We had a tour of completed Glen Dhu Wind Park recently; the alternative energy facility is the largest wind farm in Nova Scotia located on Browns Mountain in Pictou County. It covers an area of about twenty four hundred hectares of privately owned woodlot properties from various local residents in the Lismore and Baileys Brook areas. The 62.1 MW wind farm is fully operational, consisting of 27 wind turbines and produces enough power to run approximately 18,000 homes and a twenty year agreement with Nova Scotia Power. The wind farm also helps the local economy by providing additional income to land owners, it is expected that about $400,000 per year in royalties will be paid out, $8 million over the twenty year duration of the project.
image source:shearwind.com
Over the three year planning and construction phase several people seemed to be concerned on how the wind farm would affect the local habitat and be an eye sore to residents and tourists of that area. As part of that required environmental assessments, several field surveys were conducted, including a toxicology study to assess potential human health effects. The survey results suggested that sound produced from the turbines is well below regulated levels. Studies were also conducted on the flora, moose population and on bird migratory patterns. Department of Natural Resources has endorsed the project and mentioned that it will not significantly affect wildlife habitat, including the migratory patterns of birds.
At the base of Browns Mountain lies several communities that rely heavily on natural resources; fishing, farming and forestry. The enormously large turbine machinery constructed in this region so far has not seemed to have done harm to the surroundings. In fact some residents actually are happy of the byproducts that resulted from the project such as better dirt roads into properties that
“A 2010 survey conducted by Corporate Research Associates suggests that about 9 out of 10 residents of both Pictou and Antigonish County say they would “mostly or completely” support wind energy farm, as long as all health and government regulations are met, and that the wind farm would be built at least one kilometer from their household. Glen Dhu has met and in many cases exceeded these regulations. Moreover, less than five percent of residents are opposed to a wind energy farm in Pictou and Antigonish Counties. Shearwind.com/media/pdf/news/2011_05_09_Glen_Dhu_Official_Opening.pdf
Results are based on a telephone survey conducted by Corporate among Pictou and Antigonish County residents aged 18 and over. A sample of 321 interviews provides results accurate to within +5.5 percentage points, 95 out of 100 times.”
[info sources: Shearwind.com & NGnews.ca ]
Have included here several photos that my daughter and I took of the Glen Dhu Wind Park to share:
[images source: tmackinnon.com]