The Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) has released its strategic vision for wind energy development during its 24th Annual Conference and Trade Show in Vancouver, British Columbia. The plan, entitled Wind Vision 2025 – Powering Canada's Future, argues that Canada can – and must – ensure that wind energy supplies 20% of the country's demand by 2025, bringing total Canadian wind energy capacity to 55,000 MW.
This target would generate C$79 billion of investment in Canada by 2025 and would make the Canadian wind power sector a major player in an international wind energy market valued at $1.8 trillion.
According to the report, development on this scale would also have a major impact on the economy, creating 52,000 full-time jobs – many of them in rural areas – accounting for C$165 million in revenue per year for Canadian municipalities. The strategy states that increased wind-energy production would stabilize electricity rates for Canadians, ensure a diversity of supply and reduce Canada's annual greenhouse gas emissions by 17 megatons annually.
CanWEA is asking federal and provincial governments to quickly implement policies and programs that will address some of the current roadblocks to the development of the country's wind energy potential.
The industry is also putting forth the following requests:
– that the government assign fair value to the positive environmental impacts of wind energy;
– the wind energy procurement process should be improved;
– steps should be taken to encourage the production of wind turbines in Canada;
– transmission infrastructure should be planned and built taking wind energy into consideration; and
– the process for granting and approving permits for wind energy projects should be streamlined.
SOURCE: Canadian Wind Energy Association
