EDMONTON – Alberta’s investment in Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA) supports technologies that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help secure the province’s economic success in a lower-carbon world.
ERA works with industry, government and the innovation community to accelerate innovative solutions, and invest in technologies that benefit Alberta’s environment and economy.
“Innovation is critical to unlocking environmental and economic opportunities for our province. Collaborating with key partners like ERA helps Alberta achieve its climate and energy efficiency priorities. Projects like these not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but also spur investment, expand market access, create jobs, and keep Alberta on its path to economic diversification. ERA is helping Alberta grow our economy and prepare for the future.”
– Shannon Phillips, Minister of Environment and Parks and Minister Responsible for the Climate Change Office
ERA, previously known as the Climate Change and Emissions Management Corporation, details 39 completed projects and several initiatives in its 2015/2016 annual report, including:
- Installing the largest commercial rooftop solar system in Canada at the Leduc Recreation Centre, estimated to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by roughly 1,000 tonnes annually;
- Methane-reducing projects led by Seal Well, Conoco Phillips, Encana and Cenovus, which combine to reduce GHG emissions by roughly one megatonne by 2020;
- Developing spray foam insulation using plant oils as opposed to solely petroleum products, a partnership between the University of Alberta and Edmonton-based company Sprayfoam;
- Funding greenhouse gas reducing technologies from small and medium-sized enterprises through a Memorandum of Understanding with Sustainable Development Technology Canada.
In addition to longer term outcomes, ERA funds projects that will deliver near-term GHG emissions reductions of over seven megatonnes by 2020. This is the same as pulling 1.4 million passenger vehicles off the roads for one year.
“Our annual report profiles promising solutions that we are advancing in Alberta. We are accelerating the adoption of renewable energy, reducing methane emissions, addressing emissions from biological sources, and furthering the development of transformative technologies that will reduce the environmental footprint of the oil and gas sector.”
– Steve MacDonald, CEO, ERA
QUICK FACTS
- Alberta’s grants to ERA are sourced from the Climate Change and Emissions Management Fund, which supports initiatives and projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve Alberta’s ability to adapt to climate change.
- A 2015 study by the Conference Board of Canada found that the economic impact of ERA and related investments from 2011 to 2015 will be more than $2.4 billion, with roughly 15,000 person-years of full-time equivalent employment added over the same period.
- For every dollar ERA has invested to advance technologies, technology developers, industry partners and other funders have invested more than $6. As a result, ERA projects have a combined value of more than $2 billion.