Could green energy be key to replacing the oil and gas workers who’ve vanished from Calgary’s core?

Greengate CEO Dan Balaban said the bulk of the jobs related to a solar project are created are in the construction phase. Travers will employ more than 1,000 people at its peak. But once a project is up and running, it requires relatively few workers. Greengate has just 10 permanent employees.

Green energy will be an important economic driver for the city as interest surges, but in itself won’t be a panacea, Mr. Balaban said.

“I’d say we are seeing a green energy boom in Alberta right now, and I think that’s something that’s going to continue for a while. But I think no single industry in the province is going to replace oil and gas,” he said. “It’s going to be a combination of industries that we’re going to need to diversify our economy to replace the activity that we’re losing in the oil and gas sector.”