Welcome to IEA Wind Member Country Activities for Canada 2011

Canada is the ninth largest producer of wind energy in the world. It has over 5,200 MW of installed wind energy capacity, which produces enough energy to meet about 2.5% of the country’s total electricity demand.

The wind energy industry in Canada enjoyed a record year in 2011, with the addition of nearly 1,300 MW of new wind energy capacity to provincial grids. This represented more than 3 billion CAD (2.3 billion EUR; 2.9 billion USD) in new investments and created over 13,000 person years of employment (PYE). For 2011, Canada ranks sixth globally in terms of new installed wind energy capacity.

Canada has more than 140 wind farms, spread across 10 provinces and the Yukon. Ontario currently leads in installed wind capacity, with over one-third of the country’s total capacity. The government of Canada continues to fund the growth of Canada’s wind power sector through the ecoENERGY programs. Provinces across Canada continue to offer a range of incentives for renewable power, including wind. In some cases, existing programs have or will undergo changes. Ontario, for example, is moving forward with a review of its Feed-in Tariff (FIT) program. The province of Saskatchewan’s Go Green Fund committed an additional 2.9 million CAD (2.2 million EUR; 2.8 million USD) to its existing net metering rebate program. New manufacturing facilities opened in Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia.

The provinces of Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia are spurring community power in Canada. Ontario Power Authority (OPA) has already signed FIT contracts with several First Nations for wind projects across the province. Subject to approvals, the province of Quebec will have an installed capacity of 291 MW of community wind by 2015. Nova Scotia is reviewing project applications for new Community Feed-in Tariff (COMFIT) projects.

Canada’s federal departments and research organizations are working together in R, D&D areas that are particularly relevant to Canada, including: improving the performance and reliability of small wind turbines, reducing the cost and increasing the penetration of large wind turbines, and addressing the issues of variable energy supplied to the electrical grid. The federal government supports R, D&D in wind through programs such as the Clean Energy Fund and the new EcoENERGY Innovation Initiative (ecoEII).