Green Power Program
Help Alberta get more renewable energy into the grid by adding a small charge to your power bill.
What is the Green Power program?
In 2020, Alberta was still getting over 90% of its electricity from fossil fuels—43% coal and 49% natural gas. The Green Power program is our way of helping Alberta shift to more renewable energy sources like biomass and solar. If you participate in the program—by paying a small green offset charge each month—your money will support the production of renewable energy.
We offer the Green Power program in partnership with Green Alberta Energy, a division of our parent company UTILITYnet.
How does the pricing work?
The basic rate to green your power is 1.66¢ per kWh. Then, for each bill, we multiply that rate by the number of kWh you used that month and the percentage of kWh you chose to green.
For example, if you use 500 kWh one month and have chosen to green 100% of your power, we calculate your green offset charge like this:
1.66¢ per kWh X 500 kWh X 100% = $8.30
How to estimate your monthly charge?
The estimated monthly charge on this page is an example. To get an estimate based on your actual electricity use, grab one of your bills and check out the Green Energy Calculator.
How does the program green my power? Where does my money go?
When fossil fuel electricity goes into the grid, it mixes together with the electricity coming from renewable sources. It’s similar to how water from your hot tap and water from your cold tap mixes together in a bathtub. Because of this mixing together, we can’t ensure that the power you use comes from renewable sources. But, good news: our Green Power program enables you to do two other important things instead:
- Buy Renewable Energy Certificates that support the production of renewable energy.
- Fund incentives that reward Albertans for buying solar PV systems (solar panels).
What is a Renewable Energy Certificate?
A Renewable Energy Certificate, or REC for short, is the equivalent of 1 MWh (megawatt hour) of renewable power. Companies that generate renewable power can sell one REC for each MWh they produce. RECs can be bought and sold between provinces and even the U.S. This means that Alberta power companies can buy RECs from renewable power generators outside of Alberta.
When you participate in the Green Power program, the first thing your money does is purchase RECs equivalent to the number of kWh you use in a month and the percentage of kWh that you’ve chosen to green. The RECs are provided by our program partner, Green Alberta Energy, which buys them from a biomass energy generator in B.C.
But then your money goes on to do another good green deed: fund incentives that reward Albertans for buying solar PV systems.
Funding incentives for Albertans who buy solar PV systems
After your Green Power money purchases RECs, Green Alberta Energy puts the profits from REC sales into its Green Energy Fund. And this fund is used to run our Solar Club and finance the club’s incentives for Albertans who buy solar PV systems.
The juiciest incentive is probably the high export buy back rate—in the sunny months, Albertans with solar panels can sign up for this rate and sell their excess solar power to Park Power (and the grid) for 22¢ per kWh. That’s a whole lotta cents per kWh!
With incentives like these, folks who bought solar panels can make their money back more quickly. For people who don’t yet have solar panels, these incentives can encourage them to go solar. And if you don’t have the resources yourself to become a solar micro-generator, you can still support the folks who are by joining our Green Power program.
To start greening your power, switch to Park Power!
