Alberta’s Push Toward Renewables Creates Opportunities

Alberta has typically been known for its multibillion-dollar oil and gas industry; however, Brooks, a city in southeastern Alberta, is now home to a massive new solar panel installation.

The Brooks project, which launched shortly before Christmas, is the first of several planned renewable energy projects for Alberta, as the province begins to focus less on fossil fuels and look toward a cleaner, greener future.

Brooks Solar Farm – courtesy of Government of Alberta

Investing in Renewables

The 30-hectare Brooks site is far larger than any other solar project in Western Canada, with 50,000 solar panels. However, other projects currently in the pipeline may eventually dwarf it, as Alberta stands on the cusp of an ambitious push for renewable energy.

As part of its Climate Leadership Plan, Alberta has pledged it will add 5,000 megawatts of renewable energy capacity, and that 30 percent of its electricity will come from renewable sources such as wind, hydro and solar by 2030. To meet that goal, the province will need to grow its renewable energy sector significantly.

In December, the provincial government announced partnerships with three winning bidders to develop four wind farms, worth a total of $1 billion. The winning bidders are set to develop 600 megawatts of wind generation, which will increase Alberta’s wind capacity by approximately 40 percent. These new projects will open in 2019, and are expected to create 700 construction jobs and 40 long-term operational jobs.

As more projects in the sector are completed, the economic growth will continue. By 2030, the program is projected to bring more than $10 billion of new investments into Alberta’s economy and create more than 7,200 new jobs.

Supporting Workforce Development Needs

With Alberta’s renewable energy industry poised to take off, who will fill all the new jobs in the booming sector? Many experts predict oil and gas workers have the skills necessary to transition smoothly into jobs in wind, hydroelectric and solar power. In the decade ahead, green energy will be a reliable job creator, making it more stable as a career choice for workers from the traditional energy sector.

As Alberta increases its renewable energy infrastructure, it will inevitably lead to a high demand for qualified, trained workers to fill the newly created job openings. Many of the skills and occupations required to develop and maintain the infrastructure – such as engineering, construction, operations and maintenance – can easily transfer from the oil and gas sector.

However, to avoid a skills gap and maximize employment potential, Alberta’s leaders must be prepared to support the renewable energy industry by investing in workforce development and training programs. In addition, more post-secondary educational institutions should begin offering specialized courses and training on renewable operations and maintenance.

Alberta’s shift to renewables represents an enormous opportunity for the economy and the environment, in addition to creating thousands of skilled, good-paying jobs that will employ Albertans for decades to come. As long as the province’s leadership has the vision to plan strategically for this growth with educational and workforce initiatives, the future of the industry looks nearly limitless.