Alberta sets new record for wind generated power

Saturday, July 26, 2014, 4:02 PM -

It has been a wild week in terms of wind in Alberta, in fact so much so that the province saw a record broken for wind generated power. 

"So Thursday was a really strong day for wind," said Angela Anderson, external relations adviser for Alberta Electric System Operator. "So there was wind all over the province, so what that meant for electricity was that wind farms were running at near full capacity and we actually produced a record amount of energy from wind." 

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"We produced 1180 megawatts and that's surpassing our previous record which was set in May of 1110 megawatts.That's enough power to power approximately 1250 average homes in Alberta." 

Wind as a power source is quickly picking up speed in Alberta, with Thursday's record haul providing about 10% of all the electricity generated that day throughout the entire province. 

"Alberta has previously been coal powered for electricity and those are starting to retire," adds Anderson. "So in the next 20 years, we're actually going to see more wind on the generation fleet than coal." 

"We're also seeing natural gas and other renewables as well." 

Wind power has a history in Canada dating back many decades, particularly on prairie farms. At the end of 2011, wind power generating capacity was 5,265 (MW), providing some 2.3% of Canada's electricity demand. 

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