Renewable resources. Environmentally friendly power. These terms are tossed around like salad almost on a daily basis.

The truth is renewable energy sources are finally being recognized as invaluable resources. Smart cars; solar panels the uses are finally getting closer to home; but commercial uses for friendly power have a long history. The hydroelectric power of Niagara Falls for example has long been utilized, its power first harnessed in 1759: to turn a small water wheel and in turn power a small sawmill. But it wasn't until 1895 that that the electricity generated by Niagara Falls was first transmitted to be used some distance away.



Water and sun power are but two of these resources; we have ultimately harnessed wind power, and although truly an ancient initiative, it is now viewed as one of our most recent ambitions. Wind turbines are currently the fastest growing resource for electricity production in the world; the ultimate goal being the closure of the environmentally hazardous coal burning plants, since neither water nor wind power have any hazardous emissions. The U.S. has some of the largest wind farms in the world, and in fact, the Parker Ranch solar / wind hybrid power plant in Hawaii is the world's largest hybrid solar energy project.

Wind turbines produce energy through generators the same way that energy is produced at other electricity generation plants in Ontario. It is really quite simple: a wind turbine converts the kinetic energy in wind to mechanical energy, which can then be transmitted for use elsewhere. In a nut shell, when wind propels the turbine blades, electricity is produced.

If you haven't seen Toronto's 750 kilowatt wind turbine at Exhibition Place, you have probably seen the Wind Farms television commercial put out by HSBC, which can currently be seen at yourpointofview.com. Some may see them as unsightly, and while they have been accused of causing detrimental harm to birds; wind turbines are by far one of the best forms of energy producers that our generation is able to utilize.

For effective electricity production, a wind speed of 15 kilometers per hour is the minimum requirement; Canada has many areas that are naturally conducive to wind turbines, as most regions in Canada have flat areas with good wind resources. On average, a modern wind turbine generates enough energy for anywhere from 250 600 homes. So, if you are in a windy location, power generated by wind turbines could provide from 15 to 20 percent of your electricity needs. As of July 2006, the total capacity of the wind farms in Canada was roughly 1 049 MW.

It is incredible, really the blades (which can weigh up to 1.5 tones) capture the energy that is naturally occurring from the existing flow of wind energy, and travel at about 180 mph. As the wind is an on-going natural process, it is therefore renewable

So, as it turns out, we are not just tossing these terms around at all: renewable energy is truly a valuable resource.