Wind turbines provide a source of energy in many other parts of the province and around the globe and soon Yorkton may be able to see the benefits.
On Monday evening Darcy McLeod, the city's director of community development, parks and recreation, announced a pilot program will explore the economic and environmental benefits of self-generated power projects at municipal ice rinks. A provincial initiative called the "Self-generated Electricity Demonstration Project for Rinks," if implemented in Yorkton, will mean the Kinsmen Arena will one day be powered by a wind turbine.
Two community rinks will be selected in Saskatchewan says McLeod to have wind turbines installed to determine if this will help to reduce electrical costs. SaskPower will monitor results for a period of up to five years and the hope is, ice rinks can become more affordable for communities.
Yorkton is situated in a 'good energy' location says McLeod and the Kinsmen Arena is the size the province is looking on which to test.
"The wind turbine would be approximately 164 feet high, which is slightly higher than the water tower," details McLeod. Capital costs would be funded by the province, including the installation of the turbine and maintenance for five years.
There are positives and negatives to be considered says McLeod but in the end the positives win out he believes.
Noise, shadowing and impact on wildlife such as birds and bats are among the downfalls to be considered but the offer of government support and the potential for savings are appealing.
"The City of Yorkton could take this opportunity to partner with SaskPower to learn more about wind turbine technology and its effects so that informed decisions can be made on future requests for wind turbine installations in Yorkton," says McLeod.
With councils approval, the city will submit a letter of interest to SaskPower. The two sites are to be selected by the end of March and if chosen Yorkton will have a turbine installed in the fall of 2011.
When SaskPower's Centennial Wind Power Facility opened in 2006, it had the largest installed capacity, at 150 megawatts, of any wind farm in Canada. It is now fourth largest.
SaskPower's wind power facilities will offset carbon dioxide emissions by six million tonnes over the course of their 25-year life, equivalent to the emissions created by heating 37,500 homes for 25 years.
