Wind Energy

Canada installs 690 MW of wind power in 2010

Canada’s wind energy industry took another step forward in 2010 with the addition of 690 MW of installed wind energy capacity, positioning Canada in 9th place globally in terms of new installed capacity and 9th for overall cumulative installed capacity, according to the Global Wind Energy Council’s (GWEC) recently released ‘Global Wind Report 2010’.

"Wind energy is well established in many European countries and has a long history in the United States, but it’s still a relatively new contributor to Canada’s electricity supply," said Robert Hornung, president of the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA). "With the continued growth of wind energy we see the evolution of a new and vibrant industry that is delivering manufacturing jobs, revitalizing rural economies, and generating emissions-free power. The results from 2010 are encouraging, but we look forward to even greater growth in 2011 and beyond."

Canada’s contribution to wind energy in 2010 represents $1.7 billion in new investment. New projects commissioned in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, brought Canada’s total installed wind energy capacity to 4,008 MW by the end of 2010. Today’s Canada’s total installed wind energy capacity stands at 4,285 MW – comprised of 2,570 wind turbines operating at 131 wind farms.

Wind energy has increased almost ten-fold in the last six years in Canada as governments seek ways to meet rising energy demand, reduce environmental impacts of electricity generation, and stimulate rural and industrial economic development. It is expected that wind energy’s rapid growth in Canada will continue with production tripling in the next five years, while the total installed capacity in North America is expected to more than double to reach 94.2 GW.

The Top 10 global leaders for new wind farm capacity in 2010: China (15,500 MW); U.S. (5,115 MW); India (2,139 MW); Spain (1,516 MW); Germany (1,493 MW); France (1,086 MW); UK (962 MW); Italy (948 MW); Canada 690 MW); Sweden (603 MW).

CanWEA is the voice of Canada’s wind energy industry, actively promoting the responsible and sustainable growth of wind energy on behalf of its more than 450 members. A national non-profit association, CanWEA serves as Canada’s leading source of credible information about wind energy and its social, economic and environmental benefits.

www.canwea.ca