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WindShare is a for-profit wind power co-operative that was officially launched in February 2002 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was created by the non-profit Toronto Renewable Energy Co-operative (TREC) which was incorporated in 1998. TREC continues to exist as a separate non-profit entity.[1][2][3][4][5]
WindShare's ExPlace wind turbine was erected on December 18, 2002, on the grounds of Exhibition Place, in Toronto. It was the first wind turbine installed in a major North American urban city centre,[6] and the first community-owned wind power project in Ontario.[7]
The 91-metre (299 ft) tall ExPlace wind turbine is co-owned by the WindShare co-operative and Toronto Hydro, and annually adds an average of 1000 MWh of electricity to the city's main power grid.[8]
History
- 1998 – Toronto Renewable Energy Co-operative (TREC) was incorporated
- 1999 – TREC received a grant to study three potential sites for an urban wind turbine project in Toronto.[9]
- June 30, 1999 – TREC forms ad hoc partnership with Toronto Hydro to build wind turbine(s)[10][11]
- February, 2002 – WindShare co-operative officially launched. (Members of non-profit TREC are asked to also become members of the for-profit WindShare co-operative.)
- December 16–18, 2002 – WindShare's ExPlace wind turbine erected
- January 23, 2003 – ExPlace turbine began generating electricity
- 2006 – The government of Ontario introduced a feed-in tariff (renewable energy payments)
- February 23, 2009 – Ontario Green Energy Act 2009 introduced in the Ontario legislature
- March, 2009 – The government of Ontario revises feed-in tariff
Specifications of Ex Place turbine
- Exact location (coordinates): 43°37′49.5″N 79°25′29.3″W / 43.630417°N 79.424806°W
- Model: 750 kW, direct drive, Lagerwey Wind model LW 52 wind turbine
- Height: Total 91 m (299 ft), or roughly 30 storeys; tower 65 m (213 ft)
- Weight: approximately 121,000 kg (266,759 lb)
- Rotor diameter: 52 m (171 ft)
- Blades: three blades, each 25 m (82 ft) in length
- Rotation: maximum approximately 24.5 rpm
- Power Output: range of 625 - 650 kilowatts at 12 m/s (871 electrical hp) in winds of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) to 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
- Cost: approximately CAD$1.8 million (including foundation, interconnect, and erection)
See also
- List of wind farms in Canada
- Community wind energy
- Feed-in tariff
- Green Energy Act 2009
- Ontario Sustainable Energy Association
References
- ^ website for Toronto Renewable Energy Co-operative (TREC) - About page
- ^ "website for Windshare - history page". Archived from the original on 2010-03-08. Retrieved 2010-03-03.
- ^ Adria Vasil (Oct 6–13, 2009). "Taking T.O. off the grid". Now. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
- ^ Brian McAndrew (July 1, 1999). "Hydro backs waterfront windmill plan". Toronto Star.
- ^ Karen Palmer (July 1, 1999). "Energy answer blowin' in the lakefront wind project". The Globe and Mail.
- ^ "Canada's First Urban Wind Turbine - Not Your Average Windmill". Toronto Hydro. 2006-02-06. Archived from the original on 2008-03-30. Retrieved 2008-04-11.
- ^ "Explace turbine information on the Windshare website". Archived from the original on 2012-01-03. Retrieved 2012-01-17.
- ^ "Toronto Wind Energy Co-op Windmill". Bruce Centre for Energy Research and Information. Retrieved 2008-04-11.
- ^ "website for Windshare – history page". Archived from the original on 2010-03-08. Retrieved 2010-03-03.
- ^ Brian McAndrew (July 1, 1999). "Hydro backs waterfront windmill plan". Toronto Star.
- ^ Karen Palmer (July 1, 1999). "Energy answer blowin' in the lakefront wind project". The Globe and Mail.