On the occasion of the 8th World Wind Energy Conference 2009 on Jeju island, Korea, the Board of the World Wind Energy Association has decided to give the World Wind Energy Award 2009 to the Hon. George Smitherman, Deputy Premier and Minister of Energy and Infrastructure of Ontario, largest Province of Canada.
The World Wind Energy Award has been given for Minister Smitherman’s outstanding achievements in making Ontario the leading wind energy jurisdiction in North America. Under his political responsibility and leadership in the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, the Green Energy and Economy Act was initiated and adopted as a decisive step in establishing a strong domestic wind and renewable energy industry in Ontario. Building on his first public speech as newly appointed Energy Minister during the WWEC2008, the adoption was made less than a year after Minister Smitherman took office.
The act will contribute to making the province a green leader in North America and worldwide supporting the Ontario government’s goal to become a leader in innovation and to create at least 50’000 well paid, skilled green-collar jobs.
WWEA sees the creation and implementation of the Green Energy and Economy Act as an excellent example of how North America can introduce wind energy on a broad basis and on a large scale.
A fixed feed-in tariff guaranteed for a fixed period of time has already helped especially several European countries such as Denmark, Germany and Spain to boost their national wind industry. Ontario is the first province in North America which has set up regulations that are following these successful principles, and it can already been watched that other provinces and US states are planning to follow this great example.
An important part of the Green Energy and Economy Act is the explicit recognition and empowerment of community power, that is individual citizens, municipalities, cooperatives, farmers and aboriginal communities. For these investors, a special premium will be provided.
WWEA hopes and expects that the World Wind Energy Award 2009 will encourage the Government of Ontario to continue pursuing its goal to become North America’s leader in innovation and renewable energy development. The worldwide wind community hopes that other governments in the region and worldwide feel encouraged by the progress in Ontario and will set up similar frameworks, learning from the vast experiences already made.
Looking to the devotion of the awarded person to the greening of the energy supply and economy, I have to emphasise again that we are very proud today that we can present his name for of the World Wind Energy Award 2009 for Outstanding Achievements for Wind Energy Dissemination through the Green Energy and Economy Act. Mr
Mr Kim Tae Hwan, Governor of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, received the World Wind Energy Honorary Award 2009 for the great support the Province gave to making WWEC 2009 a success with 500 participants from 40 countries.
World Wind Energy Award
The World Wind Energy Award is an award given once every year to personalities who have contributed extraordinarily to the worldwide proliferation of wind energy utilisation. The previous World Wind Energy Awards were given to:
2002: Prof Dr Amin Mobarak, Chairman of the Industry and Energy Committee of the Egyptian Parliament;
2003: the Indian wind turbine manufacturer Suzlon under the leadership of Mr Tulsi Tanti;
2004 jointly to: the German Minister for the Environment, the Hon Jürgen Trittin, and the German Parliamentarian Dr Hermann Scheer;
2005 jointly to: the Hon. Vilas Muttemwar, Indian Minister for Non-Conventional Energy Sources, and Dr Pramod Deo, Chairman of the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission;
2006: the Chinese wind turbine manufacturer Goldwind under the leadership of Mr Wu Gang;
2007 jointly to: the Hon. Ms Dilma Vana Rousseff, Chief of Staff Minister of Brazil and former Minister for Mines and Energy, Ms Laura Porto, Director of the Department of Renewable Energy of the Ministry of Mines and Energ, Mr Valter Luiz Cardeal, Director of Engineering and current President of Eletrobrás, Dr. Sebastião Florentino da Silva, Coordinator of the Unity of the Proinfa Programme at Eletrobrás;
2008 jointly to: Jane Kruse, and Dr Preben Maegaard, Denmark, Paul Gipe, USA.
QUICK FACTS
– Ontario is the leading wind capacity jurisdiction in Canada, with almost 1,000 megawatts of wind capacity, equivalent to the consumption of about a quarter of a million average Ontario households.
– Ontario’s Green Energy Act is expected to create more than 50,000 direct and indirect jobs by the end of 2012, and see the investment of at least CAD$5 billion in infrastructure and expenditure on renewable generation and conservation.
"Ontario has worked very hard to become a leader in the use of clean, renewable wind power. By supporting innovative green energy programs, we’re attracting investment, creating jobs and securing a healthier future for all Ontarians," said Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario.
"The first major event I spoke at as Ontario’s Minister of Energy and Infrastructure was before this group last year, at the 2008 World Wind Energy Conference. I said then that Ontario was poised to move quickly to make a difference in greening our society and I am pleased to say that today – one year later – we are well on our way," said Minister Smitherman.
"Under your political responsibility and leadership in the Ontario Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, the Green Energy Act was initiated and adopted as a decisive step in establishing a strong domestic wind industry in Ontario and making the province a green leader in North America and worldwide," said Dr. Anil Kane, President, World Wind Energy Association.
Wind Power Generation in Ontario
Ontario is on the forefront of wind in Canada with almost 1,100 MW of installed capacity on the transmission grid.
As system operator, the IESO is working to ensure that Ontario’s power system can effectively support increased levels of wind generation.
Wind energy is generated by wind turbines in large wind farms connected to the transmission grid or as smaller installations within a distribution service area. This form of generation creates zero emissions and has very little environmental impact, and as a result, is one of the greenest forms of energy available.
Currently there are eight large-scale wind farms in operation in Ontario. There is also another 67 MW of wind generation located within distribution service areas through Ontario Power Authority contracts.
Amaranth Wind Farm (200 MW)
Prince Wind Projects (I and II) (189 MW)
Kingsbridge Wind Power (40 MW)
Ripley Wind Power Project (76 MW)
Kruger Energy Port Alma Wind Power Project (101 MW)
Underwood Wind Farm (182 MW)
Port Burwell Wind Farm (99 MW)
Wolfe Island Wind Power Project (198 MW)
The following wind projects are currently under development:
Byran Wind Project (64.5 MW)
Raleigh Wind Centre (78 MW)
Greenwich Wind Farm (99 MW)
Talbot Wind Farm (99 MW)
Kruger Energy Chatham Wind Project (101.2 MW)
Gosfield Wind Project (50 MW)
Ontario is well-positioned for considerable growth in wind generation with a good selection of sites across the province. The implementation of the Green Energy and Green Economy Act, 2009 is expected to accelerate the expansion of wind generation even further. The Ontario Power Authority’s Feed-In Tariff program will add thousands of megawatts of additional renewable supply.
Unlike some other generation resources, wind farms cannot be called upon to generate specific amounts of megawatts on demand. Wind power generation is dependent on weather conditions, temperature and even the season.
From month to month, wind output (the amount of energy actually produced compared to the amount the turbines are capable of producing given perfect conditions) can vary. In April 2009, the average wind output was 41 per cent of capacity, while in June it was 14 per cent, reflecting the fact that the summer months aren’t as windy.
IESO centralized wind forecasting, due to begin in the summer of 2010, will help address the variable nature of this energy supply, as it will allow the IESO to understand the periods of time in which they can expect greater levels of wind generation. Equipped with this knowledge, the IESO will be better able to manage all the province’s electricity resources used to meet Ontario’s needs.
www.wwindea.org/home/index.php
www.ieso.ca/imoweb/siteshared/windtracker.asp
www.ieso.ca/imoweb/siteshared/images/wind_generation_in_Ontario.pdf
