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Harnessing the wind in Ireland and Canada


The latest windfarm to come into operation in Ireland opened in Donegal just toward the end of March.

The 38-turbine Meentycat windfarm in the Cark mountains near Ballybofey, is capable of supplying enough power to supply 45,000 households. A spokesperson for Airtricity, the company which built it, said it was capable of saving 200,000 carbon dioxide emissions per annum - the equivalent of taking 45,000 cars off the road.

However, the company warned, unless the Dublin government reversed its position on subsidizing sustainable energy projects, it would halt all future projects in Ireland.

The company is developing the largest offshore windfarm in the world on the Arklow Bank and already has onshore wind farms in Sligo, Cavan, Fermanagh and Donegal.

"The Irish government has yet to provide the vision to lead the country in the development of renewable energy sources and to build a sustainable source of power based on renewable energy," said Paul Dowling, chief operating officer with Airtricity.

"Logic dictates that we will go where the best return is. Countries such as Scotland offer compensation for the green component of energy production. The Irish government needs to look at paying for the environmental benefit," he said.

Environmentalist and TV presenter, Duncan Stewart, who opened the plant, said that wind energy was capable of solving all of Ireland's fuel needs.

"We have got to have our own indigenous fuel supply. The price of gas and oil will escalate and because we are importing over 90 per cent of our fuel needs we have no control over supply," he said.

He pointed out that Ireland was struggling in relation to its Kyoto Agreement commitment to reduce CO emissions and had no chance of meeting the 2010 deadline.

"Wind energy is our lifeline and we are ideally situated to harness it, but we need to change our attitude towards it," he said.

He claimed that 10 to 15 windfarms of the size opened yesterday could solve Ireland's energy problems over the next five years.

With the addition of the new windfarm, the twelfth in the county, Donegal claims title to being the wind capital of Ireland. " 'Tis no wonder people come here for a breath of fresh air," cracked one local wiseacre-Oops!-one local resident.

Just one month later, in Manitoba, Canada, the first turbine at a windfarm was started which the province hopes will eventually generate enough electricity to power thousands of homes by the end of the year. At more than 60-metres high, the wind turbine is one of three that tower over the rolling hills near the community of St. Leon, about 150 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg. The blades on the turbines are each 40-metres long.

"This will be our first wind operation on this wonderful windfarm, which will generate 99 megawatts of renewable, clean energy out of this wonderful resource of wind on the gorgeous Pembina escarpment," said Manitoba Premier Gary Doer, on hand for the startup.

Over the next six months, a private consortium hopes to build a total of 63 windmills - making the windfarm one of the biggest in the country.

The province of Manitoba hopes it will generate enough electricity to power a small city.

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