Wind Power

Wind power results from the conversion of solar energy – the sun’s radiation heats different parts of the earth at different rates that causes portions of the atmosphere to warm differently. When hot air rises, cool air is drawn into replace it and wind results. A portion of the kinetic energy of wind can be converted into mechanical energy (by rotors) and into electricity (by a generator).

The development of wind power is booming worldwide. Global wind capacity has increased by an annual average of 28% between 2000 and 2005 while Canadian wind capacity has increased by an annual average of 38% between 2000 and 2005. Although wind capacity in Canada still represents less than 1% of total electricity generation, it accounts for over 20% of electricity generation in Denmark, over 6% in Spain and over 5% in Germany.

The use of wind energy in Canada is dramatically increasing for several reasons. Wind has recently improved its cost competitiveness against conventional generation. Also, government tax and other incentives are available to encourage renewable power. Renewable power, such as wind power, does not result in greenhouse gas emissions – it is carbon-free power and helps to fight climate change. Wind power is also increasingly popular in Canada because it is compatible with existing land uses such as farming, ranching, forestry and recreation. Wind development also provides an additional source of income for landowners and property tax for municipalities.

No discussion of wind power would be complete without mention of the global effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. While negotiated in 1997, The Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change entered into force on February 16, 2005 and committed thirty industrialized countries, including Canada, to reduce or limit their greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions for the period between 2008 and 2012. Under this new treaty, Canada has committed to a reduction of 6% below 1990 levels – a reduction which translates into a so-called “Kyoto Gap” of 270,000,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (“tCO2e”) or 270 Mt per year. Wind power, along with other renewable energy technologies, will assist Canada in reducing the national greenhouse gas emissions.