"No matter what the season is, we are a windy province," said Larry Christie, a spokesman for SaskPower, noting the consistently brisk winds are ideal for generating power.

Generations of Saskatchewan farmers have used windmills to pump water for cattle, providing some relief to an otherwise flat skyline.

The sight of SaskPower's 13-storey turbines on the horizon often cause people to pull off the highway for a closer look, Christie said.

"We've been dealing with the wind for a long time in this province, and I think people think it's a great idea," Christie said.

Most of Canada falls within the westerly wind belt, providing ample wind to kick up dust storms and snow blizzards, said David Phillips, senior climatologist with Environment Canada.

The southwest corner of Alberta, home to Canada's largest wind farm, is a particularly windy spot because of the velocity winds gain coming over the Rocky Mountains, he said.

"All the wind just swooshes down and through the Prairies," Phillips said, noting Canada's coastlines are also very windy.

Despite this gusty abundance, Canada currently produces only 312 MW of wind power, or less than 1 percent of its energy requirements, leaving the country blown away by world leader Germany, which produces 12,000 MW, according to the Canadian Wind Energy Association.

"There's a growing momentum occurring, but we're still moving more slowly than many other countries," said Robert Hornung, the lobby group's executive director.

Canada is also known for its rich fossil-fuel and hydroelectric resources, making capital-intensive wind energy a more expensive choice, Hornung said.

But the country, as a signatory to the Kyoto protocol on climate change, has also promised to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2010, and harnessing wind power is an attractive way to help accomplish that goal, he said.

Oil producing giant Suncor Energy Inc. SU.TO ., natural gas and coal power producer TransAlta Corp. TA.TO and pipeline and utility firm Enbridge Inc. ENB.TO recently launched wind power projects in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

The wind energy association wants the federal government to commit to a goal of 10,000 MW of wind power by 2010, or 5 percent of Canada's requirements, and to provide subsidies and mandated wind power use to help the industry compete with cheaper power sources, Hornung said.

Some critics take another approach, saying Canada should have stricter air pollution laws, which would raise the costs of traditional power producers, making wind power more attractive without subsidies.