The Winds of the Future - Electricty Gerneration
The below article is a great example of forward thinking governments receiving a payback after 10 years from their initial investment. Alberta companies have landed large contracts on the other side of North America because the investment in wind and water power research was made. If a government wants to diversify their economy, they must look beyond 1 or 2 years, and build the right environment for advances in technology.
The one thing that is missing from this is the small business and home owner who could be using their property to add a small amount of energy into the grid. Not everything project has to be a mega-project.
Do you have any examples of a short or long term payback in the alternative energy field in your backyard?
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Alberta firms, including Edmonton’s Epcor, emerged as renewable energy leaders when winning bids were announced Monday for new Ontario wind and water power projects.
“You’ll see more of Epcor,” company president Don Lowry vowed in an interview.
The city-owned utility aims to depart from its history in coal-fired power stations by doing 13 per cent of its generation with greener alternatives within five to 10 years, he said.
A $300-million expansion of Epcor’s Kingsbridge wind-turbine farm on the breezy east shore of Lake Huron is among $2 billion in renewable energy projects that won new contracts to hook up to the Ontario grid.
Four Alberta companies will build seven of nine projects in the new generation lineup and account for 80 per cent of the total 975 megawatss in water and wind driven additions to Ontario suppplies - enough electricity for 250,000 homes.
Besides, Epcor, the Alberta winners in the lineup include Canadian Hydro Developers In. (with projects to generate 350 megawatts), Enbridge Inc. (200 megawatss) and Suncor Energy Products Inc. in partnership with EHN Wind-power Canada Inc. (76 megawatts).
Two firms from Quebec landed contracts to build 20 per cent of the new Ontario generating capacity: Gatineau based Brascan Power Wind (90 megawatts) and Kruger Energy of Sherbrooke (101 megawatss).
Wind power dominates the Ontario alternative energy lineup. Only 20 megawatss or two per cent of the new renewable electricty supplies will harness water, at a small dam to be built by Canadian Hydro Developers.
Epcor will add up to 70 wind turbines to its Kingsbridge project near Goderich, 225 km west of Toronto, with construction scheduled to start late next year or early in 2007.
The Edmonton utility is currently erecting 22 colossal windmills on the site, in the first phase of the Kingsbridge launched in 2004 and scheduled for completion in the spring of 2005.
The structures will generate power with mammoth fans that have 36 metre long blades mounted on 78 metre tall spires.
Ontario’s renewable energy program includes long, reliable contracts that ensure power made by new projects will be sold into the provincial grid at prices that keep them economic, Lowery said.
Alberta firms emerged as national leaders in green power, because provincial energy policy fostered commercial development of alternatives to coal and natural gas fired power stations over the past 10 years, Lowery said.
Albertar currently leads Canada in wind power, with about 275 MW or 47% of the country’s total installed turbine capacity of 590 MW. The new Ontario projects, while generating 160% jump in national wind power, are only one step in rapid growth on the horizon. The Canadian Wind Energy Association predicted.
Over the next 10 years, Ontario, wind power can hit 6000 MW in the national total could rise to 8000 MW. If all current federal and provincial commitments to the new field pan out, the association predicted.
“The new wind power lineup shows just how much potential this province has,” Ontario energy Minister Donna Cansfield said. Bidders for more projects will be sought in order to hit a provincial target of adding 2700 MW of new renewable energy to the Ontario grid by 2010.
Epcor will be part of wind power expansion and intends to step up activity in the growth field in the northwestern United States as well as Canada, Lowery said.
Opportunities will increase due to creation of the Epcor Power LP income trust by the September 2006 takeover of a dominant ownership interest and management of the former TransCanada Power, Lowery predicted.
Article appeared in the Edmonton Journal on November 22, 2005, written by Gordon Jaremko, Journal Business Writer as reported from Edmonton.