The Globe and Mail reports, “The vast majority of Canadian wind power production is now controlled by a handful of large companies, many of them foreign owned, replacing community groups that were initially seen as the backbone of alternative energy production. The takeover of the business by large companies is one reason behind the backlash against the rapid installation of huge, looming turbines, particularly if they are near recreational property or agricultural communities. An analysis by The Globe and Mail shows that more than 90 per cent of the current 6,500 megawatts of wind power capacity in Canada is in the hands of large companies, and about 25 per cent is held by foreign interests.”
“The biggest Canadian players are large firms and utilities that also operate in other energy businesses – power utility TransAlta Corp., pipeline operators Enbridge Inc. and TransCanada Corp., oil sands developer Suncor Energy Inc. and energy conglomerate Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners LP, for example. …Foreign players with multiple wind projects in Canada include … EDF EN Canada Inc., a subsidiary of French power giant Électricité de France … Florida-based NextEra Energy Resources LLC , Chicago-based Invenergy Wind LLC , France’s GDF Suez SA , and Spanish wind, energy and water multinational Acciona SA.”
“While Ontario’s Green Energy Act – introduced in 2009 to promote alternative energy in the province – initially put a lot of emphasis on community participation, those projects tend to be smaller, consequently their per-kilowatt costs are much higher. Even just connecting smaller projects to the grid can be more difficult, (Queen’s University) Prof. Warren Mabee said. ‘I know that in practice, it has just been easier in Ontario to connect the big projects. A really big project that comes online is just a higher priority.'”
“Some provinces have designed their support programs specifically to encourage community involvement. Nova Scotia has put particular emphasis on local investment in wind power through its ComFIT (Community Feed-In Tariff) program. It pays very high prices for power produced in community-based renewable projects, provided they have local input. Individual municipalities, First Nations, co-ops, universities and non-profit groups can participate. …The Nova Scotia government has said the key reason for designing the program this way was to get community buy-in by making sure there was local control of all projects. …The entire ComFIT program is expected to generate about 100 MW – including other renewable projects in hydro, biomass and tidal power technology – as part of the province’s efforts to reduce reliance on coal-based power generation.”
“George Smitherman, a former Ontario energy minister who was responsible for the introduction of the province’s Green Energy Act, said he thinks the government should have been more effective in engaging local community ownership. In an e-mail, he said he admires Denmark’s wind industry because, in that country, ‘projects often involved hundreds of local residents as engaged investors and I think that would have been helpful here, too.'”
In December 2009, the Council of Canadians, working with the Canadian Labour Congress, produced Green Decent and Public, a report focused on the opportunities presented by both public ownership and an expansion of renewable power. Energy campaigner Andrea Harden wrote at that time, “The report focuses in particular on the opportunities for creating green jobs in improving energy efficiency and rapidly expanding electricity produced from renewable resources. Public and community ownership of renewable power is offered as an alternative path to further market liberalization in the electricity sector that has distinct advantages. These advantages include retaining economic revenues, maximizing social benefits, prioritizing conservation and ensuring energy security.”
The Green Decent and Public report can be read at http://canadians.org/blog/?p=8669.
