Can a wind... park be a place to educate the community about the benefits of renewable energy?

A few blocks from my home in Winnipeg is a place called "garbage hill" it is exactly that, a grass covered hill of garbage. In the winter my children slide down it, in the summer we use it for exercise and relaxation in the day, or to look out at the city lights at night. During a recent visit to Toronto, I couldn't help but notice the large wind turbine that is now part of the skyline of that city. We have a few wind projects in Manitoba, but because of our predominant use of hydro electric power I really have not given wind energy a second thought. It was not until I was confronted by the actual sight and sheer size of a wind turbine that I started thinking about it as a viable source of renewable energy.


After doing some quick research I learned that the ExPlace turbine generates an average of 1,000 megawatt hours of power per year, equivalent to the electricity needs of over 200 homes. The turbine production capacity helps displace up to 380 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, which is the equivalent of taking 1,300 cars off the road or planting 30,000 trees each year.


I also learned that it is the first URBAN-sited turbine to be constructed in North America. Turbines are not often put into cities because buildings, zoning issues and dense residential areas tend to interrupt a “laminar” flow of wind required for wind speeds to generate power. In Winnipeg we are known to have the windiest corner in Canada, on Portage Avenue and Main Street. Come to think of it when standing on top of that garbage covered hill, I sometimes have to lean into the wind just to stay upright.


The other point that caught my attention is the "Made in Ontario" tag. Almost all of the turbine parts, including the tower and blades, were manufactured in province. Only the converter at the base of the turbine and the nacelle were manufactured in the Netherlands. Adjacent to garbage hill is a property that is known as Dominion Bridge. A mostly abandoned steel factory that has back taxes and environmental clean up concerns that keep investors away from even demolishing the massive complex and starting fresh.


During one of my recent walks to garbage hill I stopped to envision a large wind turbine at the top of it;

• away from any residential or zoning concerns
• with the project designed using fresh minds from Red River Community College which has their campus only a few par 5's away
• by involving a steel manufacturing company that is making a go of it at the old plant adjacent to the hill
• with help from Manitoba Hydro, of course a few levels of government, and whomever else will help support this project
• producing power for the actual plant that made the parts to create it, and even some other businesses in the sorrounding area
• inspiring people in the city that I live in to do things a little greener everyday
• most importantly use the turbine to teach our community that it is possible to improve our environment if we just work together and believe in our will to change 

I am already itching to see where this bright idea is going to take me... I will keep you posted and let you know how this whole project develops.


Being an analytical person by nature, I am already breaking this down into smaller and more manageable pieces, but I can tell already this is going to be more than a one person job.


Let's see what happens.