Page 203 - Geosystems An Introduction to Physical Geography 4th Canadian Edition

Chapter 6 atmospheric and Oceanic Circulations 167
TABLE 6.1.1 Wind Power in Canada
Province/ Territory
Installed (MW, end of December 2014)
alberta
1471
▲Figure 6.1.2 Wind turbines at a former industrial site on Lake Erie. The “Steel Winds” project began in 2007 and in 2012 achieved a total generating capacity of 35 MW, enough to power about 15 000 homes in western new york. [ken JP Stucynski.]
provincial crown corporations are developing wind- power generation. Table 6.1.1 presents the active wind- power generation capacity by prov- ince and territory as of May 30, 2014.
Wind Power Status and Benefits
British Columbia 489 Saskatchewan 198 Ontario 3216 newfoundland 55 nova Scotia 336 yukon 1 nunavut 0
Sources: Canadian Wind energy association; natural resources Canada.
challenges of wind-generated power are the high initial financial investment re- quired to build the turbines and the cost of building transmission lines to bring electricity from rural wind farms to urban locations.
To put numbers in meaningful per- spective, every 10 000 WM of wind- generation capacity reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 33 million tonnes if
it replaces coal or by 21 million tonnes if
it replaces mixed fossil fuels. if countries rally and create a proposed $600 billion in- dustry by installing 1250 000 MW of wind capacity by 2020, that would supply 12% of global electrical needs. By the middle of this century, wind-generated electric- ity, along with other renewable energy sources, could be routine.
Manitoba
259
Québec
2688
electrical generation facility, the largest urban installation in the country. The former “brownfield” site now supplies enough electricity to power 15000 homes in western new york. a proposed expan- sion would add 500 MW from some 167 turbines to be installed offshore in lake erie. With the slogan “Turning the rust Belt into the Wind Belt,” this former steel town is using wind power to lift itself out of an economic depression.
Wind Power in Canada
The Canadian Wind energy association has stated a goal of supplying 20% of Canada’s electricity demand by 2025. By the end of 2014, Canada had installed more than 9200 MW (megawatts, equal
to 8.1 gigawatts, or gW) of wind power capacity. There are wind energy genera- tion installations in 10 provinces and two territories. in yukon, renewable energy programs fund pilot projects. in alberta and Ontario, private for-profit power developers operate wind farms to supply electricity to competitive wholesale mar- kets. The erie Shores Wind Farm depicted in the chapter opening photo produces 99 MW and is an operating example of such a venture. in other regions, partner- ships between private companies and
Wind-generated energy resources are the fastest-growing energy technology— capacity has risen worldwide in a continuing trend of doubling every
3 years. Total world capacity reached
318 105 MW (megawatts), or 318.1 gW (gigawatts), by the end of 2013, from installations in over 90 countries, includ- ing sub-Saharan africa’s first commercial wind farm in ethiopia; this is an increase of 19% over 2011. globally, China has the highest installed wind energy capacity at 77 gW, followed by the United States at 60 gW (in 2012).
The european Wind energy as- sociation announced installed capacity exceeding 117 300 MW at the end of 2013, enough to meet 8% of its electricity needs. germany has the most, followed by Spain, the United kingdom, italy, and France. The european Union has a goal of 20% of all energy from renewable sources by 2020.
The economic and social benefits from using wind resources are numerous. With all costs considered, wind energy is cost- competitive and actually cheaper than
oil, coal, natural gas, and nuclear power. Wind power is renewable and does not cause adverse human health effects or environmental degradation. The main
Pei
203
new Brunswick
294
northwest Territory
9
TOTal
9219
surface waters that ride on top of the denser saline water. In theory a large input of fresh water into the North At­ lantic could reduce the density of seawater enough that downwelling would no longer occur there—effectively shutting down the THC.
Ongoing scientific research shows the effects of cli­ mate change in the Arctic: rising temperatures, melting
sea ice, thawing permafrost, melting glaciers, increased runoff in rivers, increased rainfall, all adding to an over­ all increase in the amount of freshwater entering the Arctic Ocean. Current models suggest that a weakening of the THC is possible by the end of the 21st century. For more information on this research frontier, check sio.ucsd .edu/ or www.whoi.edu/ for updates.