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For the first time in decades, Alberta's electricity grid has gone without coal power (www.cbc.ca)

submitted 1 year ago by Grappling7155@lemmy.ca to c/canada@lemmy.ca

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[-] villasv@lemmy.ca 39 points 1 year ago

The phaseout is now years ahead of schedule, in large part due to natural gas taking over much of the generation. Many coal plants were either replaced by gas plants or converted to burn natural gas instead. Electricity generated from natural gas puts out roughly half the amount of greenhouse gas emissions as compared with coal.

Ok, so fossil fuel is still the primary driver. But well, incremental improvements do matter. Zeroing out coal this year is a great milestone.

The share from renewables is growing too, even if a bit slowly.

[-] Nomecks@lemmy.ca 25 points 1 year ago

Too bad the Alberta gov has put a moratorium on new clean energy.

[-] TheRaven@lemmy.ca 22 points 1 year ago

So bizarre. Apart from snow, Alberta also has so much wind and sun. USE IT!

[-] GrymEdm@lemmy.world 17 points 1 year ago

I agree. Danielle Smith, the former oil and gas lobbyist who is now Premier, does not. Alberta elected Conservatives out of habit and hatred (homophobia, homeless, etc) and shot clean energy in the foot by doing so.

[-] Nomecks@lemmy.ca 9 points 1 year ago

But that might destabilize the ~~bribery~~ power grid!

[-] villasv@lemmy.ca 12 points 1 year ago

The moratorium already gave way to a ridiculously restrictive ruling but at least it's not outright block so while it's still sad, it's not entirely hopeless - which sums up Alberta politics as always.