1RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGY IN CANADA: CURRENT STATUS AND FUTURE PROSPECTS

Canada is estimated to have technical potential for more than 40GW of wind power, 10GW of small hydro, 70GW of solar power, 3GW of tidal power and 10 to 16GW of wave energy. By the end of 2003, Canada has installed 340MW of wind power, 606 thousand square meters of solar thermal, more than 1500MW of small hydro, more than 10MW of solar photovoltaics and 20MW of tidal power. Some provincial governments have set targets and introduced renewable portfolio standards to promote renewable energy technology. Other provinces are expected to follow in the future. This paper presents an assessment of resource potential, current status and future prospects of renewable energy technologies at the national and provincial levels in Canada. 1