Its a bit of a battlefield out there folks. Or maybe a circus madhouse.  Here’s the round-up, West to East. BC Hydro officially suspends new contracting activity through its SOP (Standard Offer Program), citing uncertainty regarding power pricing, new electricity needs, etc, a predictable casualty of the abominable business decision to proceed with the Site…

As more and more EV charging locations are installed around the world, along with a steadily increasing number of electric vehicles sold and distributed, the value and impact of that charging infrastructure increases to society overall.  It would be a net benefit to make sure that infrastructure a) generates a share of the required increase…

Here’s a short but stunning summary of the last several months in Alberta’s new renewable energy build-out: December 2017: The long-awaited results of the AESO’s first Renewable Electricity Program tender (Round 1) are announced. History is made, with the lowest prices for wind-power in Canada ever, on par with the Midwestern states like Dakota and…

About two years ago, I wrote a post along the the lines of the chess-game metaphor.  It was right around the time of the Alberta NDP election victory, and took a broad view of the tensions and connections in BC and Alberta between natural gas, pipelines, Site C dam, distributed renewable energy and inter-provincial politics.…

Today the much-awaited announcement at the AESO REP webpage arrived; The first call for 400 MW of clean, renewable electricity is officially open for bidding (see link for application forms, FAQs, staged timeline, info on the Indexed Renewable Energy Credit, and much more). Granted, its still a patient process: first, submit an expression of interest…

Today the Alberta government announced its much-anticipated market stimulus package for homes and businesses.  By 2020, $36 million will be invested in the form of rebates for commercial and residential customers, in addition to the rebate programs already underway for municipalities and agriculture producers.  The symbolic super-number of 10,000 solar roofs is being put forward…

I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Phil McKay, the CanWEA (Canadian Wind Energy Association) Director of Operations & Maintenance.  Though extremely busy putting the final touches on organizing its annual CanWEA O&M Summit, taking place in Toronto Feb 1 and 2, we spoke for about 15 minutes about the national market for wind…

There has been much debate and hand-wringing about Alberta’s Jan 1 price bump on carbon.  This is a new policy, separate from the long-standing SGER (Specified Greenhouse Gas Emitters Regulation), which applies to LFEs (Large Final Emitters).  The new carbon levy is robust, applying to industrial, commercial, and residential energy users across the province.  Its…

No promises, but there just may be a hiring surge coming in Alberta.  2017 will see the first on-the-ground effects of the new renewable energy procurement policies.  Here is my attempt at a forecast specifically on the Alberta job market in renewable energy. Wind:  About 20 projects are currently listed in the AESO interconnection queue.…

With days to go before the Christmas holidays, we are busy here at Solar Optix in Lethbridge Alberta! With our in-field projects completed for the year, activity is focused on connecting with new prospective partners, customers, and organizations for 2017. Lots of buzz and opportunities to help diversify Alberta’s power mix with sunshine! Being one…