Canada Keeps Pace With European Wind Energy Efforts

Posted on May 9, 2012 by admin

The Europeans have always been in the lead when it comes to adopting the kind of green technology that includes the latest wind farm techniques and recent reports have them racing to place more clean wind energy off their coasts. In the last three years European wind energy efforts have more than doubled and plans to increase output continue to move forward.

Amid ever increasing fossil fuel prices and political pressure, more plans have recently been announced to bump up offshore wind energy capacity according to the European Wind Energy Association, or EWEA. Still called a niche industry, but one that’s rapidly growing, the offshore wind farm market will count for 8% of worldwide needs in 2016.

Not to be outdone, we’ve kept pace here in Canada. Currently we use only enough of what’s called our ‘massive’ wind energy potential to power 1 million of our homes, but there are hopes to harness the power of our three coastlines and windy mountains. The Canadian Wind Energy Association also advocates what they call a balanced energy diet whereby conventional electricity and the type generated by wind power compliment each other.

The proposed relationship between wind and hydroelectric is just one example of this suggested tag team. It’s proposed that over shorter time spans hydro can be used here in Canada to compensate for times when wind power isn’t as abundant. On the other hand, wind power is the clear choice to compensate when reservoir levels drop which is a forecast from the models derived from climate change.

There can be no mistake the push is on in Canada to make this sustainable resource one for the future in several provinces including Ontario. Consider the future plans for Canada’s biggest province when it comes to wind energy that encompasses:

· Plans to increase the province’s wind farm capacity by 2018. There’s a double-edged sword here when it comes to employment and revenue since the proposed 5,600 MW of new wind capacity will create 80,000 person years of employment. Good news for a province that has been ravaged by the hard times encountered by their manufacturing sector.
· Increased revenues in the forms of taxes and lease payments over the 20 year lifespan of the projects being proposed.

There are even those in the industry that are predicting bigger things than the current numbers support. In fact, one of the Canadian proponents of wind-based energy, CanWEA, is saying that this sustainable energy can support 25% of the nation’s electricity demands by the year 2025. A new way of thinking comes with any shift to clean energy and the problem has always been with detractors who say sustainable energy efforts don’t make room for job creation. Clearly that’s not the case here as the projections for 2025 are also including 52,000 new high quality jobs in the arena.

Across the globe, more and more countries are seeing the obvious benefits to looking into sustainable energy in general and wind energy specifically. From the wind farm techniques used off the coasts in Europe to our efforts at harnessing the power of this natural resource here at home, the benefits are becoming more and more clear.

Top 10 Largest Wind Farms In Canada

Posted on March 28, 2012 by admin

*Picture Source: Canadian Wind Energy Association

According to the Canadian Wind Energy Association, there are currently 140 active wind farms across Canada. With the largest Canadian wind farm creating just over 197 Megawatts of electricity, we are by no means a major player when it comes to wind energy. This is bound to change in the near future however, thanks to government initiatives like the Ontario FIT Program.

The title of the world’s largest wind farm is held by the United States, with the Roscoe Wind Farm in Roscoe, Texas. With 627 wind turbines that span over 100,000 acres (400 km2) of land, the Roscoe Wind Farm creates 781.5 Megawatts of electricity, which enough to power more than 250,000 average Texan homes.

Currently, the total wind farm capacity in Canada is only 5,265 Megawatts, and although that is enough electricity to power over 1 million homes, it only equates to about 2% of our energy requirements. In comparison, the state of Texas alone creates 10,223 Megawatts with its combined 40 different wind farm projects.

However, there is still room for growth, and by looking at the top 10 largest wind farms in Canada, it is evident that we are already on the right track:

#10 – Baie-des-Sables, QC

Located on the Gaspe Péninsule of Bas Saint-laurent, Quebec, the Baie-des-Sables wind farm consists of 73 GE wind turbines that have been cranking out 109.5 Megawatts of electricity since November 2006.

#9 – Carleton Wind Farm, QC

At the tip of Chaleur Bay in Carleton-sur-mer, Quebec you will find the Carleton Wind Farm. With 73 GE wind turbines, this wind farm is capable of producing 109.5 Megawatts of electricity, and has been doing so since November of 2008.

#8 – Jardin d’Eole Wind Farm, QC

The Jardin d’Eole Wind Farm is located in Saint-Ulric, Quebec, and with 85 GE wind turbines it has been producing 127.5 Megawatts of electricity since November 2009.

#7 – Melancthon Phase II, ON

Situated between Georgian Bay and Lake Ontario you will find the Melancthon Phase II wind farm. It was installed in November of 2008, and with its 88 GE wind turbines, it is capable of producing 132 Megawatts of electricity.

#6 – St. Joseph, MB

Just over a year old, this southern Manitoba wind farm is located on Highway 75 near St. Joseph. With its 60 Siemens wind turbines this wind farm can produce up to 138 Megawatts of electricity for Manitoba Hydro.

#5 – Dokie Wind Project, BC

Head north from Vancouver and 1,100 kilometres later you’ll find the Dokie Wind Project, near Chetwynd, British Columbia. With its 43 Vestas V-90 wind turbines it is capable of producing 144 Megawatts of electricity for BC Hydro.

#4 – Centennial Wind Power Facility, SK

Located southeast of Swift Current, Saskatchewan is the Centennial Wind Power Facility.
With its 83 Vestas wind turbines it is capable of producing 149.4 Megawatts of electricity for SaskPower. That’s enough to power 69,000 Saskatchewan homes each year.

#3 – Enbridge Ontario Wind Farm, ON

Situated on the shores of Lake Huron, near Kincardine, Ontario is the Enbridge Ontario Wind Farm. With 110 Vestas wind turbines, this wind farm has been producing up to 181.5 Megawatts of electricity since April 2009.

#2 – Prince Wind Farm, ON

Just north of Sault Ste. Marie, near the shores of Lake Superior is the Prince Wind Farm.
With its 126 GE wind turbines capable of producing 189 Megawatts of electricity each year, the Prince Wind Farm is the second largest wind farm in Canada.

#1 – Wolfe Island EcoPower Centre, ON

Wolfe Island is located at the entrance to the Saint Lawrence River in Lake Ontario near Kingston and the wind farm can be found on the western portion of island. Its 86 Siemens wind turbines are capable of creating 197.8 Megawatts of electricity, enough to power over 75,000 average households with clean, renewable energy each year, making the Wolfe Island EcoPower Centre the largest wind farm in Canada.

Ontario FIT Program Explained

Posted on March 22, 2012 by admin

FIT, or feed-in tariff, is a worldwide, governmentally funded program that is designed to encourage the growth of renewable energy technologies such as wind energy. It is achieved by offering long-term contracts, 20 years in the case the Ontario FIT Program for onshore wind energy projects, to renewable energy producers. Furthermore, the program also awards a lower per-kWh price, 13.5 ¢/kWh for wind power created in Ontario, to further assist in the growth of these renewable technologies.

Ontario first introduced their own feed-in tariff program in 2006, and later revised it in 2009, when the Green Energy Act and FIT program were officially launched with the goal of:

Making it easier and more efficient to develop renewable energy projects
Stimulating the economy and creating new jobs
Replacing output lost by the closure of coal-fired plants with cleaner sources of renewable energy

In just the first two years of the FIT program there have been approximately 2,500 medium and large renewable energy projects awarded and over 11,000 microFIT projects, with enough clean renewable energy produced to power almost 1.2 million homes.

Thanks largely to the efforts of the FIT program, Ontario has been able to shutdown 8 of its 19 coal-fired plants in the province, with the remaining scheduled to be closed by the end of 2014. Technologies such as wind and solar will be needed to make up the difference.

Even though wind energy is relatively new to Canada, two of the largest wind farms in the country are already located in Ontario, and by the end of 2009 they were producing nearly 1,200 megawatts of electricity for the province.

The Ontario FIT program is currently in the process of its 2-year review, which will help to ensure the continued success and sustainability of the program. The outcome of the review may be uncertain, but according to the Ministry of Energy website, Deputy Minister Fareed Amin expects to submit his “recommendations to the minister in the near future”.

With the recent release of the Drummond report, the Commission on the Reform of Ontario’s Public Services recommends that the province can reduce the impact on electricity prices by “lowering the initial prices offered in the FIT contract and introducing degression rates that reduce the tariff over time to encourage innovation and discourage any reliance on public subsidies”.

Only time will tell what the future of Ontario’s FIT program will be.

Will Wind Overtake Nuclear As The Preferred Worldwide Power Source?

Posted on February 29, 2012 by admin

According to the Global Wind Energy Council, by the close of 2011, the total worldwide wind power generation output was 238 gigawatts. Although this may seem lower than the 392 gigawatts of power that was generated from nuclear plants in 2010, as reported by the World Nuclear Association, you just have to look at wind power’s short history to see that, if the trend continues, wind will overtake nuclear as the preferred worldwide power source.

In just ten short years wind power’s output as increased 10 times since 2001, where only 23.9 gigawatts were generated. Furthermore the 2011 numbers were up 21% from 2010.

Nuclear on the other hand has only risen by 7% since the 2001, and the numbers have actually fallen within the first month of 2012. The decline in nuclear output is in relation to the Fukushima disaster, which not only shut down two of Japan’s nuclear reactors, but a host of other reactors where also shut down around the world in order to avoid a similar accident.

Industry experts agree, that if the trend for significant growth in wind power generation continues, that in just five short years wind will overtake nuclear as the preferred worldwide power source.

A Brief History of Wind Power

Posted on September 23, 2011 by admin

If we are to discuss wind power generation, we should start at the beginning.

One of two 1887 wind turbines

Wind energy has a long and glorious history. In fact, it was around long before mankind learned how to harness it so that it would serve a more useful purpose than merely dispersing the leaves you had just finished raking into a pile.

Once upon a time, wind powered our ships, blowing into our billowing sails. Wind powered our mills, grinding our grain so that we could make bread and cakes. Wind was used to ventilate buildings. Wind-powered pumps drained the Netherlands and pumped water into the desert.

But it was not until late in the 19th century, that mankind learned how to make wind energy portable by converting it to electricity. Today, wind powers everything from light bulbs to heating systems, from power tools to home entertainment. And it still powers our mills, but not our ships.

The first wind turbine to produce electricity was in Scotland (a land where Windsmith has installed several wind farm projects), where it powered a house in 1887. The cloth-sailed wind turbine stood 33 feet high and produced enough electricity to power the street lights in the town of Maykirk – but the townsfolk rejected electricity as “the work of the Devil”.

Of course, wind no longer works alone; the electricity wind farms generate is combined with energy generated from solar, nuclear, fossil fuel and coal power generation, together mixing in what we call “The Grid”.

It must be understood that until recently, wind was not a major player feeding the grid. Not until the 1990s did the public start to discuss wind as a mainstream source of electrical power. Climate change and an eventual shortage and even depletion of fossil fuels have combined to make wind energy more attractive.

In the posts ahead, we will discuss wind power and its role in electricity generation, climate change, economics and practical applications, and we will also share with you some of our wind farm installation and maintenance experiences..

Testing various wind turbines at North Cape, PEI, Canada