By Dan Hust
PARKSVILLE — The Sullivan Alliance for Sustainable Development (SASD) is moving ahead on a community wind farm study near Parksville.
With consultant Sustainable Energy Developments (SED), SASD spent two years gathering data and public input on a variety of potential wind farm sites across the county, whittling the list down to four.
After a public info session earlier this year, SED and SASD chose to more intensively study a location on the ridge of hills separating Liberty from Parksville.
“It has relatively good windspeeds,” noted SASD Executive Director Dick Riseling.
The two groups, however, do not own the property, nor are they planning to develop it themselves.
“This is a feasibility study,” explained Riseling.
Utilizing a $210,000 U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Rural Development grant, SASD and SED ultimately plan to produce a blueprint for a wind farm which would power 500-5,000 local electricity users via wind turbines.
From there, it’s up to a community group to realize the dream.
Riseling and company already envision two 2-megawatt Gamesa G97 turbines (or a similar class) standing atop the ridge.
A team of experts are expected to intensively survey and study the proposed site next month, with a report released by November.
While he acknowledges the plan will be site-specific, Riseling said the ultimate goal is to inspire others to follow suit with wind farms across the region.
“This is a template,” he said, “so anyone can expand it.”