FACTBOX: Key Facts About Wind Power In Canada
Date: 23-Sep-09
Country: CANADA
Author: Nicole Mordant and Susan Taylor
The Canadian Wind Energy Association is holding its annual conference and trade show in Toronto this week. It is expected to draw more than 2,000 attendees, 200 exhibitors and more than 100 speakers.
Below are facts about wind power in Canada:
* Canada has 2,854 megawatts of installed wind energy capacity, enough to provide power to 860,000 Canadian homes. That is equal to about 1 percent of the country's electricity demand.
* Because of its vast size and geography, Canada has the world's second-largest wind energy potential after Russia.
* Canada ranks 12th in the world for installed wind power capacity and percentage of electricity generated from wind.
* This year will be a record year for wind energy development in Canada with new installed capacity from projects totaling 790 MW. By year-end, Canada will have 3,159 MW of installed capacity.
* Every province in Canada generates some electricity from wind, with Ontario having the most wind farms.
* The Canadian Wind Energy Association has a vision of supplying 20 percent of the country's electricity needs from wind by 2025. That would require installation of about 55,000 MW, more than 20 times what is in operation now. It would involve putting up 22,000 turbines over 450 locations across Canada.
* Achieving this goal would cost a projected C$132 billion ($122 billion), create 52,000 full-time jobs and reduce Canada's annual greenhouse gas emissions by 17 megatons of carbon dioxide a year.
* Canadian wind projects depend almost exclusively on European and U.S. suppliers for turbines and other key components.
