Plug in. Point up. Power on.

Out here we've got more sun than almost anywhere in the country, and we know a thing or two about energy. Albertans even pick their own power company. So it's a fair question why someone who wants to make a little of their own, right there on a sunny balcony, isn't simply allowed to.

It's pretty much what it sounds like. Small solar panels you plug into a regular wall outlet, like an appliance. You hang them on a balcony, a wall, or a railing, plug them in, and that's about it. Usually no electrician, no roof work, no permits. They quietly make power and send it straight into your home. Germany has more than a million of them. It's safe, it's proven, and it works everywhere it's allowed.

Nobody actually banned it. The catch is that a single panel you'd plug into the wall has to clear the same paperwork as a whole solar farm. There's no simple path yet for something the size of an appliance. The good news is that fixing it doesn't take a vote in the legislature. Alberta sets these rules by regulation, so the government could open the door whenever it decides to.

So we're asking Alberta to clear the red tape and let people plug in. It's a small change the government can make on its own, and it lands squarely in the lap of a minister whose actual job title is Red Tape Reduction. Add your name and we'll make sure it gets there.