5 reasons why wind energy is awesome

1. Wind energy is clean

• Once operational, wind turbines produce clean, renewable energy for people to enjoy without any greenhouse gas emissions.

2. Wind energy is available everywhere

• Almost all provinces and territories in Canada have wind energy projects and in 2015 Canada’s installed capacity exceeded 11,000 megawatts - enough energy to power about 3 million homes! The United States has more than 65,000 megawatts of capacity with Texas leading the way at 12,000 megawatts.

3. Wind energy is growing

• In the last five years wind energy accounted for 28 per cent of new electricity generating capacity in the United States. In Canada, during 2015, wind energy grew by 23 per cent.

4. Wind energy is reliable

• Turbine blades start to turn in 13km/h wind and shut down when wind speeds are too strong, about 90 km/h. This means most turbines generate power about 85 percent of the time.

5. Wind energy creates good jobs

• Wind energy is creating new high-value jobs, providing employment opportunities for local trades-people and contractors as well as full-time permanent jobs once the wind farm is operational. Wind farms also provide stable income to farmers and landowners through land lease agreements.

In the world's conversation about energy, one point is beyond debate: Energy makes a vital contribution to people's quality of life, to society and to human progress. This is true today, and it will remain true in the future. That's why Energy Matters was created. We believe it's important to equip people with unbiased information so they may form opinions, join the conversation and feel confidence in the work and accomplishments of the energy sector. Energy Matters is an initiative that provides transparent information and perspective on energy. Here, we'll cover a range of topics: the scale of global energy; the ways energy is sourced and produced; current energy technology; forthcoming innovations; the world's future energy needs; and the sustainable sources of energy that will fill them. Because energy matters to everyone, we hope you'll rely on Energy Matters as an ongoing source of balanced information.