Green energy initiatives are popping up across the prairies, including one wind powered turbine in Weyburn.
The 15-metre high, four-kilowatt (kWh) vertical access wind turbine on Brown Crescent has been up for about a month and operating for the past week, despite opposition from Tom Hoffart, who lives next door to the property with the turbine.
After City Council approved the erection of the turbine last summer, Hoffart voiced his objection during a City Council meeting, stating that the turbine would detract from surrounding properties, both aesthetically and in terms of property value. Council decided to implement a conditional one-year approval to determine the neighbourhood impact and whether or not the City would allow for other such developments.
Mayor Debra Button said that before Council received the request to install the wind turbine, they had been considering installing a trial turbine to test the noise levels and aesthetics of the device.
"We knew that other communities were taking a look at wind turbines. But then (the property owner) came to us and indicated he wanted to put one up for a year at his own cost. It gave the City an opportunity to test it without a cost to us," said Button. "There was a lot of pluses for us so we gave (the property owner) permission to put it up."
Button said that Council is planning on putting a process in place for residents to install turbines, such as circulating a neighbourhood notification. However, any further applications will be denied until the City has had time to assess the current turbine and its impact on the surrounding properties.
Clint Dedora of Steepbank Energy, a certified consultant firm that installs wind power and geothermal systems, said that although alternative energy sources are relatively new in Saskatchewan, the government is on-board, supplying various grants to help cover the high costs.
"Under SaskPower's Small Power Producers Program they buy back power at a set rate of $0.842 per kilowatt hour with a two percent increase each year on a 20-year contract," said Dedora.
Dedora and his partner Sasha Richard recently installed the same kind of wind turbine found on Brown Crescent on their farm, and a geothermal system to cool and heat their farmhouse by Radville.
Dedora said he was able to take advantage of grants such as SaskPower's Geothermal and Self-Generated Renewable Power Loan Program, which offers a loan up to $50,000 with SaskPower subsidizing the interest.
It was a government loan that allowed Dedora to become certified with the Canadian GeoExchange Coalition. He accepted a $15,000 grant for schooling for off-farm income about five years ago. Since then, he has assisted in installing five geothermal systems and three wind turbines in the area. One such geothermal system installed by Steepbank is on Fifth Avenue NE, another is at Brown Crescent, the same property with the turbine.
Steepbank has also recently installed 10 kWh and 20 kWh turbines on farms near Maxim and Lampman.
Dedora said he installed the alternative energy systems at his farm because he wanted to offset his bills. "I like the idea of self-sustainability," said Dedora. "Once the geothermal is paid for we'll be self-sufficient, and with the wind generator to offset the electricity that the geothermal is using, we will have no costs."
Richard has her own reasons for going green. "It's really hard to deny the impact we have on the environment in this day and age," said Richard. "We rely on fossil fuels and coal to power our homes and this is not sustainable. Everyone has their own reason for doing it; it doesn't have to be because you're a tree hugger."
SaskPower announced on March 30 that they are planning to add about 50 megawatts (MW) of renewable power to the province's electricity grid through its second annual Green Options (GO) Partners Program lottery.
"The GO Partners Program provides opportunities for the province's Independent Power Producers to develop environmentally preferred power projects and sell the electricity to SaskPower," said Rob Norris, Minister responsible for SaskPower. "Programs like this will help ensure a sustainable supply of electricity for the province - today and in the longer term."
This year, SaskPower will purchase up to 50 MW of renewable power through the program, with up to 25 MW coming from wind.
SaskPower's GO Partners Program was introduced in 2009 along with the GO Plan - which will see an additional 175 MW of wind power added to the province's system. The projects in development through these programs will more than double wind power production in the province.
SaskPower is making a multi-year, multi-billion dollar investment to renew the province's electricity system. The demand for electricity in the province is expected to increase by about 2.4 percent annually over the next decade.
