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Canada is ranked 14th in the world for wind power production. Germany is a global leader, producing 40 percent of the world’s wind power.
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Wind versus water
Measuring the potential of our renewable resources
By Tobi McIntyre
In light of soaring gas prices and talk of energy shortages, the promise of renewable energy
has resurfaced.
Prime Minister Paul Martin has committed to making Canada a major producer of renewable
energy, recognizing the necessity for alternative resources. But, like the charges they emit,
each form of renewable energy production has both positive and negative qualities.
Inspired by Quebec’s resource-lush James Bay region, we compare hydro and wind energy,
evaluate their pros and cons, and attempt to determine an answer to our energy needs.
Winds of change
Canada ’s first major wind project was in Quebec’s blustery Gaspé region.
Wind farms have since popped up all over the country with the help of federal government
dollars. In December 2001, the government announced financial support for the installation
of 1,000 megawatts (MW) of new capital, and then in 2005 for 4,000 MW, to be installed by
2010. Officials hope these lofty numbers will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by three megatonnes
annually by 2010, helping Canada meet its Kyoto promises and compensate for energy shortages.
Wind energy production in Canada has expanded exponentially due to these government initiatives.
Canada’s largest wind farm is currently under construction in Saskatchewan at 150 MW,
with hundreds other MW contracts being awarded across Canada each year. This is a good thing
since Canadians are the largest consumers of energy in the world, with an annual 1.2 percent
growth of electricity needs in Quebec alone.
Measuring up
| |
Wind |
Water |
| Capacity |
590 MW installed capacity, as of Aug. 24/05 |
60% power from hydro |
| Costs |
Averages 4¢/kWh |
Averages 5-¢/kWh |
| Type of resource |
Renewable |
Renewable |
| Predictability |
Predictable in some locations |
Usually predictable year round |
| Incentives |
1.0¢/kWh |
1.0¢/kWh |
| Job creation |
More jobs per unit of energy production than hydro |
|
| Battery reserve |
Requires large reserve |
Requires smaller reserve |
| Land use management |
Farmers/ranchers keep land |
Land loss to flooding, creates potential recreational areas |
| Aesthetic appeal |
Can be noisy; towers can be visually obtrusive, depending on size |
Quiet and can be unobtrusive, depending on dam |
| Land area affected |
Can be very small to many hectares in size; still use land for farming, for example |
Usually large impact on surrounding land; large-scale alterations to water resource
often required |
| Environmental affects |
Kills birds, especially raptors |
Increases mercury levels, can affect entire watersheds, disrupts animal patterns, such
as fish spawns, floods large areas of lands |
Lessons learned
Both forms of energy production have their upsides and downsides of consistency of supply,
environmental effects and lack of emissions. In the end, wind and water power compare rather
similarly. Perhaps this complimentary relationship can, in fact, be the answer.
Wind energy has a strong correlation to load requirement — greater wind potential
in winter and during the day when we use more energy — but is dependent on the wind’s
ebb and flow. At night or during calm days, water stored behind the dam’s walls can
compliment wind and supplement the energy grid. The answer may not be in choosing one power
source or the other, but in developing complimentary renewable energy systems that benefit
the environment and our dwindling energy supply.
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