Lake Erie Project
Phase I: Feasibility
2002-2005
Site Selection
The idea to begin a second project in Lake Erie was in the works for some time. Originally started in mid-2003, PPC identified several sites along the north shore of Lake Erie as part of the initial feasibility work. A town hall to inform the public of PPC's plans for a wind energy project in Haldimand County was held in Rainham Centre in November 2003. After further investigation, both originally identified sites proved unworkable, and our focus was shifted to a location that would support several turbines. The Co-operators generously provided $6,000 in funding towards the wind resource assessment for this project.
The north shore of Lake Erie in Haldimand Country is an exciting place for Positive Power Co-op to be positioned because many wind development companies are actively working in the area
Wind Resource Assessment
The weekend of July 26 & 27 2004, Positive Power Co-op initiated a wind resource assessment (WRA) along the north shore of Lake Erie in Haldimand County. This marked the start of our second WRA in just over 18 months of existence as an organization.
This monumental event was made possible following months of planning, negotiations, meetings, applications and hard work by the PPC front-line volunteers and the Board of Directors.
Installation started at 8:30 am on Saturday the 26th with the assembly of the tower at ground level, including all instrumentation and wiring, which was completed by 3:00 pm. The winds were quite high during installation, a fact that was validated by our anemometer tests which registered average wind speeds of 6 m/s. The tower was up and secured by 9:00 pm, just as the sun was setting. Our team of volunteers (sun burnt, wind burnt, and exhausted) were delighted to see that the landowner had arranged a BBQ supper for us, which we thoroughly enjoyed on their deck until the last of our group departed at about 10:30 pm.
Sunday morning was spent ensuring that the tower was perfectly straight, that all guy wires were properly adjusted for tension, and that the electronics, including all of the sensors and the data logger, were properly connected and functional.
More Information
For details on the progress of the Lake Erie Project, see: