The Indigenous-led solar farm redefining Alberta’s energy landscape

An Alberta First Nation is launching a bold new renewable energy project that will consistently crank out enough clean electricity to power 20,000 typical homes for a year.

The Tilley Solar project is a solar farm with nearly 70,000 photovoltaic panels that is expected to become operational this spring and provide 23.6 megawatts of clean power to southern Alberta. The $52-million initiative, located about 200 kilometres southeast of Calgary, will reduce Alberta’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 14,200 tonnes annually – the equivalent of removing 4,350 passenger cars from the roads.

The project was approved before the Alberta government placed a seven-month moratorium on renewable energy projects in August, 2023. At the time, the province said the moratorium was needed to protect farmland, though some critics said it tilted the playing field toward fossil-fuel energy projects. Before the moratorium, Alberta’s renewable energy market accounted for 92 per cent of Canada’s renewable energy growth.

A model for Indigenous clean-power plants

The Tilley solar farm is a joint venture between Alexander Business Centre, the business arm of Alexander First Nation, and First Nation Power Development Inc. (FNpower), a B.C.-based organization that connects First Nations with renewable energy projects. Developed in collaboration with renewable power developer Concord Green Energy and the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB), the project is intended to serve as a model for other Indigenous-owned clean-energy projects.

“Having a sustainable, consistent revenue stream from a project like this is important for us, just as it’s important for other First Nations,” says Ian Arcand, CEO of the Alexander Business Centre.

At its peak, the Tilley project, which is about 500 kilometres away from Alexander First Nation, will generate 280 full-time jobs and $20-million in labour income, the CIB says. It will bring stable revenue to Alexander First Nation, though it’s only expected to provide a handful of jobs to the approximately 2,600 band members, Mr. Arcand says.

“Being part of the future economy and having meaningful equity ownership helps bring long-term benefits to our communities,” says Firman Latimer, FNpower’s CEO and founder, adding that participating in Canada’s clean-energy transition is a step toward reconciliation.

Indigenous economic reconciliation

The Tilley Solar project joins dozens of Indigenous clean-energy projects to come online since 2006, according to the Canadian Climate Institute. “Tilley is among the first large scale projects of its kind in Alberta,” says Will Noel, a senior electricity analyst at environmental non-profit the Pembina Institute. “It’s to be hoped that this is an indication of where the industry is headed.” For Mr. Noel, Indigenous-led clean-energy projects are an essential part of Canada’s economic reconciliation with Indigenous communities.

“FNpower’s sole purpose was to go out and be a player in the renewable-energy industry, representing First Nation interests and developing a framework for [Indigenous] communities to be owners and operators and benefit from long-term revenue streams,” Mr. Latimer says.

While just a few people are needed to run the solar farm, the site’s development and construction provided about 150 jobs to Indigenous people from across First Nations, he adds.

A national need

The growth in Indigenous-led renewable energy projects is fulfilling Canada’s need for clean power, which the federal government has said is an “economic, scientific and moral imperative.”

Updated in December, 2024, Canada’s Clean Electricity Strategy says the country’s reliance on electricity is poised to grow dramatically as more is needed to power day-to-day life – from transportation to construction, manufacturing and heavy industry.

A December, 2024 report released by the Royal Bank of Canada also acknowledged that the growth of artificial intelligence will trigger massive electricity demand, with a single ChatGPT query consuming 10 times more energy than a standard Google search.

“If all the data-centre projects currently being reviewed by regulators proceed, they would account for 14 per cent of Canada’s total power needs by 2030,” Mr. Latimer says.

The future of First Nations-driven clean energy

Alexander First Nation Chief George Arcand Jr, a distant relative of Mr. Arcand, says being involved in clean energy is important for his community “as we are stewards of the land.”

Mr. Latimer also says FNpower wants to be involved in more renewable energy projects. While Alberta lifted its seven-month moratorium in February, 2024, the regulatory framework for approving new renewable projects is still evolving, leading to uncertainty.

In December, 2024, the Alberta government announced new rules for the province’s electricity market, which critics say make clean energy less financially viable and harder to compete with fossil fuel projects.

“Alberta needs to proceed with caution: it is counterproductive to jeopardize existing wind and solar projects,” Vittoria Bellissimo, president and CEO of the Canadian Renewable Energy Association, said in a December press release. “These projects were built in good faith but could fail if they cannot repay their debt, causing credit downgrades across the sector. This will raise borrowing costs for companies and ultimately increase the cost of electricity for customers.”

Mr. Noel says Alberta’s new energy regulations come at an unfortunate time, given Canada’s uncertain trade future, the pressing effects of climate change and increasing electricity demand. “Clean power attracts new investments,” he adds.