The home of Canada's energy sector is set to outpace the country in renewables growth: forecast

The home of Canada's oil and gas industryis expected to lead the country in renewable energy growth, according to the Canada Energy Regulator.

The CERreleased itsshort-term outlook today, offeringa glimpse ofwhere Canadians will getmost of the electricity theyuse in the future.

Some of the takeaways:

• Saskatchewan and Alberta are expected to outpace the country in the transitionto renewable electricity.
• Ontario's renewable power pushis slowing.
• Overall, however, the share of Canada's electricity coming fromrenewablesis increasing.

The federal regulator's outlook examines current and future electricity trends for nuclear energy, fossil fuels and renewables wind, solar, hydroelectricity, biomass and geothermal. It doesn't break down how much provinces and territories rely on non-renewables versus renewables for transportation and heating.

Canada has set an ambitious target of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. Power generation accounts for 9 per cent of the country's total emissions, with coal and natural gas accounting formost of itsgreenhouse gas emissions. Alberta is responsible for over 50 percent of those emissions, followed by Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia.

Why would the Prairies lead inrenewables?

While Ontario may have led the growth in renewable energyover the last decade by phasing out coal,it's now expected to be a laggard.

CER's short-term forecast says Alberta is expected to see considerable growth in solar power, whileSaskatchewan willmore than triple its wind power capacity. Coal is in decline in both Alberta and Saskatchewan and a number of new renewable projects are set to start there.

"I know there are people out there, when they think of Alberta and Saskatchewan, they may think of oil and gas production," said Darren Christie, the CER's chief economist. "The reality is the Prairies are a place with a lot of wind and sun. So it's kind ofripe for growth."

Overall, Alberta and Saskatchewanstill have a long way to go before they cancatch up tohydroelectricitypowerhouses like Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, Manitoba and British Columbia, which either already produce more than 90 per cent of their electricity from renewables or are expected to hit that benchmark soon.

What does the national picture look like?

Canada is one of the world's top producers of non-emitting electricityand the number of green megawatts it generatesshould continue to increase.

"Canada is already in quite an enviable position," Christie said. "We're one of the top producers of renewable power in the world."

CERsaidthe share ofits energy portfolio Canada derives from renewables is projected to rise from about 61.5 per cent in 2010 to 71.2 per cent in 2023. Wind and solar are expected to account for much ofthat growth, but the bulk of the country's renewable power will stillcome from hydroelectricity.