renewable power?”
- articles by Bloomberg and BNN, along with a number of local outlets
We disseminated fact sheets showing how — in addition to the many benefits of a more diversified electricity grid and non-polluting energy sources — renewable energy can decrease electricity prices. We got this message out through a number of channels, including an op-ed in the Edmonton Journal and a couple of independent blog posts.
Our work also informed media of the concerns with Alberta’s existing electricity system and the need to reduce negative impacts from coal. Our own op-ed, calling on Alberta to do more to end our reliance on coal, ran in a number of local papers including the Lethbridge Herald and Red Deer Advocate. The issue of coal in Alberta also got widespread coverage, including a couple of CBC pieces and a comprehensive CTV segment.
An improved discussion
These activities impacted the public discussion on electricity in the province. As we go into 2015, we’re seeing more attention on Alberta’s climate record in the lead-up to international climate negotiations in Paris. There is widespread agreement Alberta — as Canada’s largest emitter of carbon pollution — needs to have better policies in hand when those talks get started. And that’s putting a lot of focus on Alberta’s electricity sector.
In December, we saw a prominent article in the Calgary Herald and Edmonton Journal pointing to the importance of both prongs of electricity policy to demonstrating real action on climate change: 1) reducing our reliance on coal; and 2) increasing our use of Alberta’s abundant renewable energy options.
We’ve also seen evidence that provincial leaders are getting the message. Premier Jim Prentice acknowledged in September that there are climate change gains to be made with coal-fired power plants, and recognized the need to make investments in solar and wind energy. This puts the premier on the same page as his new ally in government, Danielle Smith. This political marriage seems poised to undertake electricity policy action.
If it does, it’s a good bet that Albertans would join the honeymoon. A poll in August showed that almost four out of five think the provincial government should do more to develop renewable energy like wind and solar.
The road to Paris in 2015
The lessons from the past year are clear:
- Alberta’s current system leads to disappointing outcomes, including high fossil-fuel reliance, too much carbon pollution and consumer price risk
- Reducing carbon pollution must also include taking advantage of the too-good-to-pass-up opportunities in the electricity sector.
When he extended the renewed climate strategy deadline by six months, Premier Prentice created space to get the next phase of climate action right. His goal is clear: as he said in September, he doesn’t want to go to Paris under the same circumstances in which he went to Copenhagen as federal environment minister in 2009.
We all know where the road paved with good intentions can lead. The road to good relations in Paris is paved with real action on electricity, not more targets and plans for plans.
Fortunately, the province has been working toward an Alternative and Renewable Energy Policy Framework for more than five years. A multi-stakeholder group of industry, government and environmental groups originally proposed it in 2007. Its progress has been marked with fits and starts and it has blown through a series of timelines along the way. But plenty of policy development work has already been done in government, as well as a series of other forums, in the intervening years.
The file is ready for action. Anything less than an announced policy is not enough to bring to Paris, and would mean one thing: failing to grasp the carbon reduction opportunity that cleaner electricity offers in Alberta.
Leaving this opportunity on the table would belie any stated commitments to climate action. Under such circumstances, it would be fair for other countries and provinces to ask why — if the Alberta government professes climate action —Alberta prefers to sit on the sidelines of the global boom in clean energy investment.
That’s why we applaud Alberta’s commitment to get this right in the next six months. We expect to see the province pick up this ready-made carbon pollution reduction opportunity with real policy action, ready for implementation, in advance of the global climate talks in Paris. That’s a road worth travelling.
