Bust a Cap

Cap on wind power riles critics
Alberta limiting production of green energy
Jason Fekete, Calgary Herald, Published: Monday, July 30, 2007

The Stelmach government foresees nearly doubling the amount of wind-power generation allowed in Alberta, even as the province remains the only jurisdiction in Canada to cap the production of wind energy.
"There is every possibility that (the cap) could move to, in the interim, someplace around 1,500 megawatts," said Energy Minister Mel Knight. "As we move along and Alberta's system becomes more robust, and we're able to integrate more wind, I can see it moving beyond that."
The wind power industry is demanding the province go further than raising the amount of production permitted and remove the cap outright. [more]

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Aside from the bizarre assertion at the end of the article (with no explanation) that nuclear energy is somehow 'greener' than wind (alas, it is the Calgary Herald after all) it brings to light a simple: whaaaa? How is it possible that we're restricting the development of renewable energy in this province (rhetorical question: I know exactly why) whilst there is seemingly no (little) restriction on oilsand development.

It may simply come down to energy centralization. The energy companies want society to rely on big, centralized energy sources that take great amounts of capital to create & maintain (nuclear, oil/gas) rather than sources of energy that, conceivably, individuals or communities could establish themselves (solar, wind.)