News

Great news: the unprecedented growth in Alberta’s private renewables market has led BRC-Canada to hit our ambitious target of 2 gigwatts of renewable energy contracted by 2025 – three years early. The 105 MW PPA signed in May by Capstone Infrastructure (a BRCC participant) and Pembina Pipelines put us right at 2 GW – congratulations to both! 

HIGHLIGHTS: 

• 2 GW is enough to power 640,000 homes – more than all the homes in Calgary, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, and Red Deer combined.

• The deals to-date have brought $3.75 billion in investments and 4,500 jobs to Alberta.

• BRC-Canada participating organizations were involved in over 90% of all private deals for new renewable energy.

This incredible milestone is a testament to the passion, motivation and tenacity of the BRC-Canada community. And Canadians are noticing – our 2 GW announcement garnered coverage by The Narwhal, BNN Bloomberg, and the National Observer this month. 

Thank you to all the companies who helped create this renewables boom! Read more in our blog breaking down the significance of this achievement. 

NEWS & UPDATES

Hitting BRC-Canada's 2 GW Target!

When BRCC was founded in 2019, we set the ambitious goal of contracting 2 GW of renewable energy by 2025. Last week, that target was hit with Capstone Infrastructure and Pembina Pipelines’ new PPA for 105 MW of wind power. This incredible milestone is a huge testament to the passion, motivation and tenacity of the BRC-Canada community. Thank you for all your efforts to create the renewables boom in Canada! Read more here. 

$600K in New Funding

Federal funding through PrairiesCan enabled the launch of BRC-Canada in 2019. With a new federal investment of $600,000 through PrairiesCan’s Regional Innovation Ecosystem funding, our team will further scale up BRC-Canada as an educational platform! The new funding will enable us to engage more sectors with the potential to pivot their energy supply to renewables, while also increasing participation of underrepresented groups in Alberta's growing renewable energy sector. Read more in our press release.

Solar + Storage Canada Recap

At the end of May our director Nagwan Al-Guneid spoke on the corporate procurement panel at the Solar + Storage Canada conference in Edmonton. This panel included BRCC participant TELUS, ATCO, and The Transition Accelerator. It was a great opportunity to share BRCC’s analyses and talk about how buyers are making sense of renewable procurement options to meet their net-zero and ESG targets. We look forward to following up on connections from the event to continue building the BRCC community and increasing buyer engagement! 

Networking with Canada's Renewables Community

The BRCC team participated in the Pembina Institute’s annual unGALA fundraiser and the Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA)’s networking reception. Both events were great opportunities to connect with the environmental policymaking and renewable energy communities in Canada. Thank you to Pembina and CanREA for hosting! 

UPCOMING EVENTS

Stampede Happy Hour (BRCC participants + invitation only)
July 7 | 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm MST | Greta Bar Alley Room, Calgary

Join us on your way from Calgary's downtown to the Stampede grounds! Free drinks, gaming cards, and plenty of food at the unique Greta arcade bar. This event is for BRC-Canada participants, funders, partners & advisors only.

More information and registration here.

MARKET NEWS

Hand Hills Wind Project Starts Construction BRCC participant BluEarth Renewables has started up construction on a new 145 MW wind project. 100 MW of the power generated has already been purchased by Shell Energy. Congratulations on this milestone, BluEarth!

Two New Solar Projects Now Feeding the Grid! A new 68 MW of solar power is now on the grid in Alberta. BRCC participants Capital Power, Elemental Energy, and TELUS all helped make this happen through Capital Power’s 41 MW Strathmore Solar project and Elemental Energy’s 27 MW Brooks Solar project – both contracted to TELUS. The collaboration of the BRCC community is an important driver behind this growth! 

HEADLINES

• Alberta renewable energy surge could power 4,500 jobs | The Narwhal | Interview with Nagwan Al-Guneid, BRC-Canada director

• Companies are flocking to Alberta to bolster their ESG goals with renewable energy buys | BNN Bloomberg | Interview with Nagwan Al-Guneid, BRC-Canada director

• Canadian companies can, and should, work together to drive renewable growth | Corporate Knights | Op-ed by Bullfrog Power

• With Canada’s net zero target, significant “accommodation of change” will be needed to spur renewable energy investments | Edison Energy | Interview with Benjamin Thibault, BRC-Canada advisor 

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT: Bullfrog Power

BRC-Canada advisory board member, Suha Jethalal, President of Bullfrog Power, took the time to share her insights on the Canadian renewable energy landscape and outline how Bullfrog Power has played a key role in Canada’s energy transition.

This is the first feature of our Spotlighting Canada’s Renewable Energy Leaders series where we highlight organizations from the BRC-Canada community who are leading the clean energy transition.