Green Energy plans are long-term investments put towards creating more renewable energy and adding it to Alberta’s power grid. Signing up for “Green Energy” does not guarantee that your business, farm, or home will immediately receive the energy from a renewable source.
In most cases, signing up for a Green Energy plan allows you to purchase Carbon Offsets and Renewable Energy Certificates (REC) (see definitions below). RECs and Carbon Offsets are an injection of green energy from renewable generators into the overall Alberta power grid. This green energy can come from anywhere in Alberta, Canada, or even the United States through the same energy auction system as conventional generators.
If you want to support renewable energy, it is a good idea to do your homework and understand what you are buying. Every company’s plan is different, so it is important to learn more about what these plans actually offer.
Definitions:
Carbon offsets compensate for carbon-dioxide pollution by preventing the same amount of pollution from happening somewhere else. It is used to buy green energy to put renewable energy back to the grid.
Renewable Energy Certificates represent green power being injected onto the grid. When green power generators inject green power into the grid, they have the rights to sell their certificates.
Learn More:
Use our Cost Comparison Tool to see a list of providers offering Green Energy Plans.