Article by Bernard Roth, Tom Pepevnak , Karim Mahmud, Miles Pittman, Joseph Palin, Kevin Scott, Philip Barton, Rich Miller, John Hurley, Claude Imbeau, Charles Spector, Sebastien Vilder, Helen Newland, Ralph Cuervo-Lorens and Ron Stuber
This issue of Focus on Climate Change reviews the record growth in the Canadian wind energy industry and the government incentives and policies which are encouraging such growth.
Background:
There is currently a development boom in the Canadian wind energy industry fuelled by support from several provincial governments and from Ottawa. The national wind energy industry has expanded from just over 300 megawatts ("MW") of installed capacity in 2003 to 683 MW at the end of 2005; making Canada the 14th largest producer of wind energy in the world. The average annual growth rate between 2000 and 2005 has been 38% and 2005 witnessed a spectacular growth rate of 54% with the addition of 239 MW of new capacity representing about $400 million of capital
