The Future is Now: Opportunities for Canada’s Maturing Wind Farms

Wind Farms

 

August 11, 2017

In Canada, we have 6,364 commercial scale wind turbines in operation today.

Until recently, keeping track of this number has been a matter of simply adding new installations to the number from the year before. However, now the equation has changed to include subtracting some active turbines from the total. That’s right, a few wind farms have come to the end of their lifecycle and have been decommissioned, taking some hard working machines offline.

This is through no fault of their own; the turbines simply reached the end of their predicted lifecycle. In fact the ones I’m thinking of were operational beyond their expected 20 years of service. The Cowley Ridge wind farm in Alberta has received a lot of attention in the wind business as a pioneering Canadian decommissioning experience. Built in 1993 this facility operated 57 wind turbines for about three years past their planned lifespan. This impressive accomplishment gives operators and manufacturers of newer machines increased expectations of what can be accomplished in the future.

Decommissioning refers to when a wind farm’s power production is ceased and the above ground equipment is dismantled and land restored.

Repowering refers to replacing or upgrading aging equipment with more advanced and efficient technology. This can mean fewer, but more powerful turbines that can produce equivalent or greater levels of electricity.

Most early wind farm developers planned for decommissioning at the end of the lifecycle. However, this is starting to change. If you research information from other countries that have older fleets you start to notice a trend.

Wind farm owners are increasingly opting to repower.

This is because the free fuel they’ve been using (the wind) is still there, as is the investment in roads, buildings, cabling, etc. There are also substantial sweat equity investments into building a competent team to run the operation and community engagement efforts to ensure landowners and neighbours are being supported.

In Canada, the option to upgrade and continue producing power hasn’t been widely implemented yet because there are very few turbines that have passed their expected lifetime. But as the number of turbines reaching the end of their lifecycle continues to increase (400 wind turbines by 2030) so too will the opportunity and incentive to repower these facilities.

In order to stimulate discussion on this topic, CanWEA has developed a primer entitled, “Decommissioning or Repowering a Wind Farm” in collaboration with the industry. I encourage you to explore this resource for Canada’s maturing wind turbine fleet. It certainly is an exciting development in Canada’s renewable energy future.

http://canwea.ca/blog/2017/08/03/future-now-opportunities-canadas-maturing-wind-farms/

Related Articles


Latest Articles


Changing Scene

  • Skills Ontario Supports Ontario’s Investments in Skilled Trades in Budget Announcement

    Skills Ontario Supports Ontario’s Investments in Skilled Trades in Budget Announcement

    March 28. 2024 As demand for skilled trades professionals rises, Skills Ontario is commending the government for continued investments in skilled trades and technology programing, working to address the shortfall and need to build the workforce of the future in Ontario.  The skilled trades shortage is costing Ontario approximately $25 billion in foregone GDP. A… Read More…

  • IVRY Launches 7 New VR Lessons

    IVRY Launches 7 New VR Lessons

     IVRY Technologies, a division of IDEAL Electrical, is launching seven new virtual reality (VR) lessons in Canada as part of its Virtual Electrical Training (VET) Series 2 training module. The cutting-edge training will serve as a learning resource for International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) training centers across Canada. Read More…

  • PEI Budget 2024 Signals Continued Focus on Healthcare, Housing and Affordability for all Islanders 

    PEI Budget 2024 Signals Continued Focus on Healthcare, Housing and Affordability for all Islanders 

    March 28, 2024 Hon. Jill Burridge, Minister of Finance, presented government’s 2024-25 operating budget to the legislative assembly, outlining $3.2 billion in investments for Prince Edward Island with a continued focus on healthcare, housing and affordability measures. “This budget signals where we’re headed as a province and shows Islanders where we will be making key… Read More…

  • BC’s Budget 2024 Prioritizes Actions for Low-Carbon Economy

    BC’s Budget 2024 Prioritizes Actions for Low-Carbon Economy

    March 28, 2024 Josie Osborne, Minister of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation, and Brittny Anderson, MLA for Nelson-Creston, met with community climate leaders in Nelson to discuss how Budget 2024 can help support people in the region to transition to a low-carbon economy and meet shared CleanBC goals. “Our government’s budget this year reflects the… Read More…