Centre for Urban Energy and Hydro One imagine wind power harnessing Toronto energy
Ryerson wind farm to facilitate wind power research
Generating energy from wind sources to fuel Ontario's future underscores one of the major research endeavours now underway at Ryerson's Centre for Urban Energy (CUE). On average, winds in Ontario are gentle to moderate breezes that blow 35 per cent of the time, lightest and least in July, but strongest and longest during winter months. Bala Venkatesh, CUE academic director, says: "Wind power represents a net benefit for global urban energy production and savings, empowering cities while reducing fossil fuel dependency, and we anticipate making a significant contribution to Toronto's energy challenge."
Ryerson's CUE and the Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Science (FEAS) are well-positioned to help Ontario benefit most from wind power generation. The research and collaboration with Hydro One currently underway are designed to ensure public concerns about wind energy are met while "greener, cleaner" power makes city living even more affordable. The CUE research will complement Ryerson's own wind turbine facility in Fergus, Ont. and will be conducted in tandem with work underway at Ryerson thanks to a $6-million NSERC Wind Energy Strategic Network grant.
Ontario has committed to investing in new clean energy sources, supporting job creation in clean energy and high-tech manufacturing, including solar panels and wind turbines. The province projects that wind will account for 10 per cent of energy generation by 2030, compared to a mere two per cent in 2010. Wind for Ontario can be harnessed in several ways, from distantly located rural wind farms to small wind turbines atop or attached to high buildings that can harness the "wind tunnel" effect produced in skyscraper canyons.
Dr. Venkatesh is principal investigator for "Intelligent Algorithms for Integrating Wind Power to the Distribution System", with $170,000 in funding from Hydro One. The project will help Hydro One facilitate integration of wind energy generators into electric power systems.
"Wind turbine velocity is subject to change due to weather factors, and it is important to ensure that the distribution system functions well with them," states Dr. Venkatesh. Research challenges include how to accurately model wind turbines in transmission system analysis studies. Research will also examine how wind turbines react to faults or interruptions, which Dr. Venkatesh describes as "being an important parameter in the design of distribution systems that connect them."