The Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC), the provincial regulator, has a mandate to ensure every directly and adversely affected Albertan is informed of a transmission line or substation application, and has the opportunity to have their concerns heard, understood and considered in the review process. If a transmission line or substation has been proposed to go on, across or near your property you can become involved in the AUC process. In 2009 an Electric Transmission system study was commissioned.

Read more and get informed

Calgary Herald - 12/10/11

Oilweek Nov 2, 2011

Epcor Utilities Inc. announced Wednesday the sale of 8.2 million of the shares its holds in Capital Power Corp. (TSX:CPX) for some $200 million as part of a long-term move to divest possibly all its holdings in the independent power producer. Read More...

Edmonton Journal - Oct 15, 2011

Two Alberta pulp mills will get $9.6 million under a federal program to enhance their environmental performance and economic competitiveness.

The West Fraser Mills plant in Slave Lake will get $5.1 million to help it use black liquor, a byproduct of the pulping process, to generate energy.

The project was one of 15 across Canada that won support Thursday under Ottawa's pulp-and-paper green transformation program.

As well, the Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries mill near Boyle will receive $4.5 million under another federal program .....read more

Alberta Oil - 10/01/11

A grid with a higher IQ would take advantage of the immersive data that will become available when modern information technology infrastructure and architecture is finally added to the system. Some of the first tentative toes that were dipped into the smart grid water in Alberta belonged to Enmax Corp. The Calgary utility signed a memorandum of understanding with IT giant Cisco in March 2010 to explore smart grid possibilities. Read more...

iNews 880 - 10/15/11

The Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) has approved a rate increase of about 50% for homeowners who are on regulated power plans. The spike follows a big drop in power rates from August to September.

People who buy power from Epcor, FortisAlberta, Enmax, and Direct Energy will be affected by the higher rates.

Some companies say the prices are set in a competitive market that is influenced by supply and demand, weather, and other factors.

Electricity rates in Alberta have been swinging up and down this year. The price in May was about half of the price set for October. (The Canadian Press, bp)

U of C - June 20,2011

Construction is starting on the University of Calgary’s entry in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon 2011 competition.  The only Canadian entry in this year’s competition, University of Calgary students have designed a safe, durable net-zero solar powered home that addresses critical issues in Aboriginal housing, in collaboration with the Treaty 7 First Nations of Southern Alberta.

Read further.....

CE Code Handbook is available through the Alberta Electrical League for $60.

The CE Code Handbook provides background information on the reasons behind the requirments in the Canadian Electrical Code, Part 1, and gives and expanation of each rule in plain, easy to understand language.  The Handbook is intended to provide a clearer understanding of the safety requirements of the code.

Call the AEL office today for your copy 1-800-642-5508

No subsidies for alternative energy - Liepert
Jeremy Van Loon, Bloomberg July 6, 2011  - Edmonton Journal

Feed-in tariffs, used to support renewable energy development in Germany, the U.K. and more than 40 other countries, "distort" markets and there are no plans to use them in Alberta, Energy Minister Ron Liepert says.
"We do not support feed-in tariffs," which provide above-market rates for power generated by low-carbon emitting sources, Liepert said in an interview.
"It's clear that when you start going the route of feed-in tariffs, you start to distort the market."

Read more....

Solar panel producer launches more efficient unit -
QSolar panel increases energy output by 30 per cent

A new panel produced by QSolar Ltd. could reduce the footprint of solar energy farms while increasing power output, the Calgary- based company said Tuesday.
The panels produce 30 per cent more energy output, from 260 watts to 300 watts, reducing the number large scale utility plants would need for the same amount of energy, the company said.
A 10 megawatt solar power plant could cut 10,000 panels off its landscape by using the 280W panels rather than standard 230W units, QSolar said in a release.
The 33,000 panels versus 43,000 panels would result in lower installation costs, said president Andreas Tapakoudes.

Read more.....

The city unveiled 150 evacuated tube-type solar panels on the roof of the Southland Leisure Centre, which will help heat the water in the building.

The panels themselves will heat 15 and 20 per cent of the water in the building, with natural gas boilers continuing to produce the bulk of the energy.
But this will still reduce greenhouse gas emissions by roughly 90 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, according to Muhammad Abbas, the city's senior energy engineer. The city says that's the equivalent of taking 15.5 cars off the road.
Twenty years (or less, if natural gas prices rise) until full payback is reasonable and sustainable, he said, given the panels are due to last longer than two decades.
"The bigger benefit is the environmental benefit, which you do not get from other projects directly," Abbas said. Full Story....

Check out the interesting Facts about Wind Power http://bit.ly/jHy99k

The organization that oversees Alberta's electric system reaffirmed the need for $13.5 billion in new transmission-line construction throughout the province in its 2011 long-term draft plan released Thursday.

"Demand for electricity has increased 32 per cent over the past 10 years, with annual peak demand growth forecast to average 3.2 per cent over the next 20 years," David Erickson, chief executive of the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO), said in a news release.  Read more....

Alberta's opposition parties are assailing the Stelmach government over its $14 billion in planned power line transmission, insisting new WikiLeaks cables prove the province has lied to consumers about the need for the projects.

Premier Ed Stelmach and his ministers have maintained the new power lines are necessary to keep the lights on in Alberta and ensure a reliable flow of electricity on a system that hasn't seen any major upgrades in more than 20 years.

Newly released U.S. diplomatic cables, first reported Tuesday by the Herald, reveal the province and American officials have been eyeing additional Alberta electricity exports but that more transmission capacity is necessary.

"These documents show this government's sales job on the need for these transmission lines to be a complete fraud," Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith said in a statement.

"If they want to have a debate about exporting electricity, let's have that debate. Instead, they've deliberately and repeatedly deceived Albertans by trying to convince them they need to pay for these upgrades for their own good."

Full Article

Sask. government approves $1.24 billion clean-coal project
By BRUCE JOHNSTONE, Leader-Post April 27, 2011

A $1.24-billion project to capture a million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year from Boundary Dam generating station -- equivalent to the emissions from 250,000 vehicles annually — was announced here Tuesday.

"Boundary Dam will be a world-leader -- the very first commercial-scale power plant with a fully integrated carbon capture system," said Rob Norris, minister responsible for SaskPower.

"This is a game changer," added SaskPower president and CEO Robert Watson. Read further.....

Brews Supply Ltd
Personnel Announcement

April 21, 2011

Brews Supply Ltd. is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Mark Semchuk to the position of Director, Sales & Operations (Calgary) effective April 4th, 2011. Mark is responsible for the industrial group sales and operations for Southern Alberta. Mark has over 29 years of management and leadership experience most recently as a Vice-President at ATCO Structures. Please join us in welcoming him.

Direct: (403) 444 4184
E-mail: msemchuk@brewssupply.com
Calgary Branch: 12203 – 40th Street SE Calgary, Alberta T2Z 4E6

Power prices in Alberta headed toward volatile 2011
By Dina O'Meara and David Cooper, Calgary Herald April 5, 2011

CALGARY — Power prices in Alberta are expected to continue to rise in 2011.Outages, bad weather and economic growth pushing up electricity rates.

Calgary’s own utility Enmax Corp. jacked up its April regulated rate option by 60 per cent last week to 11.885 per kilowatt hour. Last year Calgarians not locked into long-term contracts paid 5.78 cents per kWh.
Read more...

Alberta extends bioenergy aid
Edmonton Journal March 29, 2011

Alberta is expanding and extending its bioenergy producer credits until 2016 and adding $58 million in 2011-12 to support bioenergy production for a total of $336 million over the next three years.
That long-expected move will give developers a guarantee of the support they can expect for projects such as two large, canola-based biodiesel plants proposed for Vegreville and Lloydminster.  Read more...

A group of Crossfield-area landowners is banding together in hopes of quashing AltaLink’s plans to build a section of the controversial $1.1 billion Western Alberta Transmission Line across local lands. Read more...

.“This first-of-its-kind collection of information will prove invaluable to cities and regions that are getting ready for EVs,” Clean Cities Co-Director Linda Bluestein says. “They can take advantage of the work done by early leaders, so no one will have to reinvent the electrically powered wheel.”

The other locations featured in Deployment Case Studies include Raleigh, N.C., Houston, and Los Angeles. All the case studies are housed within the comprehensive Hybrid, Plug-in Hybrid and All-Electric Vehicle section of the AFDC website at www.afdc.energy.gov/electricdrive.

Philips Lighting would like to announce after 26 years of service, Larry White, Western Regional Specifier will be retiring from Philips as of February 28, 2011. We would like to thank Larry for his many contributions over the years and wish him a healthy and happy retirement.

Philips Lighting is pleased to announce, effective immediately Norm Henze, will assume the role of western Regional Specifier. Norm has been with Philips for 27 years and is looking forward to opportunities ahead. Please feel free to contact Norm if you have any questions.

Reg Clark, Vice-president – Industrial Products,Thomas & Betts Canada, is pleased to announce
the following organizational changes:

Effective April 15, 2011, Craig Douglas, Regional Sales Manager, Western sales region, begins his well-deserved retirement after 35 years of loyal service to the company.

Rob Ruys, currently Sales Manager for the Mid-West, will become Regional Sales Manager for British Columbia and the Mid-West (Manitoba and Saskatchewan).

Len Skoreyko, currently Sales Manager for Alberta, will become Regional Sales Manager responsible for the Alberta sales region.

Public to get greater say in controversial power line
By Dina O'Meara
Calgary Herald - 02/01/11

More Albertans will be able to participate in public hearing on a controversial power line between Edmonton and Calgary, according to the latest from provincial regulators. The Alberta Utilities.....more

World's First, ''SolaMaps'' Shines Through

In a world first, SolaMaps shows home solar installations from around the world on an interactive map.

A social network website with a twist, SolaMaps connects solar power users around the world; as each person member joins SolaMaps free of charge, their chosen avatar is placed on the site's interactive map. Alternate avatars differentiate those with solar panels and solar hot water systems, allowing members to communicate with each other through varying options, and see where solar power is working around the world.
http://www.solamaps.com