The Power of Aggregation: Enabling community renewable energy in Alberta

Renewable energy development is booming in Alberta, driven almost entirely by corporate and institutional procurement supporting the financing of additional solar and wind projects. Now, municipalities, Indigenous communities and community organizations want to get in the game too—both as producers and consumers. Both approaches can benefit from aggregation—joining together with other communities to gain benefits of scale and overcome barriers faced in isolation.

Watch for an introduction to new research on the potential for smaller communities to access the benefits of renewable energy generation and purchasing. You'll hear:

- An overview of Alberta’s renewable energy sector
- An explanation of energy aggregation and possible implementations
- Results from surveys and interviews with Alberta municipalities surrounding energy and climate goals
- Illustrations of local and international success stories related to renewable energy aggregation

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Jan Pepper, Peninsula Clean Energy
Jan has three decades of energy and utility experience, with focus on renewable energy contracting and financing. At APX, she developed and pioneered the first use of renewable energy credits, which are now the standard currency for trading and tracking renewable power. She joined Peninsula Clean Energy as CEO in 2016 and is leading the organization to deliver 100%, around-the-clock renewable energy by 2025. Jan also elected to two terms on Los Altos city council, serving as mayor for two of those years. She has an engineering degree and an MBA from Stanford University and is a registered professional engineer in California.

Clayton Stafford, Greenplanet Energy Analytics
For 30 years, Clayton has been leading the delivery of enterprise-class technology solutions with project management experience across various sectors, including telecommunications, energy, utilities, banking, education, health, and provincial government. He is responsible for overall business management, client engagement, and project delivery for Greenplanet and is also a project manager for Three Nations Energy. Clayton is a professional engineer with degrees from the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary.

Benjamin Thibault, Prairie Sky Strategy
Ben is a policy and regulatory expert with over a decade of strategy, advocacy and implementation experience related to climate, electricity and renewable energy policy. Ben earned his biochemistry degree from the University of Lethbridge and his JD from Harvard Law School. He has previously applied his legal and policy training with the Pembina Institute and as executive director for Solar Alberta.

Presented by: Municipal Climate Change Action Centre, Pembina Institute and Business Renewables Centre-Canada.