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Wind Generation Facilities
Of all the mountain viewpoints in the Whitehorse area, Haeckel Hill is one of the most noticeable. That's in part because the two Yukon Energy wind turbines on top of the hill make it a very distinctive landmark.
The smaller of the two turbines is a 0.15 megawatt unit manufactured by Bonus Energy that was installed in July 1993. The larger turbine, a Vestas V47-660, was erected in the fall of 2000. The Vestas can produce 0.66 megawatts of power. Together, these turbines have the capability of providing clean, renewable energy to 150 homes.
Through operating these wind turbines, Yukon Energy is demonstrating that wind power has promise in northern locations. We have made progress in overcoming some technical difficulties associated with operating turbines in cold climates, such as rime icing (a frost-like build up of ice that causes the turbines to lose their effectiveness). Placing more wind turbines in the Yukon will depend on whether the benefits of providing wind power outweigh the costs of installation and production.
In the fall of 2004, the ring gear on the Vestas failed. That's a critical piece of equipment that's needed to help the blades turn into the wind. You'll see in this slide show that fixing a 37 metre high turbine is no easy task!
History
There has been interest in wind power in the north for many years. However, after a number of disappointing trials in the 1980s, the National Research Council and the Yukon government almost wrote off wind generation here in the Yukon. Thanks to two long-time Yukoners, though, wind got a second chance. Geological engineer Doug Craig (who, sadly, passed away recently) and his friend Jack Cable, a chemical engineer and lawyer, were convinced that there was indeed wind power potential in the Yukon. They set up the Boreal Alternate Energy Centre in 1990 to explore energy options.
The Centre rounded up two wind monitoring instruments left in the north from previous studies. With a truck on loan from the Yukon Electrical Company Ltd. and a $1,500 contribution from Yukon Energy, the Centre erected its first tower at the 1,430-metre level on Haeckel Hill.
In spite of some problems with icing on the instruments, the testing showed that Haeckel Hill had 10 times more wind energy than the Whitehorse airport. Instruments installed on other near-by mountains showed even better results.
By 1992, Yukon Energy was negotiating with Bonus A/G of Denmark to purchase our first wind turbine.
If you would like to get more detailed information about our wind turbines or about getting to Haeckel Hill, please dowload our brochure above.