By Michelle Stirling, Communications Manager @May 2015 in consultation with power generation industry experts
Pembina Institute recently blogged that:
“The challenge for renewable energy projects is not securing the fuel, the sun and wind are free. [Bold added]…”
Pembina goes on to explain that the Alberta Climate Leadership plans says:
“two-thirds of Alberta’s [existing coal-fired power] generating capacity will be replaced by renewable energy, one-third will be replaced by natural gas.”
Stop right there. That might be what the Climate Leadership plan says, but practically speaking Alberta’s existing coal-fired capacity will have to be replaced 100% by natural gas, because wind and solar are intermittent forms of power generation. Sometimes wind and solar can generate 100% power – and sometimes nothing at all. But consumers expect on-demand power 100% of the time – with no power quality issues like surges, drops or brown-outs.
Pembina makes a point of…