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Map of wind speeds in British Columbia. © Environment Canada, accessed from http://www.windatlas.ca |
In British Columbia the highest wind speeds are in coastal regions, especially the central and north coasts and northern Vancouver Island.
Winds are also high in mountainous regions, and hill-tops tend to be more favourable than valleys for wind. Wind tends to be funnelled by topographic features, hence some mountain passes may be particularly favourable for wind installations.
A problem for wind energy in British Columbia is that many of the windiest areas, such as the central coast or the mountains, are far away from the existing electricity grid.