2009 biggest year yet for Canadian wind power

Canada’s wind industry had its biggest year ever in 2009, as 880 megawatts of new wind-generated power came on stream – the most ever added in one year.

With turbines across the country now capable of churning out about 3,250 megawatts of electricity in total – enough to power about one million homes – the sector has reached a new level of maturity.
It is also finally a truly national industry, with the first wind farm in British Columbia coming on stream in 2009 near Dawson Creek, in the northeastern part of the province. Ontario is now the leader, with about one-third of Canadian installations, Quebec and Alberta together hold about one-third of the market, with the rest of the country making up the balance.

But the past year has also seen a number of key ownership changes, as the players figure out the best way to finance a capital-intensive industry.

Globe and Mail