Electricity generation from wind turbines and solar panels across Canada fell by more than 14 percent during the first five months of 2013 according to Statistics Canada. For the January to June period, the output from wind farms was 4,032,649 megawatt hours (MWh) and from solar farms 127,507 MWh. This compares with 4,712,058 MWh from wind and 132,208 MWh from solar during the same period in 2012.
Output from tidal power has risen from 12,705 to 14,423 MWh for the five months of the year
The national share of total electricity capacity from wind has consequently dropped to 1.4 percent compared to 1.6 percent for January to June 2012.
“While wind output dropped 14.4% and solar slipped 3.6%, Canada’s total generation of electricity declined 0.8%, which means that renewables continue to lose share” said Bill Eggertson, the Executive Director of the Canadian Association for Renewable Energies. “We’ve been warning for some time that the good news on the growth in renewables, is overshadowed by the even-greater growth in conventional energy output. The recent meeting of energy ministers in Yellowknife noted that green power capacity has grown at a rapid pace over the last decade and the trend is expected to continue, but that is not due to sources which many Canadians regard as truly renewable. Feed-in tariffs and legislated renewable portfolio standards are key, but there must be stronger efforts to curtail the growth of conventional energy sources, or the share from renewables will continue to drop.”
A recent poll conducted by Harris-Decima for the Clean Energy Project of Tides Foundation demonstrated overwhelming support for renewable energy among Canadians. The 2008 Speech from the Throne promised that the country would develop 90 percent of its electricity needs from non-emitting sources by 2020, but despite this pledge Canada is falling behind the rest of world in the race to develop clean renewable energy. The country is also one of the few countries in the world that has refused to join the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) which has a goal of 100 percent renewable energy worldwide.
Further information:
