Industry leaders in Toronto described full order books and rising demand, but warned that worker shortages and shifting policy could still stall the next growth wave.
The Canadian renewable energy industry is busier than it has been in years, and its national trade association says the next decade could be worth $100 billion to wind, solar and energy storage developers. That message dominated Electricity Transformation Canada (ETC) 2026, held October 19 to 21 in Toronto, where a record crowd gathered as forecasts point to sharply higher electricity demand across the country.
Yet alongside the optimism, executives and suppliers on the exhibition floor raised a familiar worry. Without enough skilled workers and steady government policy, the current surge could fade into another boom-and-bust cycle, the pattern the sector has nicknamed the “solar coaster.”
A Record Turnout at Electricity Transformation Canada 2026
According to organizers, ETC 2026 drew more than 3,400 attendees and 225 exhibitors, the largest turnout the event has recorded. The conference is organized by the Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA), which represents companies working in wind, solar and energy storage.
Sessions centred on the practical questions that will shape the build-out of Canada’s power system:
- Affordability: how new generation affects what households and businesses pay for electricity.
- Investment: how to attract the capital needed for large-scale projects.
- Procurement: how provinces and utilities buy new power and storage capacity.
- Indigenous partnerships: the role of Indigenous communities as project partners and owners, highlighted by a dedicated Indigenous Pavilion on the exhibition floor.
- Infrastructure: the transmission and grid upgrades needed to carry new supply.
The opening plenary set the tone, with industry leaders framing the coming years as both an opportunity and a test of execution.
Where Canada’s Wind, Solar and Storage Capacity Stands
CanREA’s most recent data shows Canada ended 2025 with roughly 25 gigawatts (GW) of installed wind, solar and energy storage capacity. The association’s 2025 data release points to an uneven year, however.
Energy storage grew substantially in 2025, while new wind and solar installations were comparatively modest. That gap matters because storage is most valuable when paired with expanding generation: batteries can shift wind and solar output to the hours when demand peaks, but they do not produce power on their own.
Another 24 GW of projects are currently moving through procurement, according to CanREA President and CEO Vittoria Bellissimo. If those projects proceed, they would nearly double the country’s existing installed base.
| Indicator | Figure |
|---|---|
| Installed wind, solar and storage capacity (end of 2025) | About 25 GW |
| Projects currently in procurement | About 24 GW |
| CanREA’s estimated market opportunity, next 10 years | $100 billion |
| Projected rise in electricity demand by 2050 (Canada Energy Regulator) | 26% to 85%, depending on scenario |
| ETC 2026 attendance | More than 3,400 attendees, 225 exhibitors |
Why Electricity Demand Forecasts Are Driving the Rush to Build
The backdrop to the conference was a long-range forecast from the Canada Energy Regulator, which projects national electricity demand could rise by between 26% and 85% by 2050. The wide range reflects different assumptions about how quickly the economy electrifies.
As general context, the factors behind such forecasts typically include the shift to electric vehicles, electric heating in homes and buildings, industrial electrification and population growth. Whichever scenario plays out, meeting it will require large investments in new generation, transmission lines and storage.
Bellissimo said utilities and system planners are now confronting that reality directly. “Everyone is looking at demand forecasts that are going to require them to move faster than they ever have before, to build at a pace that we haven’t built before,” she said in an October 21 interview with a solar industry trade publication at the conference.
The $100-Billion Pitch From CanREA’s Vittoria Bellissimo
Asked whether reports of a busier market matched what the association was seeing nationally, Bellissimo was unequivocal. “I think everyone should be excited,” she said, pointing to the combination of existing capacity and the large pipeline in procurement.
She put a figure on the prize. “We think, looking forward, it’s a $100 billion opportunity in Canada over the next 10 years,” Bellissimo said.
That sentiment was echoed by businesses on the exhibition floor. Solar developers, installers, equipment suppliers, wind companies and service providers described expanding project pipelines and growing customer interest. Several said they were finding it hard to keep up with incoming work.
For a sector that has weathered repeated swings in incentives, procurement rules and provincial energy policy, that level of activity marks a notable change in mood.
Installer Shortages and the Risk of Another “Solar Coaster”
The strongest note of caution concerned labour. In solar especially, companies reported generating plenty of sales leads but struggling to find enough qualified installers to complete the work.
The concern is rooted in history. Canadian solar companies have previously expanded rapidly while incentive programs were available, only to shrink or disappear when those programs ended. “They call that the solar coaster,” Bellissimo said when asked how the industry could avoid repeating that pattern.
Her answer focused on predictability rather than new subsidies. “We need stable and durable policy mechanisms and regulatory regimes to make it easier for businesses to plan,” she said.
Bellissimo’s longer-term goal is a market that no longer relies on temporary programs at all. “We’re trying to get to an environment where we don’t need programs like this. We can just build projects because they make economic sense,” she said.
For readers following the business side of the energy transition, that is the central tension. Demand and investor interest appear to be rising, but turning a pipeline into completed projects depends on factors that individual companies cannot control on their own:
- Workforce supply: enough trained installers, electricians and technicians to build and maintain projects.
- Regulatory stability: rules that do not change mid-way through multi-year development timelines.
- Durable economics: projects that pencil out without depending on short-lived incentives.
- Customer understanding: buyers who grasp the long-term financial value of renewable power and storage.
Ontario’s Nuclear Focus and the Case for Cost Transparency
The conference took place in Ontario, a province whose electricity strategy continues to lean heavily on nuclear power. Asked how wind, solar and storage could earn a larger share of the province’s future supply, Bellissimo returned to cost.
“Customers want affordable first,” she said. She noted that battery storage and renewable projects had performed strongly in Ontario’s competitive procurement processes when measured against other technologies.
Bellissimo also called for greater openness about what different generation options cost. “I think Ontario ratepayers do deserve to know what the costs of what they’re buying are,” she said.
Rather than framing the debate as renewables versus nuclear, she argued that planners should compare the economics of all available technologies and make room for wind, solar and storage where they deliver value. “We should try to optimize inclusion of these three technologies in our power systems,” Bellissimo said.
Her comments reflect a broader shift in how the industry is making its case. Instead of leading with climate targets, advocates are increasingly emphasizing price, competitive bidding results and ratepayer value, arguments aimed squarely at governments and consumers worried about affordability.
Momentum Meets a Reality Check for Canada’s Clean Power Builders
The overall picture from Toronto is one of an industry gaining confidence. Capacity has reached a meaningful scale, a large pipeline sits in procurement, and long-range forecasts suggest Canada will need far more electricity in the coming decades.
But observers at the event were careful not to mistake enthusiasm for results. Conference attendance and bold market estimates do not build projects; workers, financing and consistent rules do. The question hanging over the Canadian renewable energy sector is whether this growth phase can be sustained on its own economics, or whether it will once again rise and fall with the next round of government programs.
For now, the people building the industry say they are busy. Whether that activity translates into steady, long-term project development will become clearer as the roughly 24 GW now in procurement moves toward construction.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Electricity Transformation Canada?
It is a national conference on wind, solar and energy storage organized by the Canadian Renewable Energy Association. The 2026 edition ran October 19 to 21 in Toronto.
How much wind, solar and storage capacity does Canada have?
According to CanREA, Canada ended 2025 with about 25 GW of installed wind, solar and energy storage capacity, with roughly 24 GW more in procurement.
What does the “solar coaster” mean?
It is an industry term for the cycle in which solar companies grow quickly during incentive programs and then shrink or close when those programs end.
How much could Canada’s electricity demand grow?
The Canada Energy Regulator projects demand could rise by between 26% and 85% by 2050, depending on the scenario.
