Canada - Towering turbines harvest the wind

The Kingsbridge I wind- power project was officially launched yesterday in the middle of a farm field north of Goderich by Ontario Energy Minister Donna Cansfield. Edmonton-based EPCOR has erected 22 wind turbines, pumping 40 megawatts of power into Ontario's electrical grid, enough to power 12,000 homes. With one of the massive 80-metre turbines as a backdrop, Cansfield hailed the wind farm as a "phenomenal addition to the local landscape." She said the province is forging ahead with six more wind-farm projects, including one near Port Burwell that will open soon. Cansfield's enthusiasm comes despite skepticism from some energy experts who argue wind power is expensive and unreliable.

Although wind power costs about 8.6 cents a kilowatt hour to produce -- more than twice the cost of power from older coal-fired plants -- Cansfield said the clean energy from wind has to be balanced against the health costs caused by pollution from coal-fired plants. "Your air is cleaner, your children can breathe, your future is brighter -- literally," she said. Because the project is dependent on fickle winds, EPCOR has set a target for the turbines to produce at 30-per-cent of capacity. EPCOR senior vice- president Paul McMillan said careful testing ensures Kingsbridge will produce a reliable amount of power every year. "All forms of energy have some form of unreliability, but this project is providing affordable, stable energy," he said. Work should soon begin on Kingsbridge II, an even larger EPCOR project pumping out 160 megawatts. The power will come from 69 turbines installed in an area just north of Kingsbridge I. For Goderich Mayor Deb Shewfelt, the project could not come fast enough.

He said tests done more than 15 years ago showed that Huron County had great wind- power potential. "I would like to congratulate the province for finally getting us on the map for wind generation. We lagged so far behind for so many years," Shewfelt said. He also rejects critics who say the huge turbines are an eyesore. "I think they are a thing of beauty," he said. Bill Hayden and his son, Dan, certainly share Shewfelt's opinion. Hayden, who farms near Port Albert, had the first wind turbine installed on his property five years ago and two more have been added. Farmers typically receive $6,000 to $8,000 in annual rent for each turbine. "The people in Port Albert tell me, 'I love the look of them. When are they going to build more?' " Bill Hayden said. Dan Hayden still helps out on the family farm, but has landed a job with EPCOR maintaining the wind-farm turbines. With farmers getting poor prices for their crops and livestock, he said the wind turbines are a true windfall. "Farming isn't enough and this ties right in with the farming," Dan said.