CanWEA celebrates Global Wind Day with launch of second annual Power of Wind Blog Contest

To mark the 5^th Annual Global Wind Day, held on June 15^th, the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) is proud to launch the second annual Power of Wind Blog Contest with bursary prizes for students entering post-secondary education.

CanWEA is inviting students from across Canada to submit a 300 word blog on the subject of Building a clean energy future.  Students are being asked to use their creativity and write about how they are or can become part of a renewable energy future.

"We are very proud to celebrate the growing contribution that wind energy is making around the world and right here in Canada. Wind energy projects are right now injecting hundreds of millions of dollars into local communities and providing high quality jobs for college graduates across the country. We are pleased to announce the Power of Wind Blog Contest today because it gives Canadian students a chance to join the conversation and share their views on renewable energy," said Robert Hornung, President of CanWEA.

The contest last year attracted hundreds of thoughtful and creative entries on the power of wind. First prize is a $2,000 bursary for post-secondary studies. The second and third prizes are bursaries worth $500 and $250 respectively. Participants will have the opportunity to submit their blog entries until September 15th, 2013 and the winners will once again be announced during CanWEA's Annual Conference and Exhibition being held October 7-10, 2013 in Toronto. Additional information, contest rules, and terms and conditions can be found on the Friends of Wind website: www.friendsofwind.ca.

Jobs in wind: Open Houses at ENERCON Manufacturing Facilities

CanWEA is also celebrating Global Wind Day by attending open house events at ENERCON’s manufacturing facilities in Beamsville, Ontario and Matane, Quebec. The open houses, which are free of charge to the public, will take place on June 15^th from 1 pm to 5 pm in both locations. They will feature guided tours of the factories, refreshments and animation. The events are open for the public to come learn about wind energy and find out more about good job opportunities in the growing renewable energy manufacturing sector.  For more information on the open houses, visit: http://www.canwea.ca/events/windday_e.php.

Wind by the numbers in Canada:

Number of wind farms: 166
Number of turbines: 3,768
Current installed capacity: 6,578.53 MW
Current per cent of Canada’s electricity demand met by wind: 3.0
Enough electricity to power close to 2 million Canadian homes
Global ranking for total installed capacity: 9

About Global Wind Day

Global Wind Day is a worldwide event that occurs annually on June 15th. It is a day for discovering wind, its power and the possibilities it holds to change our world. It is also a day for discovery of the work that has already begun by pioneers around the world. Global Wind Day is the day when you can visit wind farms, meet experts, attend events and find out everything you want to know about wind energy.

The European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) and the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) coordinate Global Wind Day through a network of partners such as CanWEA. On June 15th, thousands of public events are organized all over the world and right here in Canada.

Read more about Global Wind Day activities around the world: www.globalwindday.org

About the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA)

CanWEA is the voice of Canada's wind energy industry, actively promoting the responsible and sustainable growth of wind energy on behalf of its 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. In order for Canada to be a world leader in the production of clean wind energy, CanWEA believes we can and must reach a target of producing 20 per cent or more of our electricity from wind by 2025. The document WindVision 2025 - Powering Canada's Future is available at www.canwea.ca.

For information, please contact:

Ulrike Kucera

Media Relations Officer

Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA)

Suite 710, 1600 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario  K1Z 1G3

Direct: 613 234 8716 ext. 228 / Mob. 613 867 4433

www.canwea.ca