TRAVEL & ACCOMMODATIONS

Electricity may have been as much of a factor in the history of Banff National Park as the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR).[2]​

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From the beginning of the age of electricity, there was continuous pressure on Banff National Park to accommodate the Calgary Power Company’s need to modify the Bow River watershed to make electricity.[3]​ Calgary Power had decided to generate electricity using hydroelectric power, despite it being a coal-rich region; hydroelectricity was cheaper to produce long-term than coal. However, the Bow River had an issue, the water levels and the speed at which they travel fluctuate wildly between the spring and winter. Hydroelectric dams are most efficient when the flow of the river is steady and consistent. In 1912, the issue was partially solved when they built a dam at Lake Minnewanka which created a reservoir that allowed for some regulation of the river. However, this was not enough to solve the problem. After the sharp economic downturn due to the First World War, the economy started to boom and Albertans needed more electricity. Ultimately, this led to the largest hydro project in Alberta history: the Ghost Hydroelectric Dam located on the Bow River (outside the boundary of the park). This plant included two 18,000 horsepower generators and a 1250 horsepower unit to provide electrical service for the station. The artificial lake, the Ghost Reservoir, was a massive storage reservoir which allowed the water flow to be more regulated and consistent. This alone doubled the existing productive capacity of Calgary Power.[4]​​​  

 

Unfortunately, the Ghost Dam project was finished in 1929 right before the Great Depression which led to a dramatic decrease for electrical power. All further electricity projects were suspended and were inactive until the Second World War which created a tremendous amount of electricity demand. In 1942, Calgary Power built a new dam on the Cascade River to meet this demand.[5]

This need for increased electricity production continued post-war and led to the Barrier Generating Station. However, by the 1950s, ideal sites for hydroelectric plants were severely diminished and without new spots for hydro power, power suppliers shifted to steam-powered stations for additional expansion[6].​​ 

 

By the 1960s, driven by Alberta’s oil-boom, Calgary Power turned from hydroelectricity to coal to meet the growing demand for electricity. The Bow River then shifted from a primary source of energy to a backup source whose main purpose is to meet peak demand.[7]​​​ 

 

At its peak in the early 1950s, half of the province’s installed capacity was hydroelectric. Present day, the hydro capacity is roughly 7%.[8]

 

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Sources:

[1] Solar project helps Banff community hub go greener • Banff, AB

[2] Introduction | Wilderness and Waterpower: How Banff National Park Became a Hydroelectric Storage Reservoir | Manifold at UCalgary Press

[3]  Ibid.

[4]  Evolution of an Industry: 1913-1945 - Electricity & Alternative Energy - Alberta's Energy Heritage

[5] Ibid.

[6]  Post World War II Hydro Developments - Electricity & Alternative Energy - Alberta's Energy Heritage

[7] Conclusion | Wilderness and Waterpower: How Banff National Park Became a Hydroelectric Storage Reservoir | Manifold at UCalgary Press

[8] Hydroelectricity in Alberta Today - Electricity & Alternative Energy - Alberta's Energy Heritage

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More Resources:

 

https://www.history.alberta.ca/energyheritage/energy/hydro-power/evolution-of-an-industry/default.aspx

https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/banff/visit/les10-top10/minnewanka/histoire-history

https://press.ucalgary.ca/books/9781552386347/

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Interested in learning more about hydroelectricity and its influence in Banff National Park? Please refer to the below for more information:

 

Wilderness and Waterpower: How Banff National Park Became a Hydro-Electric Storage Reservoir by Christopher Armstrong and H. V. Nelles

 

Sacrificing Fish for Power: A Legal History of the Spray Lakes Development by Sarah Nykolaishen and Nigel Bankes