June 3, 2025
Calgary, Alberta
On June 3, 2025, the second annual Energy Storage Alberta—CanREA Summit was held in downtown Calgary, bringing together more than 200 industry leaders, policymakers and experts to discuss the pivotal role of energy storage in Alberta’s evolving energy landscape.
The Summit provided in-depth insights into how energy-storage solutions can support Alberta’s electricity grid, from meeting growing demand to integrating more renewable energy.
Against the backdrop of sweeping policy reforms and market dynamics in Alberta, attendees were privy to invaluable insights on energy storage from expert speakers during the full-day industry conference.
Vittoria Bellissimo, President and CEO of CanREA, kicked off the summit with a warm welcome, setting the stage for the day’s discussions and emphasizing the importance of energy storage in Alberta’s future energy strategy.
Nathan Neudorf, Alberta’s Minister of Affordability and Utilities, delivered the keynote address, highlighting the provincial government’s ongoing exploration of energy storage solutions. This was followed by an update from President & CEO Aaron Engen of the AESO, who shared why energy storage has a key role to play in Alberta’s evolving electricity market.
The Summit also presented valuable networking opportunities for attendees, who were able to discuss the future of energy storage in Alberta while making valuable new connections.
The opening plenary session was moderated by Allison Sears (Fasken). She was joined by Elias Soto (Similan Consulting) and Nicole Spears (Alberta Affordability and Utilities). Together, they explored the future of Alberta’s electricity and transmission policies in Alberta and the critical need for energy storage.
In the first session, titled “Meeting the need: How energy storage can help Alberta supply its industries, new AI data centres and growing population,” the panel explored how rising needs—from industrial growth to AI data centres and population increases—could soon challenge the grid. Speakers examined whether Alberta’s system is ready to deliver both reliability and increased supply, highlighting the critical role of energy storage and the potential for data centers to offer innovative reliability solutions.
Next was a session on “Revolutionizing the Grid: The Potential of Energy Storage for Wires in Alberta,” explored how energy storage can serve as a non-wires alternative for transmission and distribution, improve reliability and ancillary services, optimize assets through co-location and enable market arbitrage. Panelists examined why, despite these benefits, significant barriers still exist in Alberta.
The third panel, on “Speaking from experience: Global perspectives on energy storage,” convened industry leaders who shared valuable global perspectives and lessons learned, offering insights into how Alberta can incorporate more renewable energy and unlock the full range of benefits energy storage can provide in delivering affordable, reliable and clean electricity.
The final session of the Summit, “Charging ahead: Innovation in energy storage” panelists shared valuable perspectives on where energy storage is going, including how industry pioneers are pushing boundaries and how innovative organizations are supporting breakthroughs in energy storage.
Overall, the Energy Storage Alberta—CanREA Summit provided valuable insights into the future of energy storage in Alberta. Attendees gained a deeper understanding of the market changes, opportunities and technological advancements that will drive Alberta towards a more reliable energy future as well as the growing need for energy storage to support Alberta’s industries, AI data centers and rising electricity demand.
Thank you
Thank you to our sponsors for their generous support in making CanREA’s event a resounding success.
Looking to attend a future CanREA event? Check out our full calendar of upcoming events here.