About Wind Energy
Why Wind?
Wind power is a carbon free source of renewable energy that is directly in line with both the Province of BC's existing climate change goals and BC Hydro's 2024 Call for Power which is asking for 3,000 gigawatt hours per year (GWh/year) of new renewable power generation.
Wind energy is reliable, abundant, and affordable. According to the Lazard’s Levelized Cost of Energy Analysis, onshore wind energy is the lowest cost energy resource and offers a natural hedge against volatile fuel prices. In today’s changing energy landscape, energy security is more critical than ever. This has placed an emphasis on the need for more locally produced energy resources and the lowest-cost option is renewables.
Wind Energy’s Success
According to the Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA), wind power alone represents over 15 GW of installed capacity, comprised of 318 projects across the country. In 2022, wind power grew by 7.1% nationally. In fact, Canada ranked 8th in the world for installed wind power capacity at the end of 2022. Invenergy has developed 18.6 gigawatts of wind since 2004, represented by 117 projects either operating, in construction or contracted. Across Canada, Invenergy has successfully developed over 1 gigawatt of power and is pursuing active development in 7 provinces. With global, national and local experience, Invenergy is a developer of choice for the region.
Low Cost Wind
Wind power keeps electricity costs low and helps protect against future significant price shocks increases for consumers. According to the Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA), wind energy costs have dropped by 70% since 2009 on a global scale. Technological development in recent years has made wind power highly competitive amongst all energy sources.
Wind’s Environmental Benefits
Wind power is clean and produces no global warming emissions once in operation. A typical wind turbine offsets the carbon footprint associated with its construction in less than 6 months, and produces carbon-free electricity for the rest of its lifespan, which can extend from 20 to 30 years depending on the model.
In 2022, wind power avoided around 270 million tons of CO2 emissions in the United States alone, the equivalent of taking 60 million cars off the road. In the same year, Invenergy's clean energy portfolio - which includes 18,600 Megawatts of wind power worldwide - avoided 50.7 million tons of CO2. That's the equivalent of taking 9.9 million cars off the road. As a responsible and respectful developer, Invenergy ensures regulatory compliance and adopts ethical practices throughout project development and operation. In addition, Invenergy's Environmental Compliance and Strategy team is proficient in natural resource management, regulatory and permitting processes, and vegetation management. This team is involved in each project for its entire lifespan. We also work with local, provincial and federal authorities to ensure that all regulations are complied with at every phase of a project, with the aim of minimizing environmental impact.