CanWEA 2011 from the show floor

Though word on the street is the attendance at the Canadian Wind Energy show is down from last year, the somewhat slow traffic makes it easy to connect with companies.

However, despite the lower attendance, Canadian wind energy is still doing well. British Columbia ranks sixth provincially in installed wind energy capacity, despite being the last Canadian province to add a utility-scale wind project to its electricity grid. Existing provincial energy policy is very supportive of renewable energy, and BC’s wind resources are very competitive with other new generation options, with six new projects set for completion by 2014. Moreover, updated projections now indicate BC is on the cusp of a large and rapid increase for energy demand.

CanWEA also unveiled its new WindVision for BC at the conference, a strategic plan that will highlight the need for, and benefits of, large-scale wind energy development in British Columbia. The plan sets a goal for British Columbia to satisfy 17% of its projected electricity demand with clean, affordable wind energy by the year 2025. CanWEA says pairing wind energy with BC’s existing hydroelectric infrastructure will result in an electricity system ideally suited to the future needs of British Columbians.