Canadian wind energy industry is booming

Until now when I was thinking about Canadian energy I had the exploitation of oil shale in mind. But this is changing as the local wind energy industry is booming with up to 2,000 MW of installed capacity at the end of 2008.

This is only the beginning as a deal for an offshore wind farm of up to 4,400 MW was just signed in Ontario. This is to date the world’s largest deal of its kind. Other projects larger than a gigawatt are also due to be signed.

The Ontario province is indeed particularly active in green energy. Let’s hope that what occurs in Ontario will spread to the country as a whole.

Ontario under the Green Energy Act (GEA) is indeed willing to create 50,000 jobs in the next three years in renewable energies industry. This will be supported by interesting feed-in tariffs and other financial incentives.

Energy efficiency and conservation measures as well as smart grids won’t be forgotten.The Province is determined to become the green energy leader in North America.

Wind energy would be a good complement to Canada’’s important hydro facilities. The local electricity comes indeed from around 60 percent hydro, 15 percent nuclear and the remaining from thermal plants with both natural gas and coal.

Let’s get back to the 4,000 MW deal. To TheStar :

Canadian Hydro Developers Inc., the country’s largest independent developer of wind-energy projects, said on Monday it plans to erect enough wind turbines in Lake Erie to power two million homes.

That works out to about 880 offshore wind turbines scattered across the shallowest of the Great Lakes.

The Calgary-based company said it has an agreement to acquire the rights to a 4,400-megawatt “offshore wind prospect” from Utah-based Wasatch Wind Inc.

[Photo credit : Flickr]

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