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Wolfe Island Wind Farm

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Coordinates: 44°10′N 76°28′W / 44.167°N 76.467°W / 44.167; -76.467
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Wolfe Island Wind Farm
Wolfe Island Wind Farm located on Wolfe Island, Ontario, within the Township of Frontenac Islands.
Map
CountryCanada
LocationWolfe Island, Ontario (near Kingston, Ontario)
Coordinates44°10′N 76°28′W / 44.167°N 76.467°W / 44.167; -76.467
StatusOperational
OwnersCanadian Hydro Developers, Inc.
OperatorsCanadian Hydro Developers, Inc.
Power generation
Units operational86 x 2.3-megawatt (MW)
Make and modelSiemens: Mark II
Nameplate capacity197.8 MW
External links
CommonsRelated media on Commons
[edit on Wikidata]
This is one of the many wind turbines on Wolfe Island, Ontario, Canada.

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 was expected to generate approximately 594 gigawatt-hours (GW·h) of renewable power annually; enough to supply about 75,000 average households.[3] Over its first four full years of operation, generation proved to be around 495 GWh annually (see below).

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

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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 provided by Nexans
  • 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

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Production (MWh)[9]
Year January February March April May June July August September October November December Total
2009 4,615 6,792 21,328 24,330 28,049 46,907 32,110 52,551 216,682
2010 40,500 30,839 54,313 40,941 31,088 25,053 25,079 29,767 46,278 47,636 47,039 50,819 469,352
2011 32,303 56,015 43,156 54,849 44,238 26,754 18,099 25,124 27,543 49,068 64,780 54,010 495,939
2012 55,585 51,178 48,738 44,933 29,658 34,323 20,894 28,393 35,549 54,090 40,945 51,070 495,356
2013 56,505 42,337 44,164 57,735 40,331 22,975 24,386 24,754 28,798 46,608 68,831 41,396 498,820
2014 73,346 46,498 57,045 44,469 40,488 23,320 33,237 24,695 32,019 54,268 41,140 470,525
Panorama of Wolfe Island Wind Farm

See also

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References

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  1. ^ CKWS evening news report June 29, 2009
  2. ^ "Wolfe Island Wind Project (197.8 MW) - Wolfe Island". Ontario Power Authority. Retrieved 2013-07-07.
  3. ^ "Wolfe Island". TransAlta. 2013-03-04. Retrieved 2013-07-07.
  4. ^ Wolfe Island
  5. ^ "Wolfe Island Wind Project" (PDF). Canadian Copper CCBDA (156). 2008. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
  6. ^ "Plants in Operation" (PDF). wolfeislandwind.com. TransAlta. Retrieved 2013-07-07.
  7. ^ Kingston EMC Thursday May 14, 2009 page 13
  8. ^ "WOLFE ISLAND WIND PLANT POST-CONSTRUCTION FOLLOW- UP PLAN BIRD AND BAT RESOURCES" (PDF). Retrieved 2023-09-30.
  9. ^ Wind Power in Ontario
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