Saturday, September 02, 2006

Can 401 Traffic Power a Wind Turbine?

Apparently not. Centennial College students set up a wind speed measuring device near Progress Campus last August, hoping to show that the road and its rushing traffic would help in generating power for a full-scale wind turbine. However:

Average wind speeds over a year, recorded at a 30-metre height, are "right on the margins of what would make a wind project there feasible," said Herb Sinnock, a Centennial instructor who helped make the case for installing the device.

Sinnock was hoping the college could justify a turbine at least as big the one on the Canadian National Exhibition grounds, enough to generate 1.5 megawatts of electricity.

This project likely won't happen now. However, a commendable attempt. Hopefully some of these new green technologies will pan out soon. I see the SkyDome black with solar cells, and a big wind turbine atop the CN Tower!

3 comments:

Daniel Mosely said...

BIGCityLib who are you supporting in the Leadership race?

bigcitylib said...

Haven't decided yet. Am leaning towards Kennedy, or maybe Dion.

Tom Gray said...

Wind energy is already panning out. Its annual growth rate, worldwide, has averaged 29% for the past five years. At the moment, the major thing slowing it down is a shortage of wind turbines!

Regards,
Thomas O. Gray
American Wind Energy Association
www.awea.org
www.ifnotwind.org