Wind energy is expanding globally, especially in Europe and Asia. It is expected that wind energy will be one of the major components to a fossil fuel free, or fossil reduced, world. Which is why it is expanding in all reaches of the globe, including Canada.
Canadian renewable energy may not garner much attention globally but the country is slowly gaining considerable renewable capacity. The less greenhouse gas emission-happy neighbor of the United States will be in ninth place overall in the world for wind energy by the end of the year.
According to the Canadian Wind Energy Association, Canada is expected to install approximately 1.4 gigawatts of new wind energy capacity by the end of 2011. This is an increase from 690 megawatts in the year 2010. The province of Ontario is expected to contribute 500 megawatts of the total by the end of December.
As of the end of year, Canada will likely have a total wind energy capacity of 5.4 gigawatts. This is equivalent to powering 1.5 million homes for a year in Canada.
President of the Canadian Wind Energy Association, Robert Hornung, stated: “2011 has been a banner year for new wind energy development in Canada, which means cleaner air, new jobs and local investments for the communities that host wind energy projects. Canada- and, in particular, Ontario- is emerging as a very competitive destination for wind energy investment globally.”
Canada is exiting from current Kyoto Protocol agreements, stating that they will not meet the emission reductions to which they once agreed. Canada has increased emissions since the agreement so their increasing renewable energy sector is likely to assist in reducing emissions regardless of international agreements.
