Re: Group fights wind farm, July 10

I have been watching the progress on the wind farm development in Innisfil but was not surprised by the Journal’s recent report that there are some opposed to it.

Looking at the big picture, most Canadians recognize the major environmental concern today is climate change and pollution caused by burning fossil fuels.

Scientists, including those with the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), are saying we must soon switch to clean energy or there could be irreversible heating of the earth, with disastrous consequences for many people and animals. The time for action is now. What will future generations think about our action (or lack of it) today, if we are not able to make the necessary changes fast enough?

The provincial government has decided one part of the solution is to replace the coal fired electricity plants with clean, alternative energy. So what could do the job? This is actually an activity in the high school science curriculum, which I enjoy teaching. My students found that, according to the World Energy Council, wind energy is the fastest growing electricity source in the world, doubling every three years over the last decade.

Ontario climbed from 15 MW in 2003 to 415 as of July 2007, out of a total of 1588 MW installed in Canada. Just this May, the Quebec alone announced the development of 15 new wind farms for a total of 2000 MW of wind energy. Natural Resources Canada says that wind energy doesn’t require fuel and is pollution-free (compared to fossil fuels) so it doesn’t create greenhouse gases, the cause of global warming.

My science students agreed with Ontario, Canada and many countries in the world that are looking to wind energy to be one of the green solutions to our traditional use of fossil fuels.

So why not be part of the solution here in Innisfil? There must be sufficient wind because Schneider Power would have verified this before being willing to make a multi-million dollar investment. Besides, it’s only going to be a small wind farm – only five turbines not 50; and they obviously have to be big to be efficient and economical.

As for noise, I didn’t find them that noisy even standing under a turbine when I visited the much larger wind farm in Shelburne; besides how could there be a significant noise problem that close to Highway 400?

The wind farm will obviously have to follow all provincial and federal guidelines for distances to neighbours and safety including aircraft; this is not new technology and there’s plenty of experience in the world to guide this development.

Frankly, I feel that we in Innisfil should do our part to reduce climate change by switching to clean, renewable electricity production like wind. Seeing this small wind farm will remind everyone that we are taking action to help the earth. If common sense prevails and our town council rezones the property for the wind turbine, we will be proud of Innisfil’s progressive leadership. As an educator, I’ll also look forward to taking my class to see a local example of a practical solution to the biggest challenge of our generations.  

Syd Lucas
Belle Ewart