The Windmill on Canada Street

wind_sign

Staff from the Conservation Council attended the opening of a new vertical-axis wind turbine at The Ville on Canada Street on Fredericton’s north side this morning.

The project was a partnership between Falls Brook Centre, Fredericton-based Naveco Power, and The Ville Cooperative.

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The turbine was created by Kohilo Wind out of New York, who have installed the model in communities in the Philippines and New York state, but this was the first time a vertical-axis wind turbine of this kind has been installed in Canada!

Roughly 30 people came out for the opening, including Fredericton city councillors and representatives of provincial MLAs.

This model of veritcal-axis turbine is making waves in the energy community for its easy-to-assemble design that is highly efficiency for generating energy. The whole unit was built and wire within six hours earlier this week, and it began producing clean energy on Dec. 17.

It will remain on display in front of the old Gibson Memorial School (now housing The Ville Cooperative) for the next month or so, before being moved to power a large sign along the highway outside Edmundston.

The Ville is hoping to install a permanent model in the future.

windmill_and_sign

And we could be seeing a lot more of these pop up around Fredericton.

Jeff MacFarlane, director at The Ville, said he has already been fielding calls and text messages from friends, family members and neighbours asking, ‘When can we get one? How can we get one?”

We’ll write about this project more in the New Year, along with a profile of the Fredericton-based company Naveco Energy who helped bring the project together.

Here are some more photos from the opening!


Part of our Renewable Solutions NB Project


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