The Ravenswood Wind Farm was the first wind farm in Ontario to be built under the Standard Offer Program. It is located north of the community of Ravenswood, Ontario in Lambton County. M.K. Ince and Associates was involved in the development from the initial conceptual stages, through construction, and even now through post-construction work. It began operation in January 2008.

Wind Farm Details

• Commissioning Date: January 2008
• Turbines: Six Vestas V82 1.65 MW, 80m hub height, 41m blade length
• Installed Capacity: 9.9 MW

Public Open House

Construction

Martin Ince, P.Eng, project owners,
landowners, and the Energy Minister

Ownership

• Originally conceived in 2005 by Aeolian Energy, a subsidiary company of MKI
• Purchased by Sky Generation Inc., now under the ownership of Glen Estill, President of Sky Generation Inc.

Wind Resource Assessment

• Meteorological tower installed in April 2005
• Two years of wind data were collected
• Reports on wind data prepared every six months

Project Design

• Energy and financial analyses performed
• Site layout optimized according to wind resource and land use
• Electrical interconnection approvals and system layout performed

Municipal Approvals and Public Consultation

• Public Open House held in the community of Forest, Ontario on January 18, 2006
• Newsletters delivered to public
• Comments solicited and incorporated into ESR
• Municipal approvals completed including plan and by-law amendments

Environmental Assessment

• Environmental Screening Report (ESR) included:
  • Avian impact report
  • Archeological assessment report
  • Environmental noise impact report
  • Visual impact report
  • Public, Agency and First Nations consultation documentation
• Environmental Screening Report (ESR) published in December 2006
• Statement of completion issued in June 2007

Construction

• Construction of the wind farm took approximately five months
• Official opening was held January 23, 2008
• The Ontario Minister of Energy was in attendance for the ribbon cutting ceremony

Post-Construction Work

• Post-construction obligations required as part of the ESR included:
  • Bird carcass surveys
  • Bat carcass surveys
  • Monitoring is now complete and very few bird and bat fatalities were reported at the site
• Noise monitoring
• Complaints follow-up process ongoing