Harvesting the future: Wolfe Island’s wind energy

Harvesting the future: Wolfe Island’s wind energy

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Wind turbines tower over the farm fields that once sustained the Wolfe Island community.  (Front and Center/Chris Trimmer)

Wolfe Island is a sleepy agricultural community in the Thousand Islands region on the Canadian side of Lake Ontario. In 2009, the 48 sq. mile island became host to an 86-turbine wind farm, the second largest wind energy project in Canada. Owned and operated by TransAlta, the Alberta based oil company, the wind farm is expected to generate enough electricity to power 75,000 homes a year.

With wind energy projects planned throughout the Great Lakes by both Canadian and US governments, Wolfe Island may be one of the first communities in the Great Lakes region to accommodate the shift towards wind energy production.

This audio collage weaves together the voices of island residents to explore: What happens when industry lands among sanctuary?

Great Lakes wind projects struggle for footing

Offshore wind-energy advocates face tall hurdles in the Great Lakes, but some projects are advancing. WBEZ’s Maham Khan brings us these snapshots.