The Canadian wind industry’s performance in 2016 continued a trend of strong and stable growth. With Canada’s unparalleled wind resource, there are still opportunities to do more to maximize the economic, industrial development, and environmental benefits associated with wind energy development.
Canada finished 2016 with 11,898 MW of wind energy capacity—enough to power 3 million homes, or six per cent of our country’s electricity demand. The year also saw the completion of 21 projects that added 702 MW of new installed capacity, representing over $1.5 billion of investment.
Canada continues to be home to the world’s eighth largest wind generating fleet. The CanWEA website outlines all of the fantastic growth happening in the wind industry market and we recommend checking that information out here.
This year, at CanWEA 2017, we’re going to be exploring emerging opportunities to uncover the new business possibilities that are arising in a range of industry sectors. Here are just a few of those highlights:
- Existing provincial energy strategies are targeting the installation of as much as 7,000 MW of new wind energy capacity by 2030 with 600 MW already underway. Additional energy strategy/policy announcements are expected this year.
- Canada’s Quebec and Atlantic regions are well positioned for export opportunities. States in the U.S. northeast are facing strict carbon emission caps and the retirement of aging generating facilities are increasingly seeing clean power imports from Canada as a reliable and cost-effective solution.
- Canada’s wind farm Operations & Maintenance market revenue opportunity is estimated to be $450 million by 2020.
- As Canada’s wind energy fleet matures, new opportunities are emerging for independent service providers.
- Canada’s mining sector and remote communities are increasingly turning to wind energy to offset diesel energy use.
- Canada continues to explore new markets for clean wind energy in sectors such as transportation and heating, and to pursue opportunities for exporting wind to the United States.
Further to this, there are big advances being made in Alberta and Saskatchewan as they have begun the first rounds of procurement related to long-term energy plans that will result in an estimated 5,600 MW of new wind energy by 2030. As you can see, there is a lot to be excited about when it comes to the wind energy market in Canada!
This excitement is what fuelled the program content for the CanWEA Annual Conference and Exhibition. Highlights include:
- Evolving analysis of wind energy economic opportunities
- Operations and maintenance: asset management to maximize value
- Innovation: disruptive technologies and their impact on wind energy
- Export opportunities to the north eastern United States and the advantages offered by wind energy
- Latest developments and advancements in resource assessment
If you haven’t yet saved the date for CanWEA 2017, we strongly suggest that you do! This is the place to be to get up-to-date industry news and see what the future holds for wind energy.