Caption
Saskatchewan is a province of wide open spaces, and there are many opportunities for harvesting the enormous power which is held in the wind as it passes over the fields of wheat, flax and canola. Before the Rushlake project, Sasktchewan was generating 22 megawatts of power from wind (one megawatt can power ten thousand 100W light bulbs).
To be completed in December 2005, the Rushlake Creek power project will consist of 84 turbines generating 150 megawatts (MW), enough to power 64,000 homes. If you look closely in the panorama, you may be able to see some of the turbine towers being constructred. When this panorama was taken, three turbines were generating and an additional 12 were in the process of being commissioned.
Wind power is pollution-free and has a minimal and local impact on the environment. Capital costs are large but competitive with other forms of power generation. Concerns such as noise and erosion have been addressed and apply primarily to earlier wind power projects. Rather than reducing tourism and degrading the "natural beauty" of landscapes, wind plants often draw tourists and while beauty is in the eye of the beholder, many people find wind power plants intriguing.
Links relating to the Rushlake Creek Centennial Wind Power project:
My panorama homepage: