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As students return for the first day of school, they may notice something new on the back lawn of Cardinal Carter Catholic High School – a 70-foot windmill!
Aurora’s Cardinal Carter CHS is home to the board’s very first windmill, an environmental initiative that will produce clean energy used to power the school.
The installed windmill, a Skystream 3.7, stands 70-feet high with a 12-foot rotating turbine. It will generate up to 3,500 kWh of electricity yearly for the school. The windmill also boasts another positive feature – its nearly silent operation. It’s as quiet as trees blowing in the wind.
The windmill will not only benefit the school’s energy bill, but it will also act as a learning resource. The windmill’s renewable technology will be integrated into York Catholic’s curriculum, so students can learn about how the technology works and the benefits for both the board and the environment.
"The addition of a small windmill completes the inventory of York Catholic’s renewable energy portfolio,” said Senior Manager of Environmental and Office Services, Norm Vezina. “It will provide students with the opportunity to learn the properties of wind energy generation with a system that was purposely installed to support the curriculum".
Cardinal Carter CHS was chosen to host the board’s first windmill because it matched the very specific site needs required for proper operation.
The windmill idea has long been promoted by trustees, particularly late trustee Micheal Carnovale, as well as the Environmental & Office Services Department. The installation of the windmill was made possible through the Renewable Energy Funding Program from the Ministry of Education.
York Catholic is one of 12 school boards in Ontario to use windmill technology to produce clean energy.