World Wind Watch | Green Energy News

October 27, 2002 – Vol.7 No.31

WORLD WIND WATCH.

Among large industrialized nations Canada ranks third in greenhouse gas emissions per capita. This is no surprise. The country is vast and travel distances are long. Long trips for people and goods require large amounts of energy. The country’s climate, too, is cool. It takes large amounts of energy to keep people warm.

According to Natural Resources Canada, good wind energy resources can be found in every region, every province. But Canada, with ample hydropower and fossil fuel reserves, has done little to exploit its wind energy potential.

In about a year Canada’s largest wind farm to date will be online. A 75-megawatt wind farm will be built on 2700 acres of farmland near the southern Alberta town of Fort Mcleod. The 114 turbine facility will be built by Vision Quest Windelectric, now owned by fossil fuel power generator TransAlta. All of the power will be sold to Enmax Corporation for its Greenmax green power marketing program.

The project will begin with 55 Vestas V-47 660-kilowatt turbines, with the other 59 added as the project proceeds. Vision Quest is already operating 67 V-47’s at various sites in Alberta.

Landowners will give up only 27 acres of farmland - one percent of the project site - for the turbines. They can continue farming or raising cattle below the slowly turning machines and will receive a small portion of the revenues from the electricity they produce for the minor inconvenience. Visit Vision Quest Electric at http://www.greenenergy.com/ , Enmax at http://www.enmax.com/