Where is wind power found?

Wind energy is used all over the world, notably in the United States, Spain, Great Britain, Germany, Denmark and India. In some countries, wind makes up a significant part of the electricity supply network. Denmark, for example, draws more than 20 per cent of its entire electricity supply from wind power, and some areas of Germany are over 50 per cent.

Wind power is the world’s fastest growing energy source. From 1995 to 2009, wind power capacity grew at a rate of 25 to 30 per cent. At the end of 2008, the world’s wind generating capacity totalled approximately 120,800 megawatts and produced about 260 terawatt-hours. This is enough to supply about 26 million North American homes. Industry analysts predict that global wind energy capacity could increase to 186,400 megawatts by 2010 and 332,100 megawatts by 2013.

Global use of wind power has increased rapidly since the oil crisis of the early 1970s, which boosted interest in large wind turbines and sparked government research programs to find alternatives to fossil fuel sources. At the same time, improvements in wind turbine design and technology have reduced the costs of wind power substantially. In some parts of the United States, wind power costs as little as $0.05 US per kilowatt-hour, with the Production Tax Credit.

Hydro-Quebec recently agreed to purchase 2,000 megawatts of wind energy for an average cost of $0.87 Cdn per kilowatt-hour, and the Ontario Power Authority, through its Standard Offer Program for Wind Energy pays wind power producers $0.1108 per kilowatt-hour. Prices for generating wind power are expected to drop even lower over the next decade.

In areas with very good wind resources, such as Canada, Texas and Great Britain, the pricing of wind power is becoming competitive with that for natural gas-fired and coal-fired electricity. Further improvements to turbine design and technology could make wind energy more competitive in areas with lower wind speeds and increase the amount of wind power generated worldwide.

Canada

The use of wind energy has developed more slowly in Canada than in other parts of the world, because of the low cost of conventional electricity supplies, including nuclear and fossil fuel sources. Currently wind power supplies less than one per cent of Canada’s electricity capacity.

In early 2009, Canada had 2,578.91 megawatts of installed wind energy — enough wind energy to support the power needs of 750,000 homes.

Ontario is the leading producer of wind power in Canada, with about 963.7 megawatts of installed capacity, followed by Quebec with 531.8 megawatts, and Alberta with 520.95 megawatts. Southern Alberta is home to a number of large-scale wind projects, including Canada’s largest single site wind farm at McBride Lake. The 75-megawatt, 114 turbine wind farm produces about 235,000 megawatt hours each year, enough energy to power more than 32,500 homes.

In addition to Ontario, Quebec and Alberta, there are large utility-scale wind turbines installed in Yukon, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador and the Yukon.

Although wind power currently makes up a small fraction of our total electricity supply, Canada has the potential to produce much more. Virtually all regions of Canada have areas with good wind resources and favourable wind speeds. Commercially viable wind resources are found in coastal areas, mountains and foothills, in the prairies and on the shores of large lakes.

The Canadian wind power industry believes that it is possible for Canada to produce 50,000 megawatts of wind power, or enough to supply about 20 per cent of the country’s electricity requirements.

All of Canada’s existing wind farms are on shore. However, industry is exploring offshore opportunities along the shallow waters of British Columbia’s coast, in the Great Lakes and along the shores of Atlantic Canada.

The Centre for Energy’s energy map illustrates the location of wind energy in each province.