Three-quarters of Saskatchewan residents want their province to invest more in renewable energy, including wind, and take a tougher stand against climate change, according to polling data released last week by the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA).
About 60% of survey respondents were supporters of the province’s ruling Saskatchewan Party.
“Wind energy represents an important opportunity for Saskatchewan as the province looks to fill the gap that will be created as coal units face federal requirements to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said CanWEA Policy Director Tim Weis. “Wind energy provides an important opportunity to hedge against future fuel price and carbon risks that will nudge natural gas costs higher in the future, protecting the Saskatchewan ratepayer while reducing long-term greenhouse gas emissions.”
In the poll, conducted by Sudbury-based Oracle Research, 51% of respondents identified wind as their preferred electricity source for keeping up with growing demand while reducing carbon pollution. Only 3% named carbon capture and storage, the technology that has received $1 billion in demonstration support from provincial ratepayers. Three-quarters said Saskatchewan hadn’t done enough to develop wind and other renewables, while 77% said the province should do more to respond to climate change. (h/t to Clean Energy Review for pointing us to this story)
