Summerside — Canada

Summerside is a 12 MW wind power plant in Prince Edward Island, Canada. It is operated by City of Summerside Electric Utility. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 10k homes (estimated). It ranks #660 of 1,210 Canada power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2009, it is around 17 years old — relatively modern. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, wind supplies about 7.9% of Canada's electricity; the national grid averages 191 gCO₂/kWh (77.0% low-carbon) (2025).

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id CAN0008441.

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000906326; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 12 MW, Summerside is below the median wind plant in Canada (24 MW). Technically it is described as Onshore. Wind turbines convert moving air into electricity; output is variable and site-dependent, and modern turbines deliver some of the lowest-cost new generation on many grids.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Key facts

Share of Canada wind capacity

less than 0.1% of 12,127 MW across 241 plants in this dataset

Age among peers

26 of 127 dated wind plants in Canada are older

Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).

Capacity vs largest wind plants in Canada

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by City of Summerside Electric Utility.

Local climate & thermal context

This wind plant converts the kinetic energy of wind into electricity through turbine rotors. It sits in a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 46.4°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

Monthly mean temperature

Heating degree-days here run 86% above the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 91/100 — this site sits in the top third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

This site sits in a moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #143 largest wind power plant of 241 in Canada by capacity.

Canada has 241 wind power plants in this dataset, together about 12,127 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

• West Cape 2 · Wind · 79.2 MW · Prince Edward Island
• West Cape 1 · Wind · 19.8 MW · Prince Edward Island
• Charlottetown Thermal Generating Station · Oil · 109 MW · Prince Edward Island
• Charlottetown Thermal Generating Station · Oil · 50 MW · Prince Edward Island
• District Heating · Biomass · 1.2 MW · Prince Edward Island
• Centre Village RIGS power station · Gas · 500 MW · New Brunswick

Location

Coordinates 46.4344, -63.8035 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions