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By 2013, Saskatoon will have a new landmark on the horizon, one that will provide both environmental and monetary benefits for the City of Saskatoon. City Council has approved the development of a single tall wind turbine at the Saskatoon Landfill that will stand at 120 metres from the ground to the top of the rotating blades.
What are the benefits of a wind turbine?
Benefits of a single tall wind turbine:
- An environmentally clean and revenue positive source of electricity - enough to power approximately 500 homes.
- Reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 3,000 tonnes per year - equal to removing 600 vehicles from our roadways.
- Provides a visible benefit for local residences and businesses wishing to participate in a program to reduce their environmental footprint.
- Improves the City of Saskatoon's environmental footprint by offsetting greenhouse gas emissions.
- Promotes Saskatoon as an environmentally conscious and responsible city.
- Provides a visible educational tool for sustainable development in our city.
The tall wind turbine is just one of the renewable and/or low impact electrical generation facilities that will make up Saskatoon's Green Energy Park at the landfill. Other projects will include a Landfill Gas Power Generation Facility, Turboexpander Power Generation Facility (in conjunction with SaskEnergy), and potential to add fuel cells, heat recovery and solar power generation in the future. The projects approved or being considered have a combined capacity of 9.6 megawatts.
The Green Energy Park will produce enough power for 6,000 homes, and provide an annual reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of 121,000 tonnes (equivalent to removing over 23,000 vehicles from our roadways).
There are cost benefits and operational efficiencies that result from locating the Green Energy Park projects together at the landfill - there is no need to purchase land or build new roads, only one interconnection to the electrical grid is needed; and the same staff can operate and maintain all facilities, and the power is being produced right where it is consumed - saving transmission losses.
Wind power currently supplies approximately 5% of our electrical demand in Saskatchewan, and over the next few years will increase to 8% - one of the highest percentages in Canada. It currently supplies about 1.1% of Canada's electrical demand. The Canadian Wind Energy Association has outlined a future strategy for wind energy that would reach a capacity of 55,000 megawatts (MW) by 2025, meeting the goal to supply 20% of the country's energy needs from this abundant renewable energy resource - similar to the country of Denmark.
Selecting the Site
The landfill was chosen for the wind turbine site because it offers a rich wind resource, and more importantly because it allows the furthest possible setback distance from residences anywhere within Saskatoon Light & Power's Service Area. This is important to ensure there are no potential health impacts to Saskatoon residents. Studies have been completed and indicate that the worst-case sound and shadow flicker levels from the wind turbine will be below levels permitted under the most stringent guidelines world-wide.
One unique aspect of the project is that the wind turbine will be constructed on top of the landfill. This is to achieve a higher elevation above the surrounding area, and therefore increase energy production from the wind turbine. Experts from the University of Saskatchewan undertook extensive field and laboratory testing to determine the ability of the waste to support the wind turbine, and provide data for design of the foundation system. Similar projects have been constructed at landfills in Germany, and in Hull, Massachusetts.
Meteorological Tower
Environmental Assessment
An environmental assessment has been completed that included studies of potential impact to birds and bats. According to Environment Canada guidelines, the landfill site is considered as the lowest level of concern (Category 1) based on site sensitivity and facility size. The results indicate that there may be some risk to certain gull species and migratory bat species. Mitigation measures may be necessary and could include curtailing the operation of the wind turbine during heavy migration periods. Monitoring will continue through the first few years of operation to determine if mitigation measures are necessary.
A wind assessment has also been completed that involved installation of a 60 metre tall meteorological tower to collect site-specific wind data for a one-year period. This data is needed to match an appropriate wind turbine model for the site. The wind assessment indicated that the wind turbine will produce enough power for over 500 homes.
Next Steps
The next step for the Tall Wind Turbine project is to issue a Request for Proposals for supply and construction of the wind turbine. The earliest operational date for the Tall Wind Turbine would be January of 2013.
Frequently Asked Questions
Brochure designed by the Aden Bowman Collegiate Earthkeepers students for the Wind Turbine Project.
Contact Information
For information or to comment:
Kevin Hudson, P. Eng., Metering and Sustainable Electricity Manager
Saskatoon Light & Power, City of Saskatoon
Phone: (306) 975-3659 Fax: (306) 975-3057
Email: Kevin.Hudson@Saskatoon.ca |