U of M study to probe feasibility

by: Lindsey Wiebe, Winnipeg Free Press, February 27, 2009

If Alex Stuart’s dreams came true, every highrise in downtown Winnipeg would be topped with a wind turbine, silently capturing energy to power the offices below.

For now, he’s glad to have one turbine up at the University of Manitoba, where research will show whether his vision of a sky-high urban wind farm in Winnipeg will ever come to fruition.

Stuart said Manitoba Hydro has shown early interest in the project, but said more serious involvement would depend on the results of the testing.

“That’s unused rooftop real estate,” said Stuart, president of Global Wind Group.

The start-up company is working with the University of Manitoba’s Alternative Village to test one of the vertical axis turbines they hope to eventually distribute in Winnipeg. Stuart believes the city’s skyscrapers could one day substitute for the massive bases that traditionally support wind turbines such as the ones in St. Leon, southwest of Winnipeg

“We already have huge towers — we just call them office towers,” he said.