The History of Wind

No matter how far back we go in time, mankind has relied upon the wind. The ancient Egyptians used wind to sail the Nile, and the ancient Persians created the first windmills to grind grain and pump water.

The Dutch used windmills to reclaim their land from the sea by draining wetlands. Windmills were first used to generate electricity in North America in the 1800s and continued to do so up until the 1930s when the extension of the electric power grid to rural areas brought the decline of demand for electricity generated on-site. As we enter the 21st century, the continued evolution of wind turbine technology means wind energy is poised to power us into the future.

Canadian Wind

In Canada, we have more wind than we could ever use. Our vast landscape, our three windy coastlines, the plains and mountains all contribute to this endless resource. Today, we are just beginning to tap into Canada’s potential wind resource, which currently powers the equivalent of 315,000 Canadian homes. Tomorrow we hope to do even more. Like Denmark, Canada has more than enough wind resources to meet 20% of our electricity demands – enough to power 17 million homes! As long as the wind continues to blow, there is a great future in wind energy.

A Viable Resource

Everyone knows that the wind is variable. Sometimes it blows, other times it doesn’t. So how can wind power be a reliable source of energy? The answer to that lies in how we plan for variability.

Most turbines are located in sites where there’s enough wind to produce electricity 70-80% of the time. Naturally, the amount of electricity produced varies with the wind. The way we manage for this variability is to locate wind farms in different geographical areas so that turbines can take advantage of different prevailing winds. The fact is, the wind will never stop blowing everywhere at once – even within a single wind farm, it’s unlikely that all the turbines stop spinning at one time. With Canada’s large and varied wind resource, there’s no doubt that the wind can power us well into the future.

The Capacity Factor

Estimating energy productivity is done through a calculation called capacity factor. If a power plant produced at full capacity 100% of the time, it would have a capacity factor of 100%. Of course, wind is variable, so it doesn’t have a 100% capacity factor – but neither does any other form of energy. No energy source, conventional or otherwise, works 100% of the time. It’s simply impossible.

There are periods when power plants shut down for maintenance and repairs. There are times when resources run low or when unexpected outages occur.

One of the greatest attributes of wind is that it blows hardest – and therefore generates more electricity – in the winter. Wind power offers an opportunity to add more green energy to the grid and to add it during the coldest months of the year, when demand is heavy.

Harmony with Nature

Studies show that modern wind farms with sensitive siting have no significant adverse effect on bird populations. The wind energy industry is investing in closely monitoring this important issue and continues to work vigilantly to avoid any significant impact.

Wind energy is emission-free and can help offset the effects of climate change. Wind farms can also be developed with respect for habitats – addressing two significant threats to birds and all other forms of wildlife.