OTTAWA - The CANADIAN WIND ENERGY ASSOCIATION (www.canwea.ca) says this country has become the 12th to pass the 1,000-MW mark for installed wind energy capacity. The total installed generating capacity of wind-powered projects is 1,049 MW, enough to power more than 315,000 Canadian homes.
This is good news for everyone, and it may be of particular interest to KLONDIKE STAR MINERAL CORP. of Seattle, Washington. It is assessing the feasibility of generating electricity from the wind for its Lone Star project 40 km from Dawson City, Yukon (see CMJ headline news June 14, 006). For the company, wind energy may prove a cost-effective alternative to conventionally generated energy.
Klondike Star has contracted with LEADING EDGE PROJECTS and partners, one of North America's most knowledgeable northern wind energy groups. The group has experience serving the mining industry in the design and installation of wind resource monitoring equipment that can accommodate northern temperatures and icing conditions.
The first monitoring tower is expected to be installed on the top of the Eldorado Dome this month. The equipment it houses will be supplied with power from a battery pack recharged by small wind turbines. If, as expected, sufficient wind is available, the site and others in the general vicinity can accommodate at least a 5- to 10-MW wind farm, according to Klondike Star.
In 2001, John Maissan, president of Leading Edge Projects, received the R.J. Templin award for technical leadership in the development of northern wind technology in Canada from the Canadian Wind Energy Association.
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