Assessing Barriers to Renewable Energy Development in Alberta: Evidence from a Survey on Wind Energy with Rural Landowners

• Author(s) / Creator(s)

  • Patel, Sonak
  • Holowach, Monique
  • Anders, Sven
  • Parkins, John R.

• Despite having abundant wind resources, the Province of Alberta is slow to adopt wind
  energy. While recent provincial government initiatives have stimulated some new wind power
  projects, progress is limited, and with new regulatory changes in recent months, progress on
  renewable energy development may slow even further. What are the barriers to renewable energy
  development in Alberta? This report offers some answers to this question based on survey results
  from rural Albertan landowners (n = 401). The survey was implemented in early 2019 and offers
  insight into the perspectives of rural landowners who are in a position to host energy
  technologies on their properties. These technologies might include oil and gas wells but also
  emerging technologies such as wind turbines and solar panels. Within the report we explore key
  barriers to the adoption of wind energy infrastructure in Alberta. An energy market analysis and
  literature review reveal few technical barriers, as there is sufficient capacity in the southern
  region, where wind feasibility is highest. The published literature also points to economic
  barriers related to price uncertainty, the competitiveness of other energy sources, and policy
  instability. Looking more closely at social barriers, evidence from the survey indicates that
  landowners are sharply divided in their support for the further development of wind farms in the
  province. Many concerns stem from a lack of knowledge about wind infrastructure impacts, as
  well as issues with the procedures for implementing wind development and the distribution of
  benefits. Encouraging and facilitating future development of wind projects in Alberta will
  require that proponents highlight the environmental and economic benefits of wind farms and
  focus on providing benefits to local communities.

• Date created

  2020-01-01

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Wind energy
  • Renewable energy
  • Barriers

• Type of Item

  Report

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-k8de-3c21

• License

  Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International