Reading Time: 4 minutes Alberta’s booming renewable energy sector poses little threat to agriculture or the environment, stated the Alberta Utilities Commission in a report released in mid-March. “After doing a comprehensive review on the agricultural impact, the AUC found there were no significant concerns for agriculture or the environment from renewables. In fact, they found that existing protections […] Read more
Study finds renewable energy footprint light on agricultural lands
Alberta Utilities Commission says wind and solar would have less impact than petroleum sector
Report says more research needed into solar’s impact on wetlands
Stakeholder report says there’s little understanding of the relationship between green energy and wetland ecosystems
Reading Time: 3 minutes Solar energy capture and healthy wetlands are key tools for many conservationists, including some farmers, but do they necessarily live together in harmony? A new report asks that question and makes one overarching recommendation: more research is needed to measure the impacts of solar developments on wetland health. The Impact of Solar Development on Wetlands: […] Read more
Boom delays pilot to convert abandoned well sites to solar
Solar equipment makers ‘tapped right out’ but interest in conversions still strong
Reading Time: 2 minutes A sizzling buildout of solar in Alberta has delayed a pilot project that will convert abandoned oil and gas well sites to sun-powered power generation. “We’ve been caught in the major solar boom that’s been happening throughout Alberta, so getting equipment has tightened up quite a bit from where it was a year ago,” said […] Read more
Solar energy in Alberta facing a few storm clouds
The inconsistent supply of power, finding land and hooking up to the grid are all challenges
Reading Time: 2 minutes The forecast for solar energy generation in Alberta is mostly sunny, but there are a few storm clouds on the horizon. Solar generation potential Solar energy comes with a downside — it doesn’t produce at night, and it produces more in the summer than in the winter. But in Alberta, solar energy actually gives a […] Read more
Alberta stakes its claim as a solar energy power
Vulcan County to be home to country’s largest solar farm as big corporations go green
Reading Time: 2 minutes Vulcan County will soon be home to the country’s largest solar farm — with the world’s largest online retailer buying most of the power from the 465-MW facility. The Travers solar farm, to be built eight kilometres southwest of Lomond, will occupy 3,300 acres of cropland. It will be built by Greengate Power Corporation, a […] Read more
Inspired by farmers, irrigation district aims for ‘net zero’
St. Mary River Irrigation District moves a lot of water and has a big electric bill — but that’s about to change
Reading Time: 4 minutes The St. Mary River Irrigation District is putting the sun to work providing water to its users. Solar arrays at two large pump stations have the district in a position to achieve net zero electrical use — and potentially save hundreds of thousands in electricity costs down the road. The inspiration to look at solar came […] Read more
Students get hands-on education in sustainable food production
Reading Time: 5 minutes “Words without action are meaningless.” Teacher Steven Schultz couldn’t have predicted the effect those words would have when he said them in class one day 15 years ago. But at least one student took them to heart: She decided she wanted to take École Lacombe Composite High School off the electrical grid. She gathered a […] Read more
Watch out for yourself in solar land
Reading Time: 4 minutes If you’re looking for a solar contractor, there’s no shortage of them. And that can be a problem. Thanks in part to large-scale incentives by the provincial government to boost use of solar energy, the number of solar photovoltaic (PV) installers has doubled over the past two years — 223 are listed on the Solar […] Read more
The sun still shines on solar energy in rural Alberta
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s been two years since the provincial government announced its plan to power 30 per cent of Alberta’s electrical grid with renewables by 2030, along with a $5-million commitment to help rural Alberta connect to the solar grid. There’s been good take-up by producers, says the executive director of the Solar Energy Society of Alberta, […] Read more
The sun doesn’t always shine on every solar project
It’s a good time to install a solar system, but you need to consider many factors before plunging in
Reading Time: 5 minutes If you’re a producer who has recently decided to install a solar photovoltaic (PV) array on your farm or ranch, your timing is right. Under the Alberta Agriculture and Forestry On-Farm Solar Voltaics Program, the provincial government is offering to cover up to 35 per cent of costs for producers building on-farm, grid-tied solar systems. […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
