The CanWEA Annual Conference and Exhibition, Canada's premier showcase for wind energy, found itself under what appeared to be a dark cloud in early October as more than 2,000 delegates and 250 exhibiting companies from around the world with ties to the Canadian wind industry anxiously awaited the critical outcome of Ontario's provincial elections and the impending uncertainty over the future of the Green Energy Act.

With the Conservative Party platform vowing to turn away from wind and renewable energy, the run-up to the elections (as well as the preparations for the Vancouver Conference) produced a deafening doomsday buzz.

While many OEMs and manufacturers in Canada anxiously awaited the provincial election results, there was a slight downturn in business. Provincial elections were held on October 6th, just as the CanWEA Conference was winding down.

As it turned out, the election was favorable for the wind industry and renewables as the GEA lived to see another day. The Liberal Party remained in office and the Feed-in Tariff (FIT) policies, which dictate domestic content in renewables and fuel manufacturing opportunities, remained in tact. A collective sigh of relief could be heard throughout Canada's wind industry.

(NOTE: Public opinion polls have consistently shown that the majority of Canadians support wind energy for its environmental, economic and social benefits, so the outcome of the election was somewhat fortuitous.)

Meanwhile, the CanWEA exhibition floor was alive with activity as GLWN director Ed Weston and GLWN director of field services Dale Reckman made major strides in announcing the partnership with Canada's XAG Energy that will help Canadian manufacturers identify opportunities and assess their potential in the slowly expanding Canadian wind industry arena.

XAG Energy, an Ontario-based industry consultant dedicated to supporting domestic manufacturing in Canada, becomes one of only two authorized service providers that can offer GLWN's exclusive "Wind Capabilities Profile" service to supply chain organizations.

With the GLWN-XAG Energy partnership:

1. XAG Energy now has exclusive rights to provide the GLWN Wind Capabilities Profile assessment to manufacturers located across Canada.
2. GLWN will train XAG Energy staff to perform the assessments.
3. GLWN strongly supports XAG Energy assessment and supply chain coordination activities.
4. XAG Energy is now enrolled in the GLWN wind supply chain network which includes marketing via the GLWN wind supply chain map, membership with GLWN, special industry specific event invitations, access to market intelligence through GLWN team members, and when appropriate, applicable industry introductions.

Click here to view the XAG Energy Web site.

GLWN Announces Canadian Supply Chain Workshop November 28th

During discussions with CanWEA, XAG Energy and attending OEMs, it became apparent that now was the time to implement supply chain workshops throughout Canada. Ed Weston announced that a Canadian Supply Chain Workshop will be conducted in Windsor, Ontario during the week of November 28th. XAG Energy will act as the frontline host for the workshop, while most of the technical content and arrangements will be coordinated through GLWN. CanWEA will host a reception at the end of the workshop. This workshop represents the first of many industry-related events scheduled throughout Canada in 2011 and 2012.

Canadian-based opportunities for GLWN and its members (which have largely been unavailable up to now) are fast becoming a reality, particularly since the renewal of the Green Energy Act. Workshops with Canada-specific content will be delivered to all provinces as manufacturers from Nova Scotia to British Columbia make their compliance preparations.