The Citizen, 2005-03-17, Page 40THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2005. PAGE A15.
Rural spirit of co-operation basis of venture
question is what’s the best return for
that use of that land. What will the
relationship be? What would be paid
or should there be payment and
shares'? These are the honest
questions we’re exploring."
Nichol said the hope is tor a
relationship that’s mutually
beneficial to the farmer. Currently,
the owners ol the land on which the
test towers arc located have signed
an option. If it- turns out that cither or
both are prime sites for a wind lower
it allows the committee to go in and
create an agreement.
Work on formalizing lease
arrangements is currently underway
and the committee is also now in
talks with hydro about accessing the
grid. “In many countries any group
wanting to pul power into the grid is
guaranteed access. We’re in a really
dog light in Goderich right now
because there’s only a couple of
places you can gel into the grid. The
problem is that the spot ran only
handle so much power. That’s pretty
Continued on Al6
New venture
Volunteers work on erecting one of two test towers. The project is to determine whether or not
there is enough wind inland to generate energy. (Photo submitted)
By Bonnie Gropp
Citizen editor
The Huron Business Development
Corp and Perth Community Futures
have created a vehicle in keeping
with the rural spirit of co-operation.
“This region understands co-ops
well, said Paul Nichol of HBDC,
“we thought it was a good idea to
pursue it with regards to
windpower.”
Inspired by the federal
government’s Kyoto Accord,
provinces are encouraged to start
thinking of renewable green energy
sources. “There is a strong
commitment to closing down the
coal-fired energy plants, so what
sources of energy do we bring in,"
said Nichol. "By 2007 the province
wants an increased percentage of
energy to be renewable green.”
The shores of Lake Huron has one
of the best wind regimes in North
America. “We started talking in the
summer and with all the activity at
this point on the lakeshore regarding
wind energy, the possibility of a
locally-owned and operated co-op
began to take shape,” said Nichol.
“There is no doubt that harvesting
wind is going to be the new industry,
but rather than a large company, we
thought there may be another way.”
The province has already issued
the first round of requests for
proposal (RFP). which allows those
interested to enter into a contract
with the province saying they will be
allowed to produce a certain amount
of energy at a certain payment.
“The towers are a million bucks to
put up, so this creates a comfortable
playing field for the investment
community,” said Nichol, adding
that the next round of requests he
believes will be in a month.
Though two test towers have been
erected, one near Goderich and the
other outside Milverton, the project
is not ready yet to bid on an RFP.
“We’re not there because the first
step is measuring how much wind
drives how much energy. It all
hinges on do you have enough
wind.”
Every 10 minutes an anemometer
sends them information saying
“what’s going on up there.” Nichol
said that a year’s worth of wind data
must be collected, setting the Huron-
Perth project close to 12 months
away from bidding.
However, they are counting on
that data proving that there is enough
wind inland to generate energy. A
steering committee has been formed
of representatives from other local
co-operatives, farm organizations
and other interested individuals and
groups such as Maitland Valley
Conservation Authority. “It is people
with the background and interest as
well as a local face.”
The reason for the idea of a local
co-operative rather than an industry
based venture is simple. It’s about
options. “We're presenting an option
that’s local but also exploring a
number of options around
ownership.”
"The overriding objective is to
ensure a method of promoting wind
energy that offers the benefits of
community co-operative, sharing in
the profits.”
The idea is to allow the farmers to
own the co-op. “As far as I know no
one in the area is doing that. They
can be a piayers because they can
sign leases, but aren’t really owning
the venture. If you want another way
of going about it, that’s what we’re
looking at.”
Because wind energy is land
based, it is inexorably linked to
agriculture. Farmers have the land
on which one can place a 300-foot
high tower, requiring an acre of
ground. "So for the farmer the
Hfe ''Wi
" • Licensed Septic
Installations
* Screened & Field Topsoil <
Bark Mulch * Sand • Gravel
Fill * Backhoeing * Bulldozing’
farm, business, or personal
complete year-round
service including tax audit
INCOMES
TAX
^SERVICE
• E-File available .
~ -Over 20 years experience
Quality work
at reasonable rates
i “FREE CONSULTATION"
Stephen
Thompson jl,
R. R. #2, Clinton
482-3244
^i9t.ributors of
Automotive & Electrical
Product Since 1926
357-3830
469 Josephine St.
Wingham
524-8389
208 Suncoast Dr.
Goderich
auto ports
Radiator & Engine Rebuilding
Machine Shop Services Available
23 Locations Throughout Ontario
DUflU-WcLD
CUSTOM METAL FABRICATION
TOP 5 REASONS TO DO THAT
WELDING JOB MYSELF
#5) My time isn't worth anything, so the longer it takes,
the more I save.
#4) I love the look of bubble gum weld on my new
equipment.
#3 My wife encourages me to spend thousands of
dollars on shop equipment that I II use 3-4 rimes
a year.
#2 I have to use those wet, fuzzy welding rods
sometime.
#l) I like paying higher insurance premiums when I
burn the barn down myself. My insurance agent
says he's hard up anyway.
Let us take the worries and
aggravation out of those welding
projects and repairs.
\Ne offer:
- mobile welding in the field or in the barn
~ certification by the Canadian Welding Bureau
~ 5 million dollars liability insurance
- custom-made equipment parts at less
cost and better than new
- design/build to your needs
~ 19 years in business
Ohanh you la awe many valued customer fxnc
you* pabtanaye thuuiyh the yea’cy
thylan X Maiy-CLnn Van then daaem
1 road south of Brussels and 2 west
Shop: (519) 887-6594 Fax: (519) 887-9746
Cell: (519) 357-0447 Res: (519) 887-6877
C CERTIFIED J