Article by Richard Sarian of Green Party US

Wind energy continues to be the fastest growing power source around the globe, with production increasing by 30% annually for the last five years in a row. But even though countries all around the world are introducing more wind facilities all the time, the surface has barely been scratched on what is possible. If all the wind energy potential was harvested around the globe, we’d have five times the amount of electricity the planet currently consumes every year.

As of January 2005, Canada has the ability to generate 444 megawatts of wind power. The province of Alberta is the top contributor with 274 megawatts, followed by Quebec with 113 megawatts.

Wind facilities in Saskatchewan, Ontario, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and the Yukon make up the remaining 57 megawatts of the national total.

Ottawa recently quadrupled the wind power production target to 4,000 megawatts by the year 2010 – a move that will see the provinces greatly increase their capacities, and welcome new contributors such as British Columbia, Manitoba and the Maritimes into the fold.

Currently, 2,000 megawatts of new power is either under construction or at the point of purchase agreement within various regions of the country.

While Canada is making great strides toward maximizing its wind energy potential (average yearly growth in the country is 35%), it still lags behind many other nations in annual installed capacity and current available megawatts: Germany boasts a whopping 16,500 megawatts of wind power, Spain has 8,000 megawatts and the USA 6,800 megawatts, just to name a few.

In terms of overall contribution to national totals, wind power constitutes less than 0.2% of Canada’s electricity, while nations such as Denmark generate 16% of their power from wind. If all wind resources in Canada were effectively utilized, the country could reasonably meet up to 20% of its energy needs with wind power – enough pollution-free electricity for 3.5 million homes.

While Canada is making great strides toward maximizing its wind energy potential (average yearly growth in the country is 35%), it still lags behind many other nations in annual installed capacity and current available megawatts: Germany boasts a whopping 16,500 megawatts of wind power, Spain has 8,000 megawatts and the USA 6,800 megawatts, just to name a few.

In terms of overall contribution to national totals, wind power constitutes less than 0.2% of Canada’s electricity, while nations such as Denmark generate 16% of their power from wind. If all wind resources in Canada were effectively utilized, the country could reasonably meet up to 20% of its energy needs with wind power – enough pollution-free electricity for 3.5 million homes. Wind energy is the solution of choice for a growing number of countries because of its many environmental benefits and relative ease of use.

Wind is the only power source that is 100% pollution-free, self-renewing and widely available.

Wind energy is the solution of choice for a growing number of countries because of its many environmental benefits and relative ease of use. Wind is the only power source that is 100% pollution-free, self-renewing and widely available. There are no fuel costs associated with the production of wind energy, the installation of wind generating facilities is relatively fast, and the benefits of its production are incremental with every new turbine put into use.

On-going technological improvements ensure the industry is cutting-edge and sustainable in the long-term; today’s modern wind turbines typically last between 20-25 years with regular maintenance. Rural economic development and job creation opportunities are yet other positive attributes to this one-of-a-kind energy source.

Still, wind power faces a number of challenges domestically before it can gain its rightful place in the energy market. Sufficient transmission capacities and interconnection standards are among the industry’s most pressing issues.

Because wind facilities most often must be located in remote areas, proper transmission lines from the future wind farm to the electricity grids are frequently not in place. The creation of these lines and the ability of the grids to accommodate the newly generated power is a common time-consuming setback.

Governments on national, provincial and municipal levels continue to work toward a time when wind power will meet its potential, providing a reliable source of electricity while reducing the negative impact other forms of power emit into the environment everyday.