What Canadian Data Centre Developers Need to Know By Paula McGarrigle, President & CEO, Solas Energy Data centres are usually discussed in terms of computing capacity, electricity demand and, increasingly, artificial intelligence. They are less often discussed as very large construction and electrical projects. That distinction matters under Canada’s new countertariffs against the United States….
Alberta’s electricity market is moving through one of its most significant structural changes in decades. The Restructured Energy Market (REM) will change how electricity is priced, dispatched and managed, with new market mechanisms designed to improve reliability, strengthen investment signals and accommodate a changing generation mix. For renewable energy developers, storage operators, industrial consumers, investors…
What Canada US Tariffs Mean for Renewable Energy Projects By Paula McGarrigle, President & CEO, Solas Energy If you look through Canada’s new list of countertariffs against the United States, the first conclusion might be that renewable energy has got off fairly lightly. Lithium-ion batteries are not specifically listed. Neither are solar photovoltaic modules, conventional…
Energy projects rarely become difficult because of a single technical problem. More often, complexity accumulates over time. A technology choice influences project economics. A site decision affects permitting. A regulatory requirement changes the schedule. A stakeholder concern introduces a new constraint. A financial assumption shifts, and a project that initially appeared straightforward requires significant rework….
By Shasta Kadonaga, Director of Renewable Energy, Solas Energy Alberta renewable energy operators are approaching a critical regulatory milestone. Under the Code of Practice for Solar and Wind Renewable Energy Operations, operating projects must register and comply with updated reclamation planning requirements for existing Alberta sites by January 1, 2027. This requirement extends beyond simply…
Alberta’s identity is tied to the land and the elements: wide-open skies, big horizons, and the kind of wind that inspired Ian Tyson’s iconic song “Four Strong Winds.” We’ve always been an energy province. The question now is whether those same defining features—our wind and our sun—can help power the next chapter of Alberta’s economy,…
By Paula McGarrigle, President & CEO, Solas Energy For decades, diesel has underpinned power generation in remote and industrial operations. Mines, ports, isolated facilities, and northern communities have relied on it not because it is elegant or efficient, but because it is dependable. It can be shipped in, stored on site, and dispatched when needed….
By Paula McGarrigle, President & CEO, Solas Energy Canada’s 2025 federal budget is not a national energy strategy, nor is it a comprehensive climate roadmap. Rather, it is a finance-oriented policy document that reflects how the federal government currently understands its role in Canada’s energy transition, particularly in a context where electricity systems are constitutionally…
By Paula McGarrigle, President & CEO, Solas Energy What we tell ourselves matters, but it must be challenged. Leaders often gravitate toward familiar voices, but doing so can make it harder to spot new risks or opportunities. ESG has become a loaded term in some circles, dismissed as jargon or written off as a passing…