Wind

Nova Scotia Power is a Canadian leader in wind energy. We have the highest number of wind turbines east of Québec. In Nova Scotia, wind turbines stretch from Yarmouth County to Inverness County. Currently, we have 60 megawatts of wind power, with turbines based in locations from Yarmouth County through to Cape Breton. We have contracts with private producers of wind power for an additional 246 megawatts of wind power. This power is expected to be available beginning in late 2009 or early 2010.

Wind turbines in Nova Scotia stand as tall as a 20-storey building (80 meters) and there are even taller turbines elsewhere. Typically, wind turbines used in Nova Scotia are equipped with a triple-blade rotor atop each tower that can be up to 90 meters in diameter. The blades capture the wind and convert it into energy.

The turbine rotors turn relatively slowly, about 25 revolutions per minute. They require a minimum wind velocity of 10 km per hour and shut down automatically when winds reach about 90 km per hour.

There are two kinds of wind energy applications in Canada:

Large-scale
Provides power to a local utility grid. A single large-scale wind turbine produces enough energy to power hundreds, even thousands of homes.

Small-scale
Provides local power to a home or business and is placed at the same site where the electricity will be used.

To find out more about wind power in Nova Scotia, watch this video about a project at Pubnico Point, or this video about the construction of a turbine at Higgins Mountain.

Wind turbine directory