Enmax deal puts wind in Calgary’s energy sails
The City of Calgary will be buying only green electricity by 2012, drawing praise from environmentalists and criticism from a taxpayer group.
Calling it a landmark agreement, Mayor Dave Bronconnier said everything from the lights at recreation centres to the LRT will be powered be renewable energy as the city amends its long-term agreement with Enmax.
“Calgary is Canada’s energy capital,” he said. “Our goal is to be the world’s energy capital, not only today, but 100 years from today.”
Each hear, the city purchases about $40 million worth of energy from Enmax, which it owns. By 2012, city operations will be consuming about 560,000 megawatt-hours a year.The LRT system already runs on green power.
Alex Doukas, a policy adviser with the Pembina Institute, said Calgary is showing leadership with its move toward green electricity.
“It demonstrates the commitment of the city to walk the walk on reducing its ecological footprint,” Doukas said. “The city is willing to take steps to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.”
Purchasing power generated mostly from wind turbines will reduce the city’s emissions by seven million tonnes, or the equivalent of 32,000 railcars of coal, the city says.
But Scott Hennig, Alberta director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said it’s not the city’s role to use tax dollars to buy more expensive energy.
“If a private citizen wants to spend their own money and voluntarily pay more for power they can’t prove came from a windmill, that’s fine,”Hennig said. “There’s no additional benefit to the city feeling good about themselves. It’s not their job to be subsidizing electricity for Enmax.”
All electricity, whether produced in coal-fired plants or from windmills or solar panels, gets mixed in the power grid.
While green electricity costs more, Bronconnier said the price of the 25-year deal with Enmax isn’t affected by the decision to move to 100 per cent green. The city was slated to hit 90 per cent by 2012.
He wouldn’t say what the cost of the electricity is.
Joseph Doucet, a professor in energy policy at the University of Alberta, said paying more for electricity generated by green sources allows companies such as Enmax to grow that network.
By Kim Guttormson
10 April 2009
Tags: Wind power, Wind energy
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