Alberta Acts
 
 

Resources

Please note that these links are provided as general information only and do not necessarily represent the views of Alberta Acts on Climate Change or any of our partners. This is not a comprehensive list. To recommend adding a resource to this list, please contact us. 

Renewable Energy

Community-Owned Renewables - Fact Sheet

 

Fact SheetCommunity-owned renewable energy projects are generally locally owned and operated, and are designed to provide local economic and social benefits. These projects commonly involve electricity production, but can also involve the production of heating and transportation fuels.

Community-owned renewable energy facilities create local jobs and revenue with less environmental impacts than conventional energy options. A community that owns a renewable energy facility keeps most of the profit, controls the facility's operation and contributes to a healthier environment.

This fact sheet on community-owned renewable energy projects:

  • describes the benefits of these projects;
  • shows what kind of projects have the most potential in Alberta;
  • provides information on programs and resources to support projects; and
  • outlines the steps for starting a project.

Landowners' Guide to Wind Energy in Alberta

Wind energy offers a lot of opportunities for Alberta's rural landowners, including farmers.  There is also a lot to learn about these opportunities and what they offer for landowners and local communities.  The Landowners' Guide can help you understand and get involved with the wind energy industry.

Support for Community-Owned Renewables in Alberta

Wind on the Range: Renewables as a revenue supplement for farmsAlberta Micro-Generation Regulation

The Alberta Micro-Generation Regulation forms part of the Government of Alberta's Provincial Energy Strategy and allows Albertans to generate renewable electricity for their own use and to receive credit for any excess power they send into the grid. Small wind, solar PV panels, small-scale hydro, biomass and micro-cogeneration systems under 1 MW in size qualify under the regulation.

Alberta Energy has an information sheet on the eligible technologies and respective responsibilities of the micro-generator and the electricity distributor.  The Alberta Utilities Commission has a webpage for more information and instructions, guidelines, and forms necessary for connecting your generation equipment to the grid.  Information on the AUC's rulemaking and consultative process, along with reporting on the statistics of installed micro-generation capacity, can be found here.

Your Junk is My Power: Landfill gas capture facility in Edmonton.Green Municipal Fund (GMF)

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities administers the $550 million GMF, offering financial services and resources to Canadian municipal governments to improve environmental performance and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It provides below-market loans and grants, as well as education and training services, to support municipal initiatives that improve air, water and soil quality, and protect the climate.

Qualifying projects include Bio-digester gas and landfill gas capture integrated into municipal facilities. Stand-alone renewable energy projects on brownfield sites may also be eligible for funding.  Municipal governments and their wholly-owned corporations are eligible to apply for funding.

Cool Modern Living: Rooftop solar panels in municipal subdivision

Municipal Programs

Some Alberta municipalities have incentive programs for renewable energy projects. Medicine Hat's HAT Smart Renewable Energy program, for example, offers financial incentives to residential and commercial building owners to install solar panels and solar heating systems.  A similar pilot program in Edmonton, initially small, was very successful, so watch for a broader initiative soon.

The Alberta Solar Showcase, organized by Climate Change Central, showcases grid-tied solar PV systems on visible municipal buildings in 20 Alberta municipalities, and reports success.

Photo: David DodgeFarm Credit of Canada

The Farm Credit of Canada offers financial loans to agriculture producers and agribusiness operators that install renewable systems including wind, solar, biogas and geothermal.  Information and application procedures can be found here.

 

Ways to look at climate change:

Each of us views climate change slightly differently depending on our values and context. We have written pieces to connect various "lenses" to climate change.

External resources:

International
Canada
Alberta
  • The Alberta government's Climate Change Strategy takes action on three fronts: implementing carbon capture and storage; greening energy production; and conserving and using energy efficiently.
  • One Simple Act is the Alberta Government citizen's climate change program, encouraging individuals to commit to "one simple act" for the sake of the environment.
  • Water for Life outlines the Alberta Government's plan to "ensure a healthy, secure and sustainable water supply for our communities, environment and economy."
  • Municipal Sustainability Planning, from the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association, is an opportunity for municipalities to look long-term at the communities they want and take proactive steps to move there. It "provides an outlet for the wisdom and expertise of community members to discover innovative solutions that address social, cultural, economic, environmental, and governance challenges today while leaving a positive legacy for future generations."
  • The Southern Alberta Alternative Energy Partnership provides a host of information about renewable energy potential, investment and training. 
  • The Southern Alberta Energy-from-Waste Alliance is a coalition of waste management jurisdictions committed to researching and recommending for implementation technological applications for recovering energy from waste materials, and reducing reliance on landfills.
Alberta-based not-for-profit organizations
  • Alberta Environmental Network (AEN) is a non-profit, non-partisan umbrella organization dedicated to helping preserve and protect Alberta's environment. Membership in the AEN is open to any non-profit, non-governmental organization demonstrating sincere concern and action toward a healthier environment.
  • Alberta Wilderness Association (AWA) is the oldest wilderness conservation group in Alberta dedicated to the completion of a protected areas network and the conservation of wilderness throughout the province.
  • Alberta Ecotrust is a unique partnership between the corporate sector and the environmental community. Together, they invest in the people and projects that help to make Alberta a stronger, more sustainable place to live, work and play.
  • The Arusha Centre is a collectively run, member-supported organization, based in Calgary, that provides resources and programming on local and global social justice issues.
  • Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society is dedicated to the preservation of Alberta's natural ecosystems and human experience of wilderness. Represented in Alberta by the Southern Alberta Chapter and the Northern Alberta Chapter.
  • Climate Change Central is a non-profit organization that empowers Albertans to take action on climate change through consumer rebate programs, demonstration projects and educational outreach. The organization has also been instrumental in the collective effort of developing a provincial carbon market, the first in Canada.
  • Faith and the Common Good is an inter-faith and inter-cultural organization, led by a committee made up of religious leaders from across the country. The group seeks common ground for the common good by working together with all people of goodwill to foster local inter-faith dialogue, education, organizing and action across Canada and reaching out around the globe; relate regional inter-faith/inter-cultural concerns into public policy processes; and create education/action resources.
  • KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives is a faith-based ecumenical organization that effects social change through advocacy, education and research programs in: Ecological Justice, Economic Justice, Energy and Extraction, Human Rights, Just and Sustainable Livelihoods, and Indigenous Peoples.
  • Sierra Club Canada is a member-based organization that empowers people to protect, restore and enjoy a healthy and safe planet, with regional chapters and groups across Canada including the Prairie Chapter.
  • Step It Up Alberta is a community-based citizen's group calling for strong leadership in reducing carbon emissions and creating a carbon-neutral green economy.
  • Water Matters is an independent non-governmental organization with expertise and resources dedicated to meeting the province-wide need for watershed protection.
  • Western Canada Wilderness Committee is Canada's largest membership-based, citizen-funded wilderness protection group.
Books

Climate Change

Sustainable Futures

Videos
  • Jared Diamond, author of Collapse, on why societies collapse (at TED).
  • Oil Sands Watch, an informative video on Alberta's oilsands developments.
  • Toxic Trespass, a documentary on the accumulation of toxics in our biosphere.
  • An Inconvenient Truth,  Al Gore's Oscar-winning documentary.
  • The 11th Hour. Featuring Leonardo DiCaprio, the film aims to "turn mankind's darkest hour into its finest."
  • Who Killed the Electric Car?
  • Syriana Academy Award winning fictional movie about a future after peak oil. This is the first movie to offset its own greenhouse emissions by investing in renewable energy. Starring George Clooney, Matt Damon and Jeffrey Wright.

Videos

Check out our growing collection of videos here.