Wind Energy
Economics of Wind Power
The cost of wind-generated electricity depends on a number of factors such as capital cost of equipment, installation location in the province, and average wind speeds, which vary seasonally. Compared to Alberta’s current retail electricity rates, wind power is usually more expensive in most instances. Each installation should be assessed on its own merits.
Wind Power Generation on the Farm
The first grid interconnected wind power installation in Alberta was on a farm in the southern part of the province in the early 1980s. Since then hundreds of wind generators have been installed in southern Alberta by some of the province’s major corporations.
For Albertans, the farm may be the best location to install a wind generator because of the land required. Items to consider are your electricity requirements, capital and installation costs, interconnection costs to the grid and availability of wind to generate electricity. Research is important and one of the first steps is to contact your electricity wires company to determine the requirements for interconnection.
Alberta Wind Power Installations
Over two of Alberta’s installed electricity capacity is wind power. Due to the province’s wind regimes, most of this is installed in the southern part of the province. Two of Alberta’s largest wind power companies are Canadian Hydro Developers and Vision Quest. Detailed information on their installations can be found on their websites:
- Canadian Hydro Developers: http://www.canhydro.com/
- TransAlta Wind: http://www.transalta.com/
