Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
In Québec, the electric utility is publicly owned; and so, wind power
development has been fueled primarily by provincial political will. he
government has established a target of 4,000 MW of installed wind power
capacity by 2015.
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Almost 1000 MW of capacity was added between 2009
and 2012 alone. Contracts for new wind power projects are determined
through a RFP system. Given that Québec's electricity mix is dominated by
94% hydropower, there is potential for the province to create an electric-
ity grid powered by 100% renewable energy. In 2013 there will be a fourth
RFP tender period for wind power development in Québec, and depending
on developments in Ontario, Québec may emerge as the province with the
most installed wind power by 2015.
In Alberta, wind power inroads have been remarkable given the policy
environment. Alberta is the fossil fuel center of Canada. he Western Canada
Sedimentary Basin that runs down the Alberta side of the Canadian Rockies
stores 39% of Canadian conventional oil reserves and is purported to house
90% of Canada's commercially viable coal reserves. Alberta enjoys a per
capita GDP that is 70% higher than the Canadian average, thanks in large
part to fossil fuel exports. In fact one study, by a group at the University of
Calgary, estimated that without oil and gas revenues, Alberta's GDP would
be halved. In other words, there is signiicant political support for fossil
fuel in the province. As the provincial government summarized in its 2008
energy policy paper, “the development of clean hydrocarbons is essential to
Alberta's energy future.”
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Although there is a degree of political pressure to respond to public sen-
timent in favor of more proactive climate change mitigation policies, the
only substantive policy that has encouraged Albertan wind power develop-
ment has been a carbon tax of C$15 per metric tonne of CO
2
levied on major
energy generators. Yet wind power has blossomed thanks to this tax, along
with the small federal subsidy of C$0.01 per kWh, superb wind quality, and
a provincial electricity market that guarantees unfettered access to the elec-
tricity grid for any technology that can successfully sell into the market. he
success of wind power development in Alberta under relatively scant sup-
port is testament to the commercial viability of wind power.
In other provinces, there are some recent wind power initiatives that also
merit mention. In British Columbia, 390 MW of wind power capacity has
been installed since 2009. his represents the irst wave of development
in a government strategy to achieve energy self-suiciency by 2016, with
50% of new generation coming from clean energy sources. In Manitoba,
the government is aiming to add 1,000 MW of wind power capacity by
2016 and intends to achieve this through a series of RFPs. Similarly, the
New Brunswick utility, NB Power, is planning to commission 400 MW of
