Flamborough Project
Phase I: Feasibility
2002-2005
Site Selection
Between the initial Ontario Sustainable Energy Association workshop in June 2002, and Positive Power Co-op's incorporation as a co-op, volunteers began the process of selecting a site for the first project. Over the summer and early fall of 2002, volunteers investigated the feasibility of a project in Hamilton. The priority was to find some potential locations that could be assessed for viability.
They determined that the drumlin fields in Flamborough, north of Highway 5 and visible from Highway 6, would be a good place to start looking. Good wind speeds at this end of Lake Ontario tend to be harder to find than at sites farther east along the north lakeshore, but the drumlin field offered a number of benefits that would provide higher speeds that you might normally find inland. As wind travels up a hill, it results in higher wind speeds. So, the search was on for a drumlin with a smooth upslope to minimize turbulence and which would provide good visibility from the highway. A site was selected in October of 2002 which fulfilled the criteria and was available.
Wind Resource Assessment
The next step in the feasbility phase of the Flamborough project was the initiation of the wind resource assessment (WRA), thanks to a $5,000 grant from the Hamilton-Wentworth Stewardship Council to install the anchors that steady the measurement tower. In November 2002, PPC volunteers headed out to the site and installed the anchors in preparation for the next phase of work.
In partnership with the Conserver Society of Hamilton & District, Positive Power Co-operative received $30,000 from the Hamilton Community Foundation to complete the bulk of the WRA work. This allowed PPC to hire a wind resource assessment consultant to oversee volunteers assembling and installing the tower in March 2003, its decommissioning in April 2004, and the collection and initial analysis of data over 12 months.
Wind Resource Assessment Results
| Month | Average Wind Speed | The successful completion of the wind resource assessment was an important step in the success of the entire Flamborough project. The technical data collected formed the basis of the decision to proceed with the project. PPC volunteers then "cleaned" the collected data to ensure accurate averages, and put the data in a format that made easy comparison to nearby sites with historical data. This allowed a more effective prediction of the energy output for the site, which is important for financing purposes. | |
| 2003 Apr | 6.6 m/s | ||
| 2003 May | 6.0 m/s | ||
| 2003 Jun | 5.8 m/s | ||
| 2003 Jul | 5.3 m/s | ||
| 2003 Aug | 4.4 m/s | ||
| 2003 Sep | 5.8 m/s | ||
| 2003 Oct | 5.9 m/s | ||
| 2003 Nov | 6.5 m/s | ||
| 2003 Dec | 6.7 m/s | ||
| 2004 Jan | 7.4 m/s | ||
| 2004 Feb | 6.5 m/s | ||
| 2004 Mar | 6.4 m/s | ||
Average wind speed for 12 months: = 6.1 m/s (at 50m high)
This data is provided by Positive Power Co-op for educational purposes only. Positive Power Co-op does not accept liability for use or misuse of this data by any third party for wind energy project that they undertake.
More Information
For details on the progress of the Flamborough Project, see: