Like many regions in the US, Alberta’s energy grid is undergoing some big changes and feeling the growing pains. Renewables have been an increasingly important source of energy while more reliable sources are being phased out. Wind’s market share has been growing over the last several years, reaching over 20% last December, while solar made a large leap in the last two years and now regularly supplies more than 1 GW midday in the summer months. Meanwhile coal plants, which used to be a steady and reliable supply of baseload energy, have been completely phased out as of this year. While the changing grid is progressing the province toward its goal of being carbon neutral by 2050, increasing concerns over the impact on price and reliability have AESO working on completely restructuring their energy market. In this special report, we’ll investigate the changing grid, its impact on pool price, and AESO’s plans for their Restructured Energy Market.

Figure 1 | Maximum Solar and Wind Generation and Renewable Penetration by Month