Community Collaborations in Wind Energy - A Case in Point - Dalhousie Mountain Wind Project

I've been seeing alot of negative press on wind energy of late. As a proponent of renewable energy and the potential opportunities for farmers, this concerns me.

I came across a project that seems to have this all worked out - it is called the Dalhousie Mountain Wind Project located in Pictou County, Nova Scotia. They worked hard to involve the community, NS Power, government and local business to make this a success in short order. I couldn't find a web-site but there is lots of information on Google related to this project if you are interested.

What do you think of wind turbines - would you like one on your farm or in your community?

Average Annual Wind Speed and Wind Energy

Here are some rules of thumb I came across from notes I made at a farm business conference energy workshop.

The amount of power harnessed from a wind turbine depends on the average annual wind speed - needing a relatively consistent wind flow. Wind systems require an average annual wind speed of 15 kilometers/hour to be viable. 25 km/hr is desireable and 29 km/hr is outstanding especially if you intend to sell the power.

The experts recommend that at least a year's weather data be collected before site selection. Have some wind experience to share - please comment.

Small or Big Wind - How to decide?

I am in awe of wind power. I travel through Shelburne, Ontario periodically and the wind farm north of the town always takes my breath away. Although I'm interested in the large turbines, I see small wind as more of an opportunity. Our local Walmart has a small wind turbine that produces enough energy to light the store. I visited this week in silent support of their wind initiative as I prefer to shop elsewhere. While I shopped I came up with a list of things that I would consider in order to make decisions on wind energy:

Does it fit in my business?
What kind of equipment do I need?
How much does it cost?
What is the payback in my area? And more...

The Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) is one resource available to assist. See www.smallwindeenrgy.ca/en/SmallWind.html

The "acid test" was particularly interesting - it is a calculator that looks up wind performance and electricity rates in your area and examines performance of differenct sizes of turbines.

Do you have resources to share?