October 2, 2007
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
A study by a researcher from the University of Moncton for inclusion in a Nova Scotia wind atlas indicates pockets of areas along the Northumberland Strait, near Amherst and along the Fundy Shore as being conducive to the development of wind energy.
“There are a number of good places in that area as well as in the rest of the province,” Gagnon said. “The potential is good in the Cape Chignecto area but there’s a park there and there’s also good areas along the Bay of Fundy near Amherst.”
Other areas include the Gulf Shore and Malagash peninsula as well as the Cobequid Highlands. The best areas in the province are in Cape Breton and in southwest of Nova Scotia.
Supported by a $78,000 research grant from the province, Gagnon joined with the Applied Geomatics Research Group at NSCC to create a wind atlas.
Cumberland County is becoming a popular area for wind farm developers. Along the proposed project in the Gulf Shore, there are already turbines in Rodney and Higgins Mountain with more expected to be added. There are also proposals for projects on the marsh near Amherst.
Gagnon said the atlas, available at www.nswindatlas.ca, will serve as a valuable tool for future wind policy and planning and will assist small scale wind developers without mapping resources to assess the viability of potential projects.
“Nova Scotia has an exceptional wind regime because there are winds above seven meters per second in many areas and covering large areas,” Gagnon said.
By Darrell Cole
1 October 2007
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2007/10/02/area-scores-well-in-wind-study/