Dear Alberta Solar Co-op crowdfunding supporters and followers,
Thank you again for your crowdfunding support!
We apologize for not being more proactive with providing regular updates on our progress and activities.
After paying for the crowdfunding perks and Indiegogo transactions fees, ASC has used the net crowdfunding contributions to cover the costs of incorporating as a co-operative in Alberta, developing our articles and bylaws as well as the formal documentation required to offer investments to Albertans as co-op member-investors. The remainder amount is being used to cover the basic administrative costs associated with keeping the co-operative active in the community energy dialogue. We are trying our best to move this co-op along with our volunteer board and current energy / policy landscape that has made it challenging for us to launch the first community owned solar project.
Over the last year we have continued to engage with the Alberta government as part of a coalition of community and distributed energy advocates such as EQUS, Momentum and many others. ASC has participated in community energy engagement prompted by the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) on how Alberta's electricity system can practically accommodate the addition of various forms and amounts of distributed energy. We have also provided Alberta Energy with a submission in response to its call for engagement on Community Energy policy development. To increase our networking efforts and to open doors to new partnerships and project opportunities, ASC has become a member of Decentralised Energy Canada, an association of over 60 organizations that supports a distributed system of electricity generation from renewable and alternative energy sources.
At present, we are hearing that the government is developing community energy policy which would enable community solar projects to be financially viable. We currently do not have an exact project identified as we are waiting for the community energy policies to be finalized. In July, we received a grant that will be put towards building a business and marketing plan. Once the business and marketing plan is in place, you should see more updates posted to our blog and social media feed. We are doing the best we can with limited resources and have been sparingly using the funds received to date to keep the co-op active and moving forward.
If you have any questions or would like to be more involved / volunteer with our co-op, please reach out to us at info@AlbertaSolarCoop.com