The huge turbine that couldn't.

So Grouse mountain's new attraction, a thing of beauty you could say, and i would not disagree more. This honking piece of metal atop of one of the most beautiful sceneries I have yet to witness doesn't just ruin the Grouse skyline, it also doesn't work. This 65-metre turbine could just as well be another tourist attraction, being the only turbine in the world with a viewing platform. The 'Eye of the Wind', (clever name don't you think?) can be seen right at the top of Grouse, and to be honest isn't exactly pretty, snowboarders and skiers all around North Vancouver are probably very upset about it ruining one of the top 10 vancouver attractions, and is barely moving as it is. Having been up to the peak of Grouse myself and never actually seeing it move, i start to wonder whether it was a good idea in the first place. Aside from the fact that it barely moves, however, is the fact that even when it does miraculously move, it produces absolutely no electricity. The cost of this beast is also undisclosed, as Grouse mountain spokesman William Mbaho states that, "The cost should be irrelevant," claiming that he won't be, "disclosing any dollar figures." Now something that costed how much, we may never know, in my mind does not help the beautiful landscape of North Vancouver there's not much else that could go wrong, right? You could not be more wrong. Grouse's 'Eye of the Wind' is not actually connected to the provincial power supply. The original figures for the turbine was that it was supposed to provide up to 25 percent of Grouse mountain's power, not bad if you ask me, yet BC Hydro spokesman claims that the turbine does not yet meet safety requirements "The system that they are proposing is not the same that is required by all customers who have generators of that size on our system, and it's required for safety reasons and reliability reasons," he said. And these few itty bitty details aren't the only problems with Grouse's newest attraction. Apparently, the turbine is also a risk to birds and bats, two of which species are in danger, yet all Grouse mountain's spokesman Mbaho had to say was that, "It is a fact that birds and bats can be harmed if they fly too close to the turbine." After such negative evidence against the turbine, it's hard to say that it will have any positive effects on Vancouver's initiative against global warming, we shall see however, I'm just waiting for it to actually work to hedge my bets.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/04/14/bc-grouse-mountain-wind-turbine-stalled.html#ixzz0mSg11f5Q