Energy storage is transforming the way we manage electricity.
By Vittoria Bellissimo, President & CEO, Canadian Renewable Energy Association
There has never been a better time for Alberta—and all of Canada—to invest in energy storage.
Alberta is currently redesigning its electricity market and transmission policy to deliver more affordable, reliable, clean power to Albertans like me, and energy storage is a key technology that can help us do that.
That’s why CanREA put together an entire Summit to look at the important role of energy storage in Alberta. We will get updates directly from the source on where Alberta is heading and explore all the ways we can help make our electricity system successful, with a clear focus on energy storage.
Why energy storage?
Energy storage is transforming the way we manage electricity—it’s about making our systems smarter, cleaner, and more reliable. With costs dropping significantly, it’s becoming more accessible than ever, providing essential market, grid and flexibility services. The future of energy is here, and I couldn’t be more excited about what’s ahead.
Worldwide, we are adopting various energy-storage solutions, including batteries, hydrogen, pumped hydro, compressed air, flywheels, and thermal storage.
While lithium-ion batteries are widely recognized, energy storage goes far beyond them. Innovation is driving new technologies, and companies are deploying advanced systems to strengthen our electricity systems. And the costs are falling fast, making energy storage appealing to ratepayers.
These technologies allow us to save electricity, or time-shift for future use, helping ensure reliable power. It can also provide other services the grid needs: peak demand management, renewable energy integration, ancillary services, grid stability, frequency regulation, backup power and resilience, and transmission & distribution “non-wires” alternatives.
In Canada, new energy storage projects—propelled by Indigenous equity partners—are reaching commercial operation ahead of schedule and under budget, showcasing impressive potential for growth in the industry.
Enter CanREA’s Summit
Last year, CanREA kicked off our inaugural Energy Storage Alberta—CanREA Summit 2024 with an expectation of just 75 participants eager for some very nerdy discussion on this very important topic.
Our overall aim was to answer a few key questions: Are we set up for policy, regulatory and market success for energy storage in Alberta? And if not, what do we need to get there?
The answers were lengthy, but in short: we were not quite set up yet—and we still aren’t!—but it was 100% clear that energy storage can provide enormous value to our electricity system. We need to develop viable revenue streams for storage, and reduce the current market, policy and regulatory barriers to make it possible to finance new projects. It turned out that we underestimated the interest in our first Summit: Nearly 200 people attended, with excitement building around prospective projects.
This year, we found a bigger room and invited keynote speakers—Alberta Minister of Affordability and Utilities Nathan Neudorf, Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) CEO Aaron Engen, Innovative Research Group founder and President Greg Lyle—and a curated cast of industry experts.
This will be our second annual adventure in getting the conditions right for energy storage in Alberta. We are so pleased with the calibre of our presenters, and grateful that they are spending their time and energy with CanREA’s members and Summit participants.
Key Summit topics
This year, we want to examine both how to get storage built AND how to operate it efficiently once it is in service. I’ve mentioned the keynotes, now here are the topics we plan to address:
- What will the new electricity market and transmission policy look like, and how can energy storage navigate both?
- How can energy storage help supply Alberta’s growing population and industries—including data centres?
- What are the main barriers to building energy storage in Alberta, and how do we break them down?
- What can we learn from the global experience in energy storage?
- What are the latest advancements and innovations in energy storage, and how could they apply to Alberta’s electricity system?
Join me at Energy Storage Alberta 2025
It is a privilege to work in the renewable energy and energy storage sector in what is arguably the most exciting time in history to be doing so.
As electricity demand escalates, global supply chains evolve, and the urgency for flexible, scalable, climate-resilient infrastructure intensifies, the power sector and energy storage have never been more crucial.
I’m looking forward to continuing CanREA’s work to encourage energy storage in Alberta. See you in Calgary on June 3! Check out the details for Energy Storage Alberta—CanREA Summit 2025 here.