The Canadian Wind Energy Atlas was created as a contribution to a project hosted by the Environment Canada RPN (Recherche en Provision Numerique). The purpose of the project was to determine the average wind energy potential across the country for the purposes of wind energy development.
The website has an interactive map which can be used to display Mean Wind Speed (m/s) and Mean Wind Energy (W/m2) at a height of 30, 50, or 80m. Values are expressed as a mean of 43 years of observations, and are also available seasonally (e.g. mean of all winter values only). The interactive map can also display basic geophysical layers (roughness length, topography, lakes and rivers, and land/water mask) and human geography layers (power lines, roads, and cities). The map can be exported to an image format (.jpg, e.g.)
Data are also available for download in two formats: MapInfo Interchange Format (MIF) and the proprietary RPN format. MIF files can be converted to ESRI Shapefile format by using ArcCatalog. Software is provided on the website for conversion of RPN format files. Please note that the website requires a username and password to download files, and there is a 160MB/day download limit.
