View source for ExPlace Wind Turbine

{{Short description|Wind turbine in Toronto, Ontario, Canada}}
{{use dmy| date= June 2025}}
{{Infobox power station
| name = ExPlace Wind Turbine
| image = WindShare ExPlace turbine in Lakeshore, Toronto 01.jpg
| image_size = 150
| image_caption = The Toronto WindShare ExPlace turbine viewed from Ontario Place
| coordinates = {{Coord|43|37|49.5|N|79|25|29.3|W|region:CA-ON_type:landmark|display=inline}}
| country = Canada
| location = [[Exhibition Place]], [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]], [[Canada]]
| status = Commissioned
| construction_began = December 16, 2002
| commissioned = January 23, 2003
| cost = CA$1.8 million
| owner = {{ubl|WindShare|Rankin Integrated Energy}}
| wind_farm_type = Onshore
| wind_hub_height = {{cvt|65|m|ft}}
| wind_rotor_diameter = {{cvt|52|m|ft}}
| ps_units_operational = 1
| ps_units_manu_model = Lagerwey Wind LW 52
| ps_annual_generation = {{cvt|1,000|MWh}}
| website = {{url|https://windshare.ca/}}
}}

The '''ExPlace Wind Turbine''' is a {{cvt|91|m|ft|0}} tall [[wind turbine]] located in [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]], [[Canada]], on the grounds of the [[Exhibition Place]] (a.k.a. ExPlace). The turbine is co-owned by '''WindShare''', a for-profit [[Cooperative|co-operative]]; and Rankin Integrated Energy (part of Rankin Construction), a construction company specializing in renewable projects.<ref name= "to transfer">{{cite press release |title=Toronto Hydro to transfer share in Exhibition Place wind turbine to WindShare Cooperative |url= https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/toronto-hydro-to-transfer-share-in-exhibition-place-wind-turbine-to-windshare-cooperative-801841731.html |website= Newswire.ca| publisher= Canada Newswire| author= Toronto Hydro Energy Services Inc. |date= 4 November 2022 |access-date= 2025-06-10 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Why Toronto has that one, weird wind turbine |url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tn-w_zohw6| date= |via=YouTube |publisher=The Goose |access-date= 27 January 2025}}</ref> It is the first wind turbine installed in a major North American urban city centre<ref name="Not Your">{{cite web |date= 2006-02-06 |title=Canada's First Urban Wind Turbine - Not Your Average Windmill |url= http://www.torontohydro.com/corporate/initiatives/green_power/wind_turbine/index.cfm| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080330064457/http://www.torontohydro.com/corporate/initiatives/green_power/wind_turbine/index.cfm| archive-date=2008-03-30| publisher= [[Toronto Hydro]]|accessdate=2008-04-11}}</ref> and the first community-owned [[wind power]] project in Ontario.<ref name="The WT">{{Cite web| title= The Wind Turbine |url= http://www.windshare.ca/explace/the_wind_turbine.html| website= windshare.ca| publisher= WindShare | url-status= dead| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120103234226/http://www.windshare.ca/explace/the_wind_turbine.html|archive-date= 2012-01-03| access-date= 2025-06-10}}</ref> 

== History ==
In 1998, the [[Toronto Renewable Energy Co-operative]] (TREC) was incorporated. The next year, the TREC received a grant to study three potential sites for an urban wind turbine project in Toronto.<ref name= Making-History>{{Cite web|title= Making History| url= http://www.windshare.ca/about/test.html|url-status=dead| website= windshare.ca| publisher= WindShare |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100308110641/http://www.windshare.ca/about/test.html|archive-date=2010-03-08 |access-date=2025-06-10}}</ref> On June 30, 1999, the TREC formed an ad hoc partnership with [[Toronto Hydro]] to build wind turbines in Toronto.<ref>{{cite news| first= Brian| last= McAndrew| date=July 1, 1999| title= Hydro backs waterfront windmill plan| newspaper=[[Toronto Star]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| first= Karen| last= Palmer| date=July 1, 1999 |title= Energy answer blowin' in the lakefront wind project |newspaper=[[The Globe and Mail]]}}</ref> In February 2002, the TREC officially launched the WindShare co-operative with the policy of asking members of the non-profit TREC to become members of the for-profit WindShare co-operative. WindShare itself was officially launched in February 2002 in Toronto. It was created by the non-profit [[Toronto Renewable Energy Co-operative]] (TREC) which was incorporated in 1998. TREC continues to exist as a separate non-profit entity.<ref>{{Cite web |title= About | website= trec.on.ca |publisher= Toronto Renewable Energy Co-operative | url=http://www.trec.on.ca/about/| access-date=2021-07-12}}</ref>

From December 16 to 18, 2002, WindShare's wind turbine was erected. It is the first wind turbine installed in a major North American urban city centre,.<ref name="Not Your" /> and the first community-owned [[wind power]] project in Ontario.<ref name="The WT" /> On January 23, 2003, the ExPlace turbine began generating electricity. In 2006, the [[Government of Ontario]] introduced a [[feed-in tariff]]. In 2009, as a part of the [[Green Energy Act, 2009|Green Energy Act]], the feed-in tariff was revised by the Government of Ontario.

In the summer of 2012, the turbine was taken offline due to problems with the converter (the part of the turbine that converts the movement of its blades into electricity). The converter was replaced, and the turbine was brought back online in March 2013. In July 2014, however, the new converter had issues, resulting in the turbine being offline until October of the same year until the issues were resolved.<ref name="Crawley 2017">{{Cite web| last= Crawley |first= Mike |date=October 11, 2017|title=Exhibition Place wind turbine hasn't produced power since March |url= https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/wind-turbine-electricity-power-cne-toronto-hydro-1.4349292 |website=cbc.ca| publisher= [[CBC News]] |access-date= July 18, 2021}}</ref>

In March 2017, water damaged the wind turbine's ring generator during a storm, causing the wind turbine to stop operating. After five months, Toronto Hydro funded a specialist firm to begin the required repairs as well as other upgrades to the turbine with work originally expected to be completed by November of the same year.<ref name="Crawley 2017" /> However, the turbine did not become operational again until February 2019, over a year later.<ref>{{Cite web| title= Toronto's famous wind turbine is working again| first= Tanya | last= Mok |url=https://www.blogto.com/city/2019/02/toronto-wind-turbine-working-again/ |website= blogto.com| language= en |access-date=2025-06-10}}</ref>

On November 4, 2022, Toronto Hydro Energy Services Inc. transferred its 55.1 percent share in the project to WindShare.<ref name= "to transfer" /> Upon completing the transfer, WindShare created a joint partnership with Rankin Integrated Energy (part of Rankin Construction).<ref>{{cite web |title=Why Toronto has that one, weird wind turbine |url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tn-w_zohw6Y |website=YouTube |publisher=The Goose |access-date=27 January 2025}}</ref>

== Technical details ==
The turbine is {{convert|91|m|ft|0|adj=on}} tall and is a 600&nbsp;kW direct drive Lagerwey Wind LW 52 wind turbine that weighs approximately {{convert|121,000|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name= specs>{{cite web| url= http://www.windshare.ca/explace/specifications.html| title= Specifications| date= | website= windshare.ca| publisher= WindShare | archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20090417131002/http://www.windshare.ca/explace/specifications.html |url-status= | archivedate= 2009-04-17| access-date= 2025-06-10}}</ref> The tower of the turbine is {{convert|65|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} tall and the diameter of the rotor is {{convert|52|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}. The turbine has three blades that are each {{convert|25|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} long. The rotor's normal rotation speed is approximately 24.5 [[Revolutions per minute|rpm]].<ref name= specs /> The turbine is able to produce a power output of 500&nbsp;kW in winds of {{convert|21|kn|km/h mph|0|lk=in}}. Construction of the turbine cost approximately CAD$1.8 million (including foundation, interconnect, and erection).

The turbine adds an average of {{cvt|1,000|MWh}} of electricity to the city's main power grid per year.<ref name= "FOB">{{cite web|title=Toronto Wind Energy Co-op Windmill| url= http://www.friendsofbruce.ca/Photos,Maps,Etc/Toronto_Wind_Energy_Co-op_Windmill.html |website= friendsofbruce.ca| publisher= Bruce Centre for Energy Research and Information| accessdate=2008-04-11}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{stack|{{Portal|Ontario|Weather|Renewable energy}}}}

* [[List of wind farms in Canada]]
* [[Community wind energy]]
* [[Ontario Sustainable Energy Association]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.trec.on.ca/ Toronto Renewable Energy Co-operative (TREC)]
* [http://windshare.ca/ WindShare]
* [http://ontario-sea.org/ Ontario Sustainable Energy Association]
* [http://www.powerauthority.on.ca/sop/Page.asp?PageID=751&SiteNodeID=250 Ontario Power Authority "Standard Offer Program" (SOP) for Wind Energy Projects]
* [http://fit.powerauthority.on.ca/ Ontario Power Authority Feed-in Tariff program for renewable energy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091001110335/http://fit.powerauthority.on.ca/ |date=2009-10-01 }}

{{Public institutions and infrastructure in Toronto}}
{{Wind power}}

[[Category:Energy cooperatives]]
[[Category:Co-operatives in Canada]]