WADE Canada Presents at the Alberta Power Summit

The Alberta Power Summit was held in Calgary on November 16 and 17, hosted by Insight and Co- Chaired by Enmax's Terry Tyler and Deborah Emes. The program agenda was a great mix of traditional power topics of reliability and market structure but also included some presentations on renewable generation, smart grid and emerging technologies.

Elizabeth Huculak, Vice President of WADE Canada, participated in the panel session on the Role of Renewable Energy in 2021, where she outlined the possibilities to grow market share for DE technologies and clean energy. Coal generation still represents over 40% of Alberta power generation and demand projections show a requirement for 7,000 megawatts over the next 10 years, so there is lots of room for renewable energy in the Alberta mix. Other panelists advocated for bio fuel investment (Highmark Renewables) and described Alberta's lack of competitiveness in renewable energy policy.

The Alberta Government is still contemplating investment in large scale transmission, despite opposition from landowners and ratepayers. Several presenters promoted the need for more investment in renewable and decentralized technology, advancements in smart grid and described other jurisdictions where clean energy policies and strategies were making headway. The event was reasonably well attended and provided an opportunity for industry participants to get updated on the latest developments.

WADE Canada's presentation is available on our website.