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Renewable Energy in Canada – A Summary

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In 2023, renewable energy in Canada made significant strides. According to the Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA), the renewable energy sector grew by 11.2% from the previous year. However, progress ultimately fell short of the trajectory needed to meet Canada’s net-zero targets for 2035 and 2050.

To keep on the green path, the country is investing in long-term initiatives. According to the Sustainable Development Goal 7, in the next 6 years, Canada aims to achieve 600 petajoules of total annual energy savings as a result of the adoption of energy efficiency codes and reach 90% of electricity generated from renewable and non-emitting resources.

The following is a regional breakdown of renewable energy developments in Canada, including key energy stats

British Columbia

  • The province currently has 836 MW of renewable energy capacity: 742.7 MW wind, 91.3 MW solar, and 2.35 MW of energy storage. 
  • The majority of renewable generation in B.C. comes from hydropower.
  • BC Hydro plans to acquire 3,000 GWh per year moving forward.
  • By 2030, the provincial government is aiming to lower its greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent. In 2050, B.C. wants to be down to net-zero emissions.

Alberta

  • Accounted for 92% of Canada’s growth in renewables and energy-storage capacity in 2023.
  • The province added a combined 1.7 GW of wind and solar capacity. In 2023, Alberta now has 5.8 GW of renewable energy generation (4.4 GW of wind and 1.5 GW of solar). In terms of energy storage, Alberta added 212 MW/260 MWh of capacity.
  • The August 2023 pause on renewables is a roadblock to renewable energy growth but did not impact projects that passed approvals and were already in development. Therefore, the pause had no impact on 2023 growth numbers and will have a limited impact on 2024 (1 GW of projects currently under construction). The impact of the pause will be seen in 2025.
  • Effective March 1, 2024 to boost green projects, municipalities are automatically granted the right to participate in AUC (Alberta Utilities Commission) hearings for renewable project approvals and are eligible to request cost recovery for their participation.

Saskatchewan

  • 200 MW of projects are in construction, and there are 800 MW of wind and solar projects in the advanced stages of development.
  • 600 MW of wind and solar farms are due to come online by 2027.
  • The current installed capacity is the same as 2022, 704 MW: 629 MW wind, 75 MW solar, 0.4MW/0.7 MWh energy storage.
  • In July 2024, SaskPower announced that a new battery-based energy storage system is online in Regina. The company announced that hopes to add up to 500 MW of battery energy storage system as the province looks to incorporate 3,000 MW of renewable energy into the grid by 2035. 

Manitoba

  • At the end of 2023, Manitoba‘s total installed capacity for renewable energy was 293 MW. Wind capacity was 258 MW and solar capacity was 34 MW.
  • The province did not add energy storage capacity or energy storage duration during 2023.
  • Approximately 97% of electricity generated in Manitoba during 2023 came from hydropower. Wind made up 3%.
  • Natural gas still played an essential role in Manitoba’s energy mix; 60% of Manitobans used natural gas as their main heating source.

Québec

  • Currently has the 3rd largest installed capacity for wind and solar and energy storage in Canada: more than 4 GW. Most of that is wind, with solar making up 12 MW and storage making up 1.8 MW.
  • Hydro-Quebec’s Action Plan plans to bring more renewable generation and energy storage to meet growing electric demand and support the net-zero transition. Triple wind-power generation by integrating more than 8 GW of wind capacity into the grid by 2030. The plan also aims to create Quèbec’s first pumped-storage facility with a 1 GW capacity. Lastly, Hydro-Quèbec will facilitate the installation of solar panels on the homes of 125,000 customers by 2035.

Ontario

  • The province still has the largest installed capacity of renewable generation in Canada: more than 7.5 GW (5.5 GW wind, 2 GW solar, over 100 MW storage).
  • The total installed capacity is expected to increase as Ontario intends to invest in new renewable energy and energy storage projects. E.g., up to 2 GW of wind and solar generators by 2030-2031, and 3 GW of additional wind/solar plants by 2034. Total energy storage capacity is projected to be 3 GW by 2028.
  • 429 MW of storage projects are in advanced development. There are 407 MW in proposed energy storage projects.
  • The IESO is set to procure 2,000 megawatts of electricity from non-emitting sources including wind, solar, and hydro. It is also looking to update existing facilities and contracts to procure an additional 3,000 megawatts over the next decade.  

Atlantic Provinces

  • Wind remains the predominant renewable generation source in these provinces.
  • Nova Scotia had 623.4 MW of installed wind capacity at the end of 2023. New Brunswick had 397.4 MW, PEI had 203.56 MW, and Newfoundland-and-Labrador had 54.7 MW.
  • At the end of 2023, Newfoundland and Labrador had 0 solar capacity. PEI and New Brunswick have relatively low numbers: 33.97 MW and 9.5 MW respectively.
  • Solar power is slowly emerging. Nova Scotia leads Atlantic provinces with 91.1 MW of installed capacity at the end of 2023. Moving forward, Nova Scotia plans to add 300 MW of solar, 300-400 MW of battery storage, and 1 GW of wind capacity by 2030.

Territories

  • In previous years, renewable generation has been slow to develop in the Territories.
  • There was some progress in 2023. The Yukon increased its wind capacity to 4 MW, and the NWT increased its wind capacity to 12.64 MW.
  • Nunavut has a low amount of installed renewable capacity. The territory only has 1 MW of installed solar capacity.

If you are looking for energy solutions for businesses 

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