Canada has a small but growing renewable energy co-operatives (RECs) sector. To better understand the role it currently plays and could play in Canada’s energy transition, the Canadian Centre for the Study of Co-operatives, with the support of the Co-operators, conducted a census of the sector.

The final report can be accessed here: Renewable Energy Co-operatives Census Final Report

The census collected data on everything from the amount and type of REC energy production to the size and composition of RECs boards and how many people they employed. It augmented these data with 24 semi-structured interviews to better understand the barriers and enablers to REC success. 

Our Census found fifty-two RECs operating in 2021. Most generate solar energy, but an important share of them focus on wind generation. There is also a small but growing and innovative biofuels sector concentrated in British Columbia and Quebec, two provinces with large forestry sectors and abundant forestry residue that can feed energy-generating boilers. The map below outlines the location and web information of the operating RECs. 

If you have any suggested edits or changes to the location and/or web information of the operating RECs presented on this map, please contact us by emailing coop.studies@usask.ca