Canada - Canadian Wind Energy Association celebrates Global Wind Day

Today thousands of people in more than 40 countries around the world will hold events to celebrate wind energy and its environmental, social and economic benefits during the fourth annual Global Wind Day. To celebrate the growing contribution of wind power in Canada, the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) launched the Power of Wind Blog Contest with bursary prizes.

CanWEA is inviting students entering post-secondary education to submit a 300-word blog on the subject of wind power. Students can write about what wind energy means to them and why they think it should be a part of our future energy mix.

'We are proud to celebrate the growing contribution that wind energy is making around the world and here in Canada. Communities from coast to coast are right now experiencing the benefits of clean, affordable wind energy. We are especially excited to announce the Power of Wind Blog Contest, which offers Canadian students the opportunity to share their views on wind energy,' said Robert Hornung, President, CanWEA.

The first prize is a $2,000 bursary for post-secondary studies and the opportunity to climb the turbine at Exhibition Place in Toronto. The second and third prizes are bursaries worth $500 and $250 respectively. Participants will have the chance to submit their blog entries from June 15th to September 15th, 2012 and the winners will be announced at CanWEA's Annual Awards Banquet in Toronto in the fall where the first prize winner will deliver his or her essay in person. Additional information, contest rules, and terms and conditions can be found on the Friends of Wind website: www.friendsofwind.ca.

Canada's wind energy industry enjoyed a record year in 2011 with approximately 1,267 MW of new wind energy capacity representing an investment of $3.1 billion and creating 13,000 person-years of employment. In 2011, Canada was in 6th place globally in terms of new installed wind energy capacity and ranked 9th globally for cumulative capacity. The country currently has 5,403 MW of total installed capacity - representing about 2.3 per cent of Canada's total electricity demand and enough to power more than 1.2 million Canadian homes. Canada's wind energy industry is also on track to reach over 10,000 MW of total installed capacity by 2015.

Additional Global Wind Day celebrations include turbine climbs for media personalities, an event for supporters of wind in Toronto and the grand opening of Enbridge's Greenwich Wind Project in the Township of Dorion, Ontario. The Greenwich Wind Farm will generate approximately 100 MW of electricity, enough clean, renewable energy to power around 30,000 average Canadian homes.

The blog contest is also sponsored by Friend of Wind - Ontario, a group of individuals who share factual information about wind energy's contribution to Ontario's power supply and regional economies. The Friends of Wind website gives supporters the opportunity to join the conversation and spread the word about wind energy.

CanWEA is the voice of Canada's wind energy industry, actively promoting the responsible and sustainable growth of wind energy on behalf of its more than 420 members. A national non-profit association, CanWEA serves as Canada's leading source of credible information about wind energy and its social, economic and environmental benefits. To join other global leaders in the wind energy industry, CanWEA believes Canada can and must reach its target of producing 20 per cent or more of the country's electricity from wind by 2025.

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