Canada has become the seventh country in the world to surpass 10,000 megawatts of installed wind energy capacity, according to the Canadian Wind Energy Association.
“Meeting the 10,000 MW milestone confirms that Canada is a global leader in wind energy development,” says Robert Hornung, CanWEA President. “Wind energy’s cost competitiveness, coupled with the fact that it produces no greenhouse gas emissions, means it is well positioned to continue its rapid growth as a mainstream contributor to Canada’s electricity supply.”
Over the last five years, more wind energy capacity has been installed in Canada than any other form of electricity generation. It has seen three record years for the annual installation of new wind energy capacity and Canada’s wind energy capacity has grown by an average of 1,300MW, or 24%, annually. 2015 is on track to exceed this five-year average for new installations.
Wind turbines are now operating in every province in Canada, and in the Northwest Territories and Yukon, providing clean wind energy to over 100 communities and accounting for nearly 5 per cent of domestic Canadian electricity demand. That’s enough power to meet the needs of over 3 million average Canadian homes every year.
“Wind energy is meeting Canada’s demand for new electricity in a clean, reliable and cost-competitive way,” says Robert Hornung, CanWEA President. “As concerns about global climate change grow, wind energy will also need to play a critical role in Canada’s transition to a more flexible and decentralized low carbon electricity system.
Every megawatt of new wind energy represents an investment of approximately CAD $2 million (US$1.6 million).