Wind Energy in Alberta and Canada. Synergy Alberta Conference 2010 David Huggill, Western Canada Policy Manager, CanWEA October 26, 2010

Transcription

1 Wind Energy in Alberta and Canada Synergy Alberta Conference 2010 David Huggill, Western Canada Policy Manager, CanWEA October 26, 2010

2 Presentation Overview Status of Wind Development Global, Canada, and Alberta Perspectives Information about wind development Some Basics on Wind Power Questions

3 About CanWEA National association for the wind energy industry in Canada More than 450 members representing all industry players: Wind turbine manufacturers, component suppliers, wind energy project developers, owners and operators and a broad range of service providers Our mission is to promote the responsible and sustainable growth of the wind energy industry in Canada We are engaged in: Policy development and advocacy (federally and provincially) Communications and public outreach Educational and networking opportunities For more information and resources on wind:

4 2009: A Record Year for Wind Globally 38,000 MW installed in 2009 alone a record year in a global recession representing $US 63 billion in investment. Canada also had a record year with 950 MW installed. Wind energy was the largest source of new electricity generation in both the US and the EU in 2009 Entering 2009, wind energy produced enough electricity to meet the following percentages of domestic electricity demand in the following countries: Denmark (20%), Spain (13%), Portugal (12%), Ireland (9%), Germany (8%), Greece (5%), Canada (1%)

5 Key Drivers for Wind Energy Development (1) Improving climate / environmental performance of electricity systems Electric power generation represents 38% of global carbon dioxide emissions Wind energy one of only 3 options for major emission reductions by 2020 (energy efficiency, fuel switching from coal to gas, renewables) Virtually no water use No air/water pollution, or toxic / hazardous wastes Enhanced energy security Rapidly deployable, widely available energy resource now used in 70+ countries

6 Key Drivers for Wind Energy Development (2) A new industrial development opportunity 400,000 jobs globally today projected 2 million jobs globally by 2020 A rural economic development opportunity Investment, jobs, lease payments, property taxes, community investments Cost-effective in an era of rising electricity costs No fuel costs, technology costs decreasing, competing generation becoming more expensive

7 Wind Energy in Canada - September ,499 MW = Electricity for over 1 million homes = 2 % of Canada s total demand A record 950 MW added in 2009 New wind developments in 2009 represented more than $2.2 billion in investment

8 A wind turbine close up!

9 How does the wind end up as power in your home?

10 What s so good about wind power? Environmental attributes: 1. No emissions 2. Uses no water 3. Has no toxic or residual waste 4. Small footprint on the landscape 5. Canada s got LOTS and at the right time of year!

11 Social Attributes 1. Green power that is completely renewable 2. The demand for electricity continues to grow so we will need more power all the time. 3. Provides answers to issues like climate change and our green house gas emissions. 4. Provides an alternative energy source to other more heavy polluting sources of power generation.

12 Economic Help to Rural Communities 1. The cost of the fuel = $0.00 Economic Attributes 2. Provides another crop to be harvested by the farmers that allows them to stay on their land and continue to farm and ranch. 3. Provides money to rural based communities so they can continue to prosper. 4. The cost of wind power is the same as other new types of power generation.

13 Resources Available to Alberta Landowners Pembina Institute s recently released Landowners Guide Purpose of the guide: De-mystify wind energy Facilitate negotiations by informing landowners Create context for win-win Avoid social friction through misinformation/fear Recognize real challenges and issues Encourage good projects

14 Alberta Landowners Guide

15 Why Small Wind? Energy Conservation Turbines produce power at the point of consumption Avoids line losses, can make the grid more secure, reducing peak demand and congestion on strained grids Those installing small wind will typically focus on EE first Incentive can be designed to further encourage conservation Economic Benefits Manufacturing opportunities for both domestic and int l markets Installation jobs in rural areas, where economic stimulation needed Medium-sized systems can significantly offset farming/commercial electricity costs and demand

16 Types of Small Wind Systems Residential grid-tie (1 10 kw) Remote & Wind-Diesel ( kw) Battery Charging (< 1 kw) Farm & Commercial ( kw)

17 Mid-sized farm systems (10 kw to 100 kw) Market and prospects On-grid farm systems providing over 50% of electricity Currently very few systems in Canada (under 100) Buyer motivation: stable long-term cost of electricity, interest in energy independence Typical application Roughly $5,500 - $6,500 per kw Capacity factor : 15% - 20% for a well-sited system A 50 kw installation: $250,000 providing 87 MWh per year (enough for 8 average homes)

18 Small-size residential systems (1 kw to 10 kw) Market and prospects On-grid residential, net metered system providing anywhere from 10% to 150% of house electricity Currently few systems in Canada (between 300 to 400) Buyer motivation: environmental interests, longer-term paybacks Typical application Roughly $7,000 - $8,000 per kw Capacity factor : 15% - 20% for a well-sited system A 10 kw installation: $70,000 providing 15 MWh per year A 1 kw installation: $7,000 providing ~ 1 MWh per year

19 Relevant initiatives Small Wind Certification Council (SWCC) Certification of performance, sound and duration for SWT Provides security that turbine will perform as advertised Allows apples to apples comparison of turbines First certified turbines will come out by mid 2011 Education materials: CanWEA Small Wind Purchase Guide (2008) CanWEA Small Wind Siting Guidelines CanWEA website: Legislation materials: Encouraging streamlined permitting and connection Model Municipal Zoning Bylaws

20 BUT Wind Power is not perfect. Like all forms of power generation there are trade offs for choosing wind power. Lots of accusations are being thrown at wind power as it expands across the country. The industry takes these concerns very seriously and ensures that the right people have the right information to make the right decisions for their communities. Important to distinguish between: Fact (peer-reviewed) and speculation (not reviewed) Quantitative (science-based) and qualitative (judgement-based) issues

21 How loud is a wind turbine?

22 CanWEA AWEA Sound Panel Panel of experts on human health impacts and health care professionals investigated relationship between wind turbines and human health Concluded there was no direct or causal relationship between turbine use and health impacts Important because it was the first study of its kind to look at this issue in such detail

23 Sound Panel - Conclusions In conclusion: 1. Sound from wind turbines does not pose a risk of hearing loss or any other adverse health effect in humans. 2. Subaudible, low frequency sound and infrasound from wind turbines do not present a risk to human health. 3. Some people may be annoyed at the presence of sound from wind turbines. Annoyance is not a pathological entity. 4. A major cause of concern about wind turbine sound is its fluctuating nature. Some may find this sound annoying, a reaction that depends primarily on personal characteristics as opposed to the intensity of the sound level.

24 Why Address These Challenges? CanWEA released WindVision 2025 : 20% of Canada s electricity demand to be met by wind energy by 2025 Opportunity: Canada has a massive high quality wind resource, a large hydroelectric base, green energy export potential and a solid industrial manufacturing base Impacts: 55,000 MW of installed wind capacity Minimum $79 billion investment in Canada Creates minimum 52,000 new jobs Reduces GHG emissions by 17 Mt annually Wind: Canada's infinite source of clean energy.

25 Wind Energy In Canada 2010 to 2015 Installed capacity expected to reach 4,000 MW by end of 2010 Contracts signed for almost 6,000 MW of new wind construction to be built between now and 2015 CanWEA believes that a minimum of 12,000 MW of wind energy capacity will be installed by 2015 Ontario s Green Energy Act will result in at least 5,000 MW by 2020 Quebec 4,000 MW by 2016 (3,500 MW has already been procured) Alberta Building new transmission to connect an additional 3,000 MW Maritime Provinces Minimum 1,200 MW by 2015

26 Capturing Wind Energy s Full Potential Electricity markets must reflect full costs (e.g., environmental externalities) of different generation options through taxes/incentives Governments must provide stable and sustained (long-term) policy support for wind energy deployment (e.g., deployment targets) Grid investments must access wind resource rich areas and facilitate wind energy integration through stronger interconnections Governments must improve the efficiency, without diminishing the effectiveness, of wind energy permitting and approval processes Wind energy project developers must work hard to build and earn community support for wind energy development Wind energy R+D must continue to improve generation efficiency, decrease energy production costs and facilitate grid integration

27 References Audible sound Wind Turbines and Sound: Review and Best Practice Guidelines, HGC Engineering, February CanWEA Fact Sheet: Visual and sound - The sights and sounds of wind Infrasound and amplitude modulation Research into Aerodynamic Modulation of Wind Turbine Noise, University of Salford, UK, July Wind Turbines and Infrasound, HGC Engineering, Nov 2006,

28 References Environmental impacts (avian) Wind Turbines and Birds: A Guidance Document for Environmental Assessment - Final Document and Recommended Protocols for Monitoring Impacts of Wind Turbines on Birds, Canadian Wildlife Service, CanWEA Fact Sheet: Wildlife: Birds, bats and wind energy Interference with telecommunications Technical Information on the Assessment of the Potential Impact of Wind Turbines on Radio Communication, Radar and Seismoacoustic Systems, Radio Advisory Board of Canada (RABC) and CanWEA, April

29 Small Wind Market Report - An Overview of Canada's Small Wind Manufacturing Sector Alberta Landowners Guide: