A perspective from the Smart Energy Event from April 15-16, 2024, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Commentary by Michelle Robichaud, President, Atlantica Centre for Energy. Atlantic Canada’s premier energy conference was held in Halifax earlier this month, and the Smart Energy conference delivered a jam-packed agenda and attracted the country’s top energy minds to debate
What are grid-scale batteries? Grid-scale batteries, also known as utility-scale batteries or Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), are a collection of individual smaller batteries housed within a single controlled, large-scale energy storage system. They are designed to store electricity that can be accessed for use during periods of high demand or low generation and
$40 Billion in energy projects expected to begin construction before 2030 Commentary by Michelle Robichaud, President The Atlantica Centre for Energy’s Chair, Stephen MacMackin, recently wrote 2024 can be a pivotal time in Atlantic Canada’s energy transition if “some of the ‘politics’ can be removed to allow businesses to invest
Between February 29th and March 22nd, 2024, provincial governments across Atlantic Canada released their budgets for 2024-25. Below is a summary of select energy sector highlights from each of the budgets. New legislation proposed in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick relating to the sector are also outlined. Nova Scotia Budget 2024: Select highlights related
Atlantica recently interviewed Sean Fleming, Senior Project Manager Renewables, to learn more about ABO Wind’s regional and global stake in the energy sector. Q: Please tell us about ABO Wind. What is your role in the energy sector? Sean Fleming: I’m proud to be among more than 1200 employees who
Natural Gas 101 explores what natural gas is, how it is used in Atlantic Canada, and what its future role may be in the region. But how does natural gas get to consumers in the region? Some natural gas is delivered to customers by truck. This is this case for some customers in the
What is natural gas and how is it processed? Natural gas is an energy source found underground in sedimentary basins and is colourless and odourless. It primarily consists of methane, with smaller amounts of ethane, propane, butane, pentanes, and other hydrocarbons. There are three extraction methods of natural gas in Canada, including conventional drilling,
On February 16, 2024, the federal government released an update with new design options being considered for the Clean Electricity Regulations. The draft Regulations were released on August 10, 2023, and would limit how utilities can use unabated fossil fuels to generate electricity beginning in 2035. Several provinces, utilities, and energy sector stakeholders, among
On February 23, 2024, Nova Scotia’s Clean Electricity Solutions Task Force released a report: Modernizing Energy from Transmission to Transformation. The Task Force spent the last roughly 10 months consulting with stakeholders and exploring ways to modernize the province’s electricity infrastructure and regulatory environment. Launched in April 2023, the Task Force includes Alison Scott,
Andrew Halliday, Director of Policy and Planning, of the PEI Energy Corporation, the provincial crown utility, presented at the Energy Fundamentals for Leaders, a program offered to professionals through UNB’s Saint John College and facilitated by the Atlantica Centre for Energy. Andrew was asked to discuss the PEI Energy Blueprint Discussion Paper, and the
Nova Scotia Power is busy preparing for a transition away from coal-fired electricity generation and to meet provincial mandates to provide 80 per cent renewable electricity sales by 2030, as well meet the federal government’s incoming Clean Electricity Regulations, which will require the utility to meet net-zero by 2035. Read below for a synopsis
On December 12, 2023, the Canada Electricity Advisory Council launched a consultation seeking feedback from the public to help develop the Council’s final recommendations to the federal government. The Council was launched in May 2023 with a year-long mandate to provide independent advice to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources on how to