Greening Alberta's Grid is Now Affordable

Renewable energy and energy efficiency have been very popular topics in Alberta recently. The government announced its target of 30% renewables and a phase out of coal-fired power last year, and a number of energy efficiency programs have been launched through Energy Efficiency Alberta, the most recent being efficiency rebates to support homeowners and contractors through rebates for insulation, tankless hot water heaters, and windows.

With these topics top of mind, some consumers are wondering how they can do their part for the environment.

Other than trading your traditional lightbulbs for LEDs, or turning your thermostat down a few degrees to save energy, there really isn't much the average person can do, right? Wrong.

Consumers now have a way to help green Alberta's grid through Energy Marketers that have partnered with Green Alberta Energy such as Spot Power. The goal was to provide customers a simple and affordable way for them to shift part of their current reliance on fossil fuels over to renewables, shrinking a consumer’s personal carbon footprint while aiding investment in Alberta renewable energy projects.

Every little bit helps, so customers can choose what percentage of their monthly energy they want to green, starting as low as only 5%.

Through the purchase of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), your purchase guarantees that clean, renewable energy is being placed onto the electric grid, raising the percentage of renewable energy used overall.

Interested in helping to green the grid? Pick from one of the Energy Marketers in the province who are part of our program.

What is a Renewable Energy Certificate (REC)?

A REC is the environmental equivalent of a megawatt hour (mWh) of green power being injected into the grid. When green power generators inject green energy into the grid, they are able to see their certificates.

Still confused? Take a look at this video to get a better understanding.

A simple way to understand the process is to think of the electricity grid as a swimming pool with two taps filling it up. One tap is green, representing green power, and the other is grey, representing conventional power. When water pours into the pool, it is all mixed together. The liquid inside the pool is then, in turn, a mix of the green and grey water.

Once the water is mixed in the pool, it is impossible to decipher how much came from the green hose and how much came from the grey hose. In the same context, when consumers are using electricity, it is impossible to know exactly where the energy they are using has come from.

When a consumer greens a percentage of their energy usage, they are ensuring that for each cup of mixed water they remove from the pool, they are putting one cup of green water back into the pool to replace what was taken out. As more and more consumers purchase green power, there will be more and more green power sources feeding the grid and the reliance on conventional power will be reduced.

Going Green is Now Affordable

Energy Marketers in our network give consumers the option of choosing a percentage to green, and they are never locked in, so going green is more affordable than ever. Green energy is just an additional 1.66 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) on top of your current electricity costs.

Check out our handy green calculator to see how much it would cost you, or see some examples below:

The best part, the Energy Marketers in our network have electricity rates that are lower than the large competitors such as Direct Energy, EasyMax by ENMAX and Just Energy, so signing up means saving money AND having an opportunity to do your part for the environment.

Micro-generators

Micro-generation refers to environmentally friendly, small-scale generators that produce five megawatts (MW) or less and are connected to the electric distribution system that delivers power to homes, businesses and farms across the province.

Our Light Up Alberta Program ensures that solar micro-generators in Alberta are paid a premium of 1 cent per kWh on electricity shipped onto the grid through. This is NOT a government funded program but rather the trust fund is privately financed by the owners of UTILITYnet who wanted to do something extra to help support “greening the grid”. If you are a micro-generator and want to take advantage of this program, contact us for more details.

Let's make a difference in Alberta's environment together.