This area was chosen for the site of the first commercial scale wind farm simply because it was the best site available, subject to steady, sometimes strong, winds, both summer and winter.
Enlarged several times since the initial installation in 1993, one now sees several wind farms juxtaposed in a long line at this point, operated by Enmax and TransAlta Utilities. There are close to 200 windmills in the collection, possibly more, producing around 290 megawatts of electricity. Given the desirability of the site for wind power, expansion is ongoing.
Coordinates are not for a single windmill, but at the viewpoint.
Wind Energy:
Helping Alberta Green its Grid
Wind energy is an established and growing player in the Alberta electricity market, providing clean and renewable electricity to complement conventional energy sources and to diversify Alberta’s electricity generation mix.
Canada’s first commercial wind farm, today owned by TransAlta, was installed at Cowley Ridge in Southern Alberta in 1993. Alberta ranks third in Canada with an installed wind energy capacity of 1,120.3 MW. The province’s wind farms produce enough electricity to power over 350,000 average sized homes.
Alberta’s electricity market is a deregulated merchant market that allows anyone to enter the market if they believe they can obtain sufficient revenues in order to ensure their project is economical. There is, however, uncertainty about electricity prices in the Alberta market over the mid-to-long-term horizon. Electricity generation projects are long-term investments and the price uncertainty makes it increasingly difficult to finance and build new electricity generation.
From the Canadian Wind Energy Association