Canadian wind group sets 10,000 MW goal
Strategies to achieve the real potential of Canadian wind resources, 10,000 MW by 2010, will be the focus of CanWEA's 16th annual conference this month, says association president Fred Gallagher. The conference theme, referred to as 10x10, is a "reasonable" objective for the industry, says Gallagher. A recent government report offering a consensus of expert opinion on how Canada might reach the emission reduction goals of the Kyoto Protocol says natural gas, hydro and wind will rule the market for new generation over the next ten years. Market share will be determined by the rate of increase on electricity demand, power exports to the US, the escalating price of natural gas, the ease with which hydro producers can obtain environmental siting and the preparedness of an underdeveloped wind industry. In stark contrast to Gallagher's vision of 10,000 MW in ten years, Canada has only 127 MW of installed capacity today. "If you don't start marching down the road, you're sure not going to get there," says Gallagher. "Even if we get halfway there, we have at least moved in the right direction. Today, we're debating whether we should go down the road."
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