I join my fellow Canadians in urging our federal government to enact stronger global warming laws and policies.
Press Room
News Release: BC Joins the Wind Energy Revolution
Power Up Canada -
Aug. 6, 2009. Dawson Creek, B.C. — Tzeporah Berman, Executive Director of PowerUP Canada was on hand for today’s opening of the Bear Mountain Wind Park. Berman celebrated the spinning turbines and called for more aggressive action to build a clean economy and combat global warming:
“From beetle infestations to the fires raging through our province, we can see the danger of a hotter planet in our daily lives. Frankly, it’s about time BC got some wind energy on line. Three-quarters of BC’s energy still comes from fossil fuels. If we’re going to get cars and factories onto a green grid, we need aggressive action by the Provincial and Federal Governments.”
PowerUP Canada sees British Columbia having important advantages which could make the province a model for the world. With the base load power from big hydro dams backing up a modern renewable grid, B.C. could build a model for a fossil fuel-free world. It will take aggressive action by government, the private sector and all British Columbians to promote efficiency, clean energy and deploy technologies like electric vehicles.
Berman cited newly published research showing that Canada has much more wind potential than previously recognized: “Canada has the second largest wind potential in the world, but we have to keep pace with investments in the United States, Europe and China. Canadians deserve the jobs and economic potential here at home and global warming means we have no time to lose.”
Fact:
- Canada has the second largest wind energy potential in the world (after Russia) at 78,000 TWh (onshore) and 21,000 TWh (offshore). By contrast Canada’s total electricity consumption is 540 TWh
- Global: land-based 2.5-megawatt (MW) turbines restricted to nonforested, ice-free, nonurban areas operating at as little as 20% of their rated capacity could supply >40 times current worldwide consumption of electricity [prev. estimates were approx 7 times], >5 times total global use of energy in all forms.
- Source: Global potential for wind-generated electricity, 2009. In Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences. http://www.pnas.org/content/106/27/10933.full.pdf
Fact:
- Globally, Renewable Energy financing surpassed fossil fuels in 2008:
- renewables currently account for the majority of investment and over 40% of actual power generation capacity additions last year. [link]
- Wind showed the most total new investment - a total of $51.8 billion
- Source: United Nations, Global Trends in Sustainable Energy investment, 2009 report
http://sefi.unep.org/english/globaltrends2009.html
Fact:
- Wind power projects make up 42 percent of new U.S. generating capacity. That’s a 60 percent increase from 2007. In 2008 alone, 8,558 MW of new capacity and $16.4 billion were invested. Wind energy employment in the U.S. increased from 50,000 to 85,000.
- Source: DOE, 2008 Wind Technologies Market Report
http://eetd.lbl.gov/ea/ems/reports/2008-wind-technologies.pdf
Facts:
According to the Global Wind Energy Council, at the end of 2008:
- The U.S. ranked number one for installed capacity (25,150 MW)
- Germany ranked number two (23, 903 MW)
- Spain ranked number three (16,740 MW)
- China ranked number four (12,210 MW)
- India ranked number five (9,587 MW)
- Canada came in at 11th place (with 2,389 MW) - enough to power 700,000 homes
- Texas leads the U.S. states at 7,118 MW.
- Source: http://www.gwec.net/
Facts:
Canadian stats, from Canadian Wind Energy Association, as of the end of 2008 wind supplies 2246 MW:
- Ontario 781MW
- Quebec 531MW
- Alberta 524 MW
- Saskatchewan 171MW
- Prince Edward Island 72MW
- BC is the last province to have wind energy.
http://www.canwea.ca/pdf/Canada%20Current%20Installed%20Capacity_e.pdf
CanWEA estimates we could get 20% energy needs by 2025 creating 50,000 jobs.
