North Cape, Prince Edward Island – October 15, 2025 – The Wind Energy Institute of Canada (WEICan) is proud to announce that its 10 MW Wind R&D Park has generated more than 500 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of clean, renewable electricity since operations began in 2012. This milestone underscores WEICan’s dual role as a national research leader and a reliable producer of clean energy for Prince Edward Island and beyond, with far-reaching economic, environmental, community, and scientific impacts.

Economic Benefits
WEICan’s operations have generated lasting economic value for Prince Edward Island:

• Since planning for the Wind R&D Park began, WEICan has spent more than $19 million with over 400 PEI-based vendors and contractors.
• More than $16.7 million has been invested in wages and benefits
• Ongoing turbine maintenance and operations continue to support local businesses and skilled trades.

Environmental Benefits

Over its lifetime, the Wind R&D Park’s clean generation has delivered measurable climate benefits:

• Enough electricity to power all of Prince Edward Island for approximately 3.4 months. [1]
• The equivalent of driving an electric vehicle around the Earth 66,000 times. [2]
• Avoided approximately 150,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions, if generated by the typical grid in New Brunswick. Equal to taking more than 45,000 gasoline-powered cars off the road for a year. [3]

Community Benefits
Beyond supplying power, WEICan’s success flows directly back into Island communities:

• More than $49,000 in charitable donations have supported local initiatives such as Feed a Family, the Tignish Health Centre, and the Tignish Senior Home.
• Revenues from generation have enabled WEICan to hire over 70 students and interns from more than 20 universities across Canada, helping train the next generation of clean energy leaders.

Scientific Benefits
The Wind R&D Park, featuring five 2 MW wind turbines, a 109 kW solar array, and 111.5 kW/223 kWh of battery storage, is among the most highly instrumented renewable energy research facilities in the world. It serves as a living laboratory that advances applied research in wind, solar, storage, and microgrid integration.

• WEICan’s datasets have supported more than 30 peer-reviewed publications, 130 presentations, and 500 academic citations, demonstrating global research impact.
• Students and researchers gain hands-on access to high-resolution, real-world data that bridges the gap between academia and industry.
• Utilities, developers, and policymakers across Canada and internationally rely on WEICan’s expertise and open data to improve renewable energy integration and reliability.

“Reaching 500 GWh of generation is an important achievement, not only for WEICan but for Canada’s broader clean energy transition,” said Marianne Rodgers, Scientific Director of WEICan. “It demonstrates the long-term value of pairing applied research with real-world operations. Every megawatt-hour we generate both powers Island homes and contributes to a stronger knowledge base for integrating renewable energy into grids across the country.”

“WEICan’s milestone is more than a number – it highlights the Institute’s important role in building a cleaner, more resilient energy future for Prince Edward Island and Canada,” said WEICan’s CEO, Scott Harper. “I am proud of the perseverance and tenacity of our team in maintaining this infrastructure, and in the research and conversation which our experiences have enabled.  Looking forward to the next milestone!”

 

Looking Ahead

As WEICan looks to the future, the Institute is expanding its work on distributed energy resources, microgrid resilience, and open-access data platforms to further accelerate innovation and ensure that Canada remains at the forefront of global renewable energy development.

For more information about WEICan’s work and access to research data, visit www.weican.ca. For more information and statistics about the Wind R&D Park and its impact, visit https://www.weican.ca/counting-down-to-500gwh/.

 

About WEICan

Media Contact:
Marianne Rodgers, PhD
Scientific Director
Wind Energy Institute of Canada[902-882-4126] | [marianne.rodgers@weican.ca]

 

[1] Using data from the following source:  “Renewable Energy Indicators | Government of Prince Edward Island.” Accessed: Sept. 09, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/feature/renewable-energy-indicators

[2] Computed using EV consumption from the following source:  “EV Database,” EV Database. Accessed: Oct. 02, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://ev-database.org/cheatsheet/energy-consumption-electric-car

[3] Computed using data from the following sources:

Natural Resources Canada, “Electricity Generation GHG Emissions by Energy Source.” Accessed: Oct. 02, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/corporate/statistics/neud/dpa/showTable.cfm?type=HB&sector=egen&juris=00&rn=2&year=2022&page=0

Government of Canada,  “Emission factors and reference values.” Accessed: Oct. 02, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/climate-change/pricing-pollution-how-it-will-work/output-based-pricing-system/federal-greenhouse-gas-offset-system/emission-factors-reference-values.html

Natural Resources Canada, “Greenhouse Gases Equivalencies Calculator – Calculations and References.” Accessed: Oct. 02, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/corporate/statistics/neud/dpa/calculator/refs.cfm