As Alberta increasingly adopts distributed solar energy, FortisAlberta has become central to meeting the rapidly growing demand for interconnections. Alberta is the fastest growing solar market in Canada. Since 2022, the volume of residential solar interconnection applications in FortisAlberta’s service area has more than quadrupled—putting enormous pressure on their small but dedicated five-person interconnection team.
Like many utilities managing increased renewable energy interest, FortisAlberta initially relied on manual processes—including spreadsheets, emails and institutional knowledge—to manage the surge. But with 325 new applications each month, this approach quickly became unsustainable. Turnaround times stretched to as long as 80 days, deadlines were missed, and both internal teams and external stakeholders—such as solar installers and customers—grew increasingly frustrated.
To address these challenges, FortisAlberta partnered with Clean Power Research® to implement PowerClerk®, the leading workflow automation platform for utility programs. Together, the two teams mapped out the utility’s specific interconnection program requirements and deployed a fully automated, trackable system.
What Changed?
PowerClerk replaced manual tracking and processes with an automated, centralized platform. It allowed FortisAlberta to:
- Reduce incomplete applications by flagging missing or incorrect submissions early.
- Automate stakeholder communications and task assignments.
- Track project milestones in real time.
- Ensure no deadlines were missed thanks to built-in reminders and automated updates.
The result? Dramatic improvements in speed, transparency and user satisfaction. Since implementation, FortisAlberta has cut interconnection processing times by more than 80%, reducing average turnaround from up to 75 days down to just 7–14 days. Application review times dropped from nearly an hour per project to just 10 minutes. Staff now spend less time responding to status inquiries and more time processing applications efficiently.
You can also hear from FortisAlberta directly in this recorded webinar session from Reflow™ 2025.
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