Wind Energy - Not such a Conservation Breeze.

On a global scale, wind energy has been available for quite some time and many countries have been highly active in developing this energy resource (see Figure 1). However, Canada seems to be drastically far behind other countries in its own wind energy development as seen from the comparison of Canada’s total wind energy output (Figure 2) with the graph of total output by other major countries (Figure 1).

Figure 1. World Leaders in Wind Energy.
 Note: Adopted from “Global Wind Energy Outlook 2010.” by Global Wind Energy Council, 2010
           http://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2011/02/alternative_energy

Figure 2: Canada’s Wind Energy Capacity. Modified from CANWEA (2011)
http://www.canwea.ca/farms/index_e.php

Wind Energy is a relatively new and exciting idea for future renewable resource management in Newfoundland and Labrador. In recent years multiple wind farm projects have been established such as the Fermeuse and Ramea projects, along with construction of the first commercial wind farm beginning in St. Lawrence in 2007. While this technology is only in its infancy in Newfoundland, studies have shown that there is quite a large prospective wind resource especially along the coastal regions of the island. For example, a study by Khan and Iqbal suggested that the total available wind energy in Newfoundland and Labrador is quite dramatic, especially along coastal regions. This can be seen in the following wind energy potential map of our province:

Figure 3. NL and Labrador Wind Energy. Modified from Khan and Igbal (2004).

However, in recent years the provincial government has denied numerous applications for the development of wind farms, in Argentia for example, on the basis that the environmental assessments have not been performed. The environmental impact assessment is a crucial portion of the development of such large scale projects due to the possible ecological and environmental impacts it may have on the surrounding area. For example, a study by Paul Cryan and Robert Barclay have posited that not only do wind farms pose a very substantial risk to bats, they may actually be attracted to the turbines due to a host of possible reasons. These assessments are necessary for determining the impacts of wind farms on the surrounding environment and wildlife. There have been numerous cases in which wild birds collide with the blades of the spinning turbines, causing a significant hazard which may be compounded by placing these farms along possible bird migration routes. A study by W. John Richardson showed that there is high variability in collision risk when concerning local areas, such that placing the turbines in high risk areas (i.e. migration routes) will increase such risk. Since Newfoundland and Labrador are well known for our migratory bird populations, such matters must first be adequately assessed before beginning any project of such a large scale.

Some useful links regarding proposed wind energy projects:

-          Global Wind Energy Outlook 2010

-          Current Wind Energy Capacity (CANWEA)

-          Argentia Wind Farm Resubmission

-          Environmental Assessment Registration

-          Newfoundland Wind Energy Information Sheet

-          PEI Bird-Turbine Collision Report

-          Bird Migration and Wind Turbines:  Migration Timing, Flight Behavior, and Collision Risk

-          Bird-Turbine Collision Fact Sheet

-          Recent CBC News Story on Wind Turbine Rules in NL

Works Cited

Cryan, P. M., & Barclay, R. R. (2009). Causes of bat fatalities at wind turbines: hypotheses and predictions. Journal of Mammalogy, 90(6), 1330-1340.

Global Wind Energy Council. (2010). Global Wind Energy Outlook 2010

M.J. Khan, M.T. Iqbal, Wind energy resource map of Newfoundland, Renewable Energy, Volume 29, Issue 8, July 2004, Pages 1211-1221, ISSN 0960-1481, 10.1016/j.renene.2003.12.015.

                              (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960148104000126)