Leeway from Lloyd: Don’t unplug renewable energy

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The Alberta government’s decision to halt all approvals of renewable energy projects over one megawatt in the province until next Feb. 29 is not the best one.

The Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) made the decision, due to concerns expressed by the Rural Municipalities of Alberta, landowners and other stakeholders over issues of development on agricultural land, effect on scenery, reclamation security and system reliability.

Whatever happened to sitting down to discuss and address the issues instead of stopping all major investments in what has been a growing industry to combat climate change?

The Business Renewable Centre, a group that links buyers and producers of renewable energy, said Alberta was on track to see $3.7 billion worth of renewables construction by 2023, creating more than 4,500 jobs.

A moratorium creates nothing but uncertainty and red tape and leaves other industries wondering if they are next. Why not halt all oil and gas development for six months for similar reasons? Why not halt all urban sprawl that also eats up valuable farmland?

Some of the issues with renewables are troublesome, however; such as eyesore wind developments and using prime farmland for solar developments. In addition, solar panels can be damaged by hail and lightning that Alberta is known for and wind power is expensive and not reliable either.

A rethink could be beneficial if Alberta decides to put more focus on the development of hydrogen which will take the pressure off the electrical grid. Why power vehicles with electricity which is already in high demand when hydrogen is available? Different levels of government are investing in hydrogen technology in the province to create local demand, especially in the trucking industry.

A $1.3 billion autothermal hydrogen production facility based in Edmonton is expected to be on-stream in 2024 producing natural-gasbased hydrogen.

Establishing hydrogen in the region will dramatically help reduce emissions in the industrial sector and help give Canada an advantage in the future low-carbon economy. In the meantime, the Alberta government needs to ditch the moratorium on the booming renewables industries and start working with stakeholders to create responsible development to cut emissions as the planet heats up and forests burn.