The patch.

6pecial to the Post

Canada’s Prairie Provinces will lead the country’s growth in renewable energy capacity over the next three years, says a new report by the Canada (nergy Regulator C(R).

7he online report, titled Canada’s Renewable Power, says decreased reliance on coal and substantial increases in wind and solar capacity will increase the amount of renewable energy added to the grid in $lberta and 6askatchewan. Meanwhile, Manitoba will strengthen its position as a prominent hydro producer in Canada. 7he pace of overall renewable energy growth is expected to slow at the national level between

and , but with strong growth in provinces with a large reliance on fossil fuel generation.

7he report explores electricity generation in Canada and provides a short-term outlook for renewable electricity capacity in each province and territory to . ,t also features a series of interactive visuals that allow for comparison between regions and highlights the diversity of electricity sources across Canada. (lectricity generation from renewable sources is expected to continue increasing as demand for electricity grows and the country continues its transition to a lower-carbon economy. Canada will see gradual declines in overall carbon emissions from electricity generation largely due to 6askatchewan, $lberta, Nova 6cotia and New Brunswick replacing coal with renewables and natural gas. 7he pace of growth beyond in renewable power will depend on technological developments consumer preferences and government policies and programs.

Canada is a world leader in renewable power, generating almost two-thirds of its electricity from renewables with hydro as the dominant source. Canada also has one of the world’s lowest carbon intensities for electricity.

7he C(R produces neutral and fact-based energy analysis to inform the energy conversation in Canada. 7his report is part of a portfolio of publications on energy supply, demand and infrastructure that the C(R publishes regularly as part of its ongoing market monitoring.

Report highlights

Wind capacity in 6askatchewan is proMected to triple and nearly double in $lberta between and . 6ignificant solar capacity growth is also proMected, with $lberta adding

, MW by .

,n $lberta, the share of renewables in the capacity mix is expected to increase from per cent in to per cent by . 6imilarly, 6askatchewan’s renewable share of capacity is expected to increase from per cent in to per cent in .

Renewable capacity growth slows most notably in 2ntario. Between and , renewable capacity grew . per cent per year. Between and , growth in 2ntario slows to . per cent per year as capacity grows by MW over this period.

New large-scale hydro, wind, and solar proMects will push the share of renewables in Canada’s electricity mix from per cent of installed capacity in to per cent in .

Hydro is the dominant source of electricity in Canada accounting for per cent of total installed capacity and

per cent of generation, with B.C., Manitoba, 4uebec, Newfoundland and /abrador, and

7he Murisdictions with the highest percentage of non-hydro renewable electricity generation are P(, per cent), Nova 6cotia . per cent), and 2ntario . per cent).

,n , . per cent of Canada’s total electricity generation GW‧h) was from renewable sources. By , . per cent GW‧h) was from renewable sources and proMected to be . per cent by

.

“When people think about the Prairies, many of them think about fossil fuels. ,nterestingly, our proMections show they are actually now leading the way in renewable energy growth, while national levels will slow in the next three years.´