Canada investment in renewables surged last year, led by Ontario

Investment in renewable energy in Canada almost doubled last year as developers largely in Ontario and Quebec built solar, wind and hydropower projects, Clean Energy Canada said. Spending on generation capacity rose 88 percent to C$10.9 billion ($8.3 billion), according to a report published Thursday by the Vancouver-based research group. The industry now employs about 27,000 people, the group’s executive director, Merran Smith, said in an interview.

While still a fraction of the oil and natural gas industry’s more than C$60 billion for this year, the investment will likely continue to outpace growth in other sectors, Smith said. Federal support for the construction of power lines to connect generation to demand centers, in addition to provincial policy, would accelerate spending. “Most other big industries in Canada including oil and gas, and aerospace get federal support,” Smith said. “Canada risks falling behind other countries that are moving faster to make this transition.”

©2015 Bloomberg News

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/articles/2015/09/canada-investment-in-renewables-surged-last-year-led-by-ontario.html