The Canadian wind industry had its best year ever in 2009. 880 MW of new capacity was installed across the country, much due to the policies introduced by the Canadian government to stimulate the sector. The state of Ontario has been one of the biggest beneficiaries and is currently leader in wind power generation. In total, Canada has 3,249 MW of installed capacity.
According to calculations by the sector, the equivalent of this capacity is enough to provide power to close to a million homes. Ontario is now leader, with almost a third of all Canadian installations, 1,161 MW. Quebec (659 MW) and Alberta (590 MW) follow with another third of the market between them.
The new Green Energy Act applied in Ontario, with its feed-in tariff that guarantees high prices for renewable energy generated over 20 years, is among the measures that have stimulated this significant growth.
A simplified project approval process, local production incentives, and significant investments in electricity transport making it easier to feed wind energy into the electricity grid have also played an important role.
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