According to the latest data from the Canadian Renewable Energy Association, Canada has seen a 35% growth in wind energy range in the past five years. This growth reflects increasing interest in wind power from major corporations in the clean electricity sector, along with the federal government's initiatives to promote renewable energy and help the country achieve its sustainability goals. In this article, we will dive deeper into the operational side of wind energy in Canada through the following points:
Wind power capacity in Canada
- The popularity of wind energy as a renewable energy in Canada
- The growth of the Canadian wind farm industry
- Major wind farms and turbines in Canada
- Benefits of utilizing wind energy
- Upcoming Canadian wind energy projects
Why Is Wind Energy Important To Canada's Sustainability?
It's important to note that Canada has always been vocal about its stand on the relationship between clean electricity and renewable energy. The greater the optimization of a wide range of renewable energy such as solar energy, hydroelectricity, and wind energy, the better it is for the country's sustainable energy industry. Let's review three key reasons why wind plays a crucial role in Canada’s sustainable energy sector.
🌍Strategic geographical advantages
As the second-largest country in the world by land area, Canada is blessed with vast landscapes and consistently strong winds in different locations whether it's provinces such as Alberta, Ontario, and Québec or coastal regions of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia.
This means there is ample land capacity to build wind farms and place the turbines throughout the country to convert wind energy to electric power and also plan for upcoming offshore projects.
🔒Ensure long-term energy security
Like many other developed countries, Canada greatly relies on ongoing energy security to have political, economic, and social stability. The energy security of a country is mainly achieved through the diversification of energy sources, the development of renewable energy, and the enhancement of energy efficiency.
That's why many countries including Canada are investing in many wind energy-related projects to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels to generate energy because it doesn't produce any harmful emissions during the process. Developing your own source of renewable energy also helps to reduce global economic pressure to constantly export fossil fuels from other countries.
The ability to maintain a secure and affordable supply of energy, utilizing available resources to meet consumption needs without compromising the environment.
🌱Commitment to Canada's climate policies
Finally, Canada is committed to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and promoting renewable energy to generate electric power. Some of the notable Canadian government policies in recent years include the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act and the Clean Electricity Regulations (CER).
Wind power is often paired with water (hydroelectricity) as the main source of renewable energy, which contributes significantly to Canada's sustainability goal to make energy more affordable, accessible, and environmentally friendly in the long run.
Winds of Change: Developing Wind Energy in Canada
To understand why wind farms are so important, we first have to understand the operational side of a wind turbine.
A wind turbine consists of a rotor (positioned in the centre) which spins the blades, a structured tower which supports the turbine, the nacelle (positioned behind the rotor) houses the turbine's generator and various sensors, and the internal generator which converts the kinetic energy through electromagnetic induction.
The larger the wind turbine, the more power it can generate.
A wind farm is established when a group of wind turbines are built together for power generation and it could be onshore or offshore while being connected to a power grid. In Canada, most of the wind farms are built onshore and the oldest wind farm in the country is Cowley Ridge Wind Farm, Alberta, in 1993. Even though this wind farm ceased operations in 2017, it has certainly led to the development of commercial wind farms in the country moving towards the early 2000s till today.
Where Are Wind Farms Most Found in Canada?
Thanks to the joint efforts of various research teams from the University of Alberta, CanmetENERGY in Ottawa, and the Canadian Wind Energy Association, Canadians can now access the latest map of wind farm locations and turbine operation through the Canadian Wind Turbine Database. Currently, the provinces with the most wind farms are Ontario, Québec, and Alberta.
Ontario
Québec
Alberta
What's worth noting here is that higher wind capacity installation in a province doesn't mean that it generates the most electric power. A few reasons that contribute to this are Ontario's greater reliance on sustainable energy to generate electric power due to higher demand in urban areas like Toronto and Ottawa, alongside its more well-integrated wind farm structure and policies. For instance, the electric car industry relies greatly on power derived from renewables like solar and wind energy.
That's why even though the largest operational wind farm in Canada, Buffalo Plains Wind Farm is located in Alberta, the province is still leaning towards fossil fuels to generate most of their energy supply.
Overall, they are found in most provinces in Canada with varied expansion scales depending on their geographical features and energy demands. For instance, Prince Edward Island is a province which focuses a lot on wind supply.
Advantages of Wind Energy Utilization In The Country
Now, let's explore some of the benefits of wind energy optimization for different groups of people in the country. First and foremost, everyone can experience a cleaner environment with less carbon dioxide emissions as a result of the constant combustion of fossil fuels to produce energy. As a major renewable energy resource, we don't have to worry about the long-term supply of wind power too.
Secondly, wind is a cost-effective source of power. It's relatively easier to operate and maintain once the wind turbines are built and grouped in a specific location. Additionally, wind farms can be built in different sizes of lands alongside agriculture activities. This is great news for landowners or farmers who lease their land for a wind farm or installation of a turbine as they can earn an extra source of income through a fixed lease payment while contributing to sustainability efforts.
Thirdly, the optimization of wind power offers various employment opportunities across different industries. From employing sufficient wind engineers to ensure the operational side of the turbine, recruiting professional researchers to carry groundwork surveys to seek the potential of offshore projects, and engaging project management for green energy stocks, the investment in wind farm expansion projects supports an enormous amount of Canadians in the job market.
Over the years, the numbers are expected to grow more in the future with more active engagements from sustainable energy focused companies, both locally and globally. For instance, companies like TransAlta, EDF Renewables Canada, and Kruger Energy are constantly recruiting different talents to be part of their sustainable energy development project.
If you are interested in learning more about wind development, you can always connect with an experienced engineering tutor at Superprof to learn more about the global trends of wind energy technology and how you can apply it here in Canada. Feel free to choose between physical lessons or online lessons to have the best learning experience while browsing a wide selection of tutors' profiles from different locations in the country.
Upcoming Canadian Wind Energy Projects To Be Excited About
After reviewing the current wind power landscape in Canada, it's also important to fix our eyes on some promising programs at different locations that will take the country's wind energy optimization to greater heights. Let's look at these two promising onshore programs first.
Apuiat Wind Farm Project
- Location: Port-Cartier, Quebec
- Wind power: 200 MW
- Total wind turbines: 34
Seven Stars Energy Project
- Location: Saskatchewan
- Wind power: 200 MW
- Expected operational time: 2027 (can last up to 30 years)
As of 2024 and early 2025, our country does not have any offshore wind farms but there have been some discussions on some offshore wind projects expected to start soon such as the following two:
Nova East Wind Project
- Location: Coasts of Nova Scotia
- Power range: 300 – 400 MW
- Timeline: Operational by year 2030
- Feature: Floating turbine technology
Yarmouth Offshore Wind Farm Project
- Location: Nova Scotia
- Power range: 960MW
- Timeline: Operational by year 2030
We hope this article has offered you some insights on the significance of wind energy in Canada in terms of its operational range, environmental and economic benefits as well as the relevance of renewables in the long run.
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