J and I got married on Grouse over 5 years ago, so it holds a special place for us.
When we went up this past July to visit, we saw nothing unusual.
Then suddenly, over eight inconspicuous days in September, up popped Eye of the Wind, a 65-metre-tall wind turbine.
(Photo: Vancouver is Awesome)
There are more construction photos here. We can see it from our apartment, standing proudly atop the mountain. However, it doesn't yet turn. I've seen December and January start dates floating around, and I look forward to watching it turn from my couch. Apparently it was testing yesterday, and turned for a bit, but I missed it. (Twitter told me so.)
But, and there is a but, it's only going to generate 25% of Grouse's electricity needs, or the equivalent of enough power for just 400 homes. That leaves me a bit underwhelmed, but it is a great a start... Of course it will also raise awareness and become a landmark of BC's environmental consciousness, both of which are very important. And to put it in perspective, Germany has over 18,000 turbines, which provide 7% of the country's needs, and Denmark generates over 20% of its electricity from its 5,500+ turbines.
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