Canada is developing a clean electricity standard. Does Hawaii have lessons for us?
Source: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/whatonearth/canadian-electricity-standard-1.6570224
Author: Zoë Yunker
It's a double-bind that calls for unprecedented action. And Canada is developing a regulatory tool to get there - a clean electricity standard, a major step in the government's goal of reaching a net-zero electricity grid by 2035. "If this policy is effective, it can send a very clear signal to industry, as well as to investors, so that we actually see an increase in clean energy investments in Canada's grid," said Binnu Jeyakumar, program director of electricity at the Pembina Institute. The forthcoming regulation will act like a game of limbo for electrical emissions, setting a bar for how much each utility can produce for every unit of energy generated, and ideally, said Jeyakumar, lowering it over time. If a utility's emissions are too high when the regulation takes effect, they'll be forced to buy offsets or shut down — and those consequences could push non-emitting renewables like wind and solar to the top.