Wind power development in Canada - Overview

Wind power development may be slowing down in United States and EU but in Canada wind power is looking better than ever, and Canada is well on the right track to achieve a year of the record growth. Demand for wind power in Canada is bigger than ever with many new wind farms spreading across the country.

According to the latest reports from the Canadian Wind Energy Association, over 1,000 megawatts of new wind energy capacity is expected to be installed in Canada in 2011, so far the record year has been 2009 with the total installed wind power capacity of 950 megawatts.

Such strong development of wind power will not only bring many environmental but also many economic benefits for Canadians, for instance many new well payed green jobs.

Many new wind energy projects have been approved in the last couple of months, and more than 6,000 megawatts of new wind power capacity is expected to be installed over the next five years across the Canada.

Canada currently has around 3500 MW of installed wind power capacity, and by the end of this year this number should increase to more than 4000 MW, meaning that by the end of this year Canada will have enough wind capacity to provide power for close to 1,5 million homes.

It also has to be said that every Canadian province is generating at least some wind power, and that the leading provinces in wind power development are Quebec and Ontario. Over the next five years Quebec should add 3000 megawatts of new wind power capacity, and Ontario 1500 MW. This, together with new wind projects in other provinces should increase the share of wind power in Canada's total energy demand to 5% by the 2015. Currently, this percentage is at about 1,5 percent.

A supportive government policy is one of the main factors that have laid the foundations for this strong development of Canadian wind power sector. Canadians want more clean environmentally friendly energy sources instead of fossil fuels, and wind power may turn out to be a main driving force that will turn Canada into clean energy economy.

Canada renewable energy statistics

Renewable energy currently supplies around 16.5% of Canada's primary energy supply.

Canada is currently world's second largest producer of hydroelectricity (behind China), accounting for 11,7% of global hydroelectricity. Canada currently generates around 59% of its electricity from hydropower.

Most of Canada's hydropower capacity belongs to Hydro-Québec's extensive network of 59 hydroelectric dams with a combined capacity of 34,118 megawatts.

Robert-Bourassa hydroelectric power plant on the La Grande River is not only the largest hydroelectric power plant in Canada but also in North America, and has a capacity of 5,616 MW.

At the end of 2009 wind power supplied approximately 1,1% of Canada's demand for electricity.

In the January of 2010 Canada had approximately 3,249 MW of wind power capacity coming from 99 wind farms.

Ontario is the leading province in installed wind power capacity with the 1161.5 MW, followed by Quebec with 659 MW. This situation could change within the next five years because Quebec plans to add new 2671.5 MW of wind power capacity by 2015, and Ontario just 647.2.

Canadians are very supportive of new renewable energy projects, survey by Angus Reid Strategies in 2007 showed that 89% of Canadians support using renewable energy sources like wind or solar power.

The largest wind farm in Canada is the Wolfe Island Wind Farm, Ontario with the capacity of 198 MW.

In April 2010, Canada approved 184 large solar power projects with a total worth close to a $8 billion.

Canada's wind power industry currently employs around 4500 people.

Canada's average annual market growth for photovoltaics has been over 20% for the last ten years.

Canada currently has the only tidal power plant in North America, at Annapolis Royal, on the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia. This tidal power plant has the capacity of 20 MW.