This week on the podcast our guest is Blake Shaffer, Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics and School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary.   

We cover a range of topics about Alberta and Canada’s electricity markets.  Including revisiting the tight power market that Alberta experienced during the  December 2022 cold spell, the issues and opportunities that come from the ramp-up of Electric Vehicles (EV), and finally the prospects for achieving net-zero electricity by 2035 in Canada.  

Here are some of the questions Peter and Jackie asked Blake: Does Alberta’s Electricity Systems Operator (AESO) need a better system for asking residential consumers to reduce their demand in times that the power system is in short supply?  How are electrical system distributors preparing for the coming influx of EVs?  Will people adjust their charging behavior to help the electrical system accommodate more EVs? Do you think Canada can achieve net-zero electricity by 2035? Will large transmission lines between provinces be required to achieve net-zero?  How could net-zero impact consumer’s utility bills in 2035?  

Content referenced in this podcast: 

• Follow Blake on Twitter @bcshaffer https://twitter.com/bcshaffer 

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To see a transcript of this podcast, visit the link (scroll part way down the page): Can the Grid Handle EVs? (arcenergyinstitute.com)