By Vittoria Bellissimo and Jason Doering
Here in Alberta, we don’t need to imagine what electricity reliability means. We live it. It’s there when we keep our businesses running through winter cold snaps and power our lives through hot summer days.
Reliable electricity is something most of us only notice when it’s missing.
But the way we produce and use electricity is changing, and the pressures on our system are growing.
On a hot summer evening, when temperatures push past 30 C, electricity demand doesn’t let up when the sun sets. Air conditioners keep running, power prices rise and the system is under strain. Natural gas plants are producing, but extreme heat can limit their output.
This is where energy storage comes in.
Energy storage allows electricity, including solar power, generated earlier in the day to be used later. It helps smooth peaks in demand and stabilize the system when conditions are most challenging. This isn’t a future concept. It’s already operating around the world.
Electricity systems are changing quickly and extreme weather is no longer unusual. System operators need more tools to manage these conditions safely and affordably. They need energy storage.
Across North America, grid reliability is under pressure. The North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) has warned that current conditions amount to a “five-alarm fire.” Electricity demand is rising rapidly, while new generation is struggling to keep pace.
Companies representing more than 20 gigawatts of data centre electricity demand have already expressed interest in connecting to Alberta’s grid. That’s roughly double Alberta’s average electricity demand.
Storage strengthens reliability in ways few other technologies can. It responds in milliseconds when supply or demand changes. It helps integrate renewable energy, supports transmission and distribution infrastructure, and provides essential grid services.
Other markets are moving fast. Ontario brought more than 500 megawatts of grid-connected battery storage online last year, doubling the entire country’s capacity.
Alberta is part of a global race to build electricity quickly and affordably. Our $400-billion economy depends on it. Energy storage helps keep electricity affordable by shifting consumption to lower-cost hours, improving stability and reducing long-term grid costs.
Fifteen years ago, when Alberta’s electricity system underwent a major expansion, we did not have the option of cost-effective energy storage. We do now, and we should make use of it to save customers money.
Technology, however, is only part of the equation.
In today’s global environment, supply chains are tight, capital is cautious and competition for investment is intense. Alberta needs to make it easier to build electricity projects, including energy storage.
Members of the Canadian Renewable Energy Association have successfully built and operated energy storage projects elsewhere and are ready to invest here, but they need stable market conditions, fair transmission costs, and long-term policy and revenue certainty. Alberta can help by aligning market rules with how the electricity system actually operates.
That is why we are bringing policy-makers, regulators, system operators and industry leaders together at the Energy Storage Alberta Summit on April 16. The goal is to create alignment — prioritizing storage in market and transmission decisions, streamlining permitting and approvals, and positioning Alberta to lead rather than follow.
Energy storage is ready today. Alberta has the expertise, an open and competitive market, and a strong history of innovation. What we need now is strong support throughout the project development cycle and the right rules so that storage can strengthen reliability, attract investment and support an affordable, resilient and modernized electricity system.
Reliable electricity is the foundation of modern life. Albertans expect a power system that supports growth and prosperity. Energy storage is essential to delivering on that expectation.
See the full article in The Calgary Herald here.