Wolfe Island Wind Farm

Wolfe Island Wind Farm
Wolfe Island Wind Farm located on Wolfe Island, Ontario, within the Township of Frontenac Islands.
Location of Wolfe Island Wind Farm in Ontario
Country	Canada
Location	Wolfe Island, Ontario (near Kingston, Ontario)
Coordinates	44°10′N 76°28′W / 44.167°N 76.467°W / 44.167; -76.467Coordinates: 44°10′N 76°28′W / 44.167°N 76.467°W / 44.167; -76.467
Status	Operational
Owner(s)	Canadian Hydro Developers, Inc.
Operator(s)	Canadian Hydro Developers, Inc.
Power generation
Units operational	86 x 2.3-megawatt (MW)
Make and model	Siemens: Mark II
Nameplate capacity	197.8 MW

Wolfe Island Wind Farm is a large wind farm project located on Wolfe Island, Ontario (near Kingston, Ontario). The wind farm became operational on June 29, 2009.^[1] It is owned and operated by Canadian Hydro Developers, Inc., through its subsidiary Canadian Renewable Energy Corporation (CREC). The power will be purchased by Hydro One for distribution to consumers.

The wind farm consists of eighty-six 2.3-megawatt (MW) Siemens model Mark II wind turbines situated on the western portion of Wolfe Island.^[2]

Once completed, the 197.8 MW project is expected to generate approximately 594 gigawatt-hours (GW·h) of renewable power annually; enough to supply about 75,000 average households.^[3]

Winds of 3.5 to 4 metres per second (11 to 13 ft/s) are required to generate power; when winds are less than 3 metres per second (9.8 ft/s), then power is not being generated.^[4]

Key project components

Cross section of submarine power cable used in Wolfe Island Wind Project. The world's first 3-core XLPE submarine cable to achieve a 245 kV voltage rating.^[5]

• padmount transformers at the base of each wind turbine
• access roads
• a 34.5-kilovolt (kV) electrical line collector system
• a 34.5 / 230 kV transformer station
• a 230 kV electrical line system
• 230 kV interconnection facilities with the provincial grid at Hydro One's Gardiners Transformer Station
• an operations and maintenance building.

CREC has optioned a total of approximately 2513 hectares (6,209 acres) of land for the {}_=-+ proposed wind development.^[6]

The facility will provide green jobs and generate landowner and community income through royalties, taxes, and the amenities agreement. Canadian Hydro has built a visitor centre at its property on the 5th line.^[7]

The 2010 Bird and Bat report commissioned by Transalta, a component of the Post Construction Follow-up Plan (PCFP), states that over the first six months of operation bird mortality due to blade strike was 602 birds of which 13 were raptors. That reflects 6.99 birds per turbine over six months (almost 14 strikes per turbine per year). The industry standard for comparable wind facilities is generally 2 bird strikes per turbine per year. Over 1270 bats were killed in the same six-month period. The development is in a globally and continentally significant Important Bird Area. The PCFP was designed in response to stakeholder concerns over potential negative effects on bird populations, and is a partnership between Transalta, the Environment Canada and provincial Ministry of Natural Resources.^[8]

Production

See also

• List of wind farms in Canada
• List of onshore wind farms
• List of offshore wind farms

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wind farms in Canada.

• Newsletters
• Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) website
• Power Being Generated in Ontario by Site

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