With the automotive industry still fumbling, can the wind energy sector fill part of that gap? It was a question on the mind of many attendees at the Annual General Meeting and Dinner of the Canadian Machine Tool Distributors’ Association held November 19 at the Woodbridge Country Club, Woodbridge, ON, as they sat listening attentively to Michael Thibedeau, membership services for the Canadian Wind Energy Association, CANWEA.

Global capacity for wind energy is growing rapidly. Over the next ten years, CANWEA estimates that more than $1 trillion will be invested in wind energy projects worldwide, increasing capacity to more than 500,000 megawatts.
Wind energy is a rapidly growing source of energy – global capacity has grown from 4,000 megawatts in 1995 to more than 120,000 megawatts in 2008 with average global installed capacity being 28-29 per cent annually in the past decade. Last year there was more than 27,000 megawatts of installed capacity, which represents about $47 billion worth of US investment. Wind energy has been second largest source of new electricity generation in the US for last four years.

Over next ten years, more than $1 trillion will be invested in wind energy projects worldwide increasing capacity to well over 500,00 megawatts.

There are more than 100 wind farms operating in Canada today that includes close to 2000 wind turbines, mostly in Ontario, Quebec and Alberta. And the sector is expected to grow with an additional 5000 megawatts worth of projects signed for 2009. By the end of 2009, wind energy facilities will be operating for the first time in every province of Canada, producing enough electricity to power close to 1 million Canadian homes.

There are only a handful of manufacturers in Canada today that manufacturer some of the estimated 8000 components (including towers, blades, castings, forgings, gears, generators, bearings, welding fasteners and gear boxes) found in a wind turbine, but Thibedeau says there is “a huge opportunity” for manufacturers because on Ontario and Quebec Canadian content rules. In Ontario for example, the provincial government has stipulated a 25 per cent Canadian content for wind turbine manufacturing, with that number climbing to 50 per cent Canadian content in 2011.

And it’s not only CANWEA that is convinced of the growth of this sector in manufacturing. In September the association announced a strategic partnership with the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (CME) to explore Canadian manufacturing opportunities in the wind energy industry.

More than 60 members attend the CMTDA Annual General Meeting and Dinner to hear about the latest association developments.

Among the changes was the introduction of a new CMTDA Board, which, for the first time voted to ensure that the new Board reflect the association’s coast-to-coast membership. The new Board now includes a Western Canada representative, Paul Krainer, Thomas Skinner and Son, Richmond, BC, and Steve Fitz, Sparquetec Inc., St. Laurent, QC, who represents Eastern Canada.

John Manley, CMTDA president, says that the goal is to have each of these members head up local chapters “that better reflect local issues back to our entire assocation.”

The CMTDA is also committed to developing a series of technical seminars across Canada working in partnership with the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) and the first such seminar is tentatively scheduled for the second quarter of 2010.

 

www.cmtda.com

www.canwea.ca