Updated: Mar. 02, 2009 at 7:10 am

www.chrisd.ca

A Winnipeg company wants to make the city a bit more energy efficient, and they’ve set their sights on the downtown office towers to start.

Global Wind Group president Alex Stuart says they want to leverage the unused rooftop space to create sky-high urban wind farms. The idea is still in its planning stages, but the group is currently working with the University of Manitoba’s Alternative Village to test one of the vertical axis turbines they one day hope will grace the rooftops of Winnipeg’s downtown.

So, just how much do these turbines cost? According to Stuart, roughly $10,000 each. Manitoba Hydro has shown early interest, but says until more serious testing is complete, they would not commit to being involved. The turbines could also be situated on homes, but Stuart says homeowners would not likely get on board unless financial incentives can be offered.

– With files from the Winnipeg Free Press and Global Wind Group