Canada - N.W.T. wind energy conference blowing into Tuktoyaktuk

Organizers of the Northwest Territories' first-ever wind energy conference, to be held in Tuktoyaktuk in late-November, say they will show people across the territory that wind can help them save money.

More than 50 delegates, including community leaders, are expected to attend the conference, which will run Nov. 28-30. It is being organized by the territory's wind energy committee, composed of representatives from business and from the federal, territorial and aboriginal governments.

"The main goals are going to be to educate the community decision-makers on wind energy opportunities and options," committee chairman Wade Carpenter told CBC News.

"That's important before any community can decide what they're going to do in the wind area. They need to know what are the pros and cons, what it will and will not do for their community, and so forth."

Generating electricity is expensive in northern communities, and much of the cost comes from transporting fuel from southern provinces. The committee hopes to show communities that they can cut down on energy costs by using local resources, like wind.

"The idea is that when the wind is blowing, and you have these wind generators going, it reduces the amount that the diesel generator has to put out, thus reducing the amount of fuel consumed," Carpenter said.