New survey shows high public support for further wind development in
Ontario and Quebec
OTTAWA, Feb. 12, 2013 /CNW/ - The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC)
recently released its 2012 market statistics, showing continued
expansion of the market, with global installed wind energy capacity
increasing by 19 per cent in 2012 to 282,000 MW. Canada remains a
global wind energy leader as it experienced the 9th largest increase in installed capacity in 2012 (936 MW). Both China
and the United States, the world's wind energy leaders, installed more
than 13,000 MW of new capacity in 2012.
"While China paused for breath, both the US and European markets had
exceptionally strong years," said Steve Sawyer, Secretary General of
GWEC. "Asia still led global markets, but with North America a close
second, and Europe not far behind."
Canada now ranks 9th globally in total installed capacity with more than 6,500 MW of wind
energy in operation - providing enough power to meet the annual needs
of almost 2,000,000 Canadian homes. Ontario is the Canadian leader in
the production of clean wind energy with more than 2,000 MW of
installed capacity now supplying over 3 per cent of the province's
electricity demand. Both Ontario and Quebec will lead the country with
new installations of clean wind energy in 2013 as the Canadian Wind
Energy Association (CanWEA) expects to see a record year for new
installations with the addition of almost 1,500 MW of new capacity -
driving over $3 billion in new investments.
The growth of wind energy development in Ontario and Quebec continues to
have strong public support. A 69 per cent majority of Ontarians agreed
"Ontario should be a leader in wind and solar energy production",
compared to only 20 per cent that disagreed, according to the results
of a January Oracle Research poll commissioned by CanWEA. Eleven per cent of respondents were neutral on the issue. The same
poll also found that solar and wind energy scored highest in a
top-of-mind question about Ontarians' preferred choice for new
electricity generation. A February 9public opinion poll (available in French only) published in Quebec's Le Devoir newspaper showed 79 per cent of respondents support continued wind
energy development in that province.
"Wind energy continues to enjoy strong majority support as a choice for
new electricity generation in Ontario and Quebec because it is
understood to be both good for the environment and a provider of
significant economic benefits for local economies that host
developments," said Robert Hornung, president of CanWEA. "Less well
known is the fact that wind energy is also now cost-competitive with
virtually every option for new electricity generation. It is for these
reasons that wind energy continues to be the fastest growing mainstream
source of electricity in the world."
The rapid growth of wind energy in Canada is also reflected south of the
border where the American wind industry had its best year ever in 2012,
with more than 13,000 MW installed. The extension of the Production Tax
Credit (PTC) in the US means that although the market will slow
substantially in 2013, it is unlikely to be as much of a slowdown as
originally expected, said Sawyer.
Other highlights from the global annual market update include:
- Mexico more than doubled its installed capacity, installing 801 MW for a
total of 1,370 MW joining the list of countries (now 24) with more than
1,000 MW of wind power capacity.
-
European markets, led by Germany and the UK, with surprising
contributions from 'emerging markets' in Sweden, Romania, Italy and
Poland, accounted for 12.4 GW last year, a new record.
-
Both the Chinese and Indian markets slowed somewhat in 2012, but their
annual installations still came in at 13.2 and 2.3 GW respectively.
- Brazil led the Latin America market with 1,077 MW, to bring its total
installed capacity to just over 2,500 MW, and Australia accounted for
all of the new installations in the Pacific region, with 358 MW of new
capacity in 2012 for a cumulative total of 2,584 MW.
The full GWEC report is availablehere.
About CanWEA
CanWEA is the voice of Canada's wind energy industry, actively promoting
the responsible and sustainable growth of wind energy on behalf of its
almost 400 members. A national non-profit association, CanWEA serves as
Canada's leading source of credible information about wind energy and
its social, economic and environmental benefits. To join other global
leaders in the wind energy industry, CanWEA believes Canada can and
must reach its target of producing 20 per cent or more of the country's
electricity from wind by 2025. The document Wind Vision 2025 - Powering
Canada's Future is available at www.canwea.ca.
SOURCE: CANADIAN WIND ENERGY ASSOCIATION
