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The power of green
Green power is electricity produced from renewable sources such as wind, low-impact hydroelectric, biomass, and solar. OPG's green power collection consists of 32 EcoLogo-certified facilities (29 small hydroelectric, and three wind-powered stations) with a combined capacity of 133 megawatts.

Electricity from the wind
Wind power is the fastest growing source of energy in the world. Wind-generated electricity is produced when the wind propels the blades of a wind turbine causing the blades to turn the central drive shaft that drives an electrical generator.


Huron Wind Farm

Ontario's first wind farm
The nine megawatt Huron Wind facility, Ontario's first wind farm, was commissioned in December, 2002. This five-turbine wind farm near Kincardine is expected to produce enough green power to meet the needs of about 3,000 households each year. Visit www.huronwind.com for more details.

Pickering's tall tower
OPG's Pickering Nuclear site is home to the Pickering Wind Generating Station, one of North America's largest wind turbines. This 1.8 megawatt, 117-metre high wind machine started making electricity in 2001. It is designed to produce enough green power for 600 households a year.

Green hydroelectric
Hydropower, or electricity made with falling water, is by far the largest renewable energy source in Canada. It uses falling water to turn turbines and create electricity. Environmentally friendly hydro sites are typically smaller sites and don't hold back a lot of water in a reservoir. The backbone of OPG's current Green Power collection is our 29 small hydroelectric units. These Ontario sites are capable of producing about 125 MW of low-impact electricity.

Electricity from garbage
Biomass generation produces electricity by burning organic material either in the form of solid fuel - like woodwastes from timber operations - or biogas. It's a renewable resource because plants and other organic matter regenerate relatively quickly. OPG purchases the electricity generated from two Toronto-area biogas plants that use the methane gas produced from solid waste decomposition. One facility taps into landfill gas, the other employs anaerobic digestion; in both cases, the methane gas is used to run electrical generators.


Solar Panels

Capturing the sun
Photovoltaic technology captures and directly converts sunlight into electricity. In doing so, solar power, like wind power, does not produce any air emissions or solid waste. OPG has decades of experience in solar energy technology and we've assisted with the installation about 100 KW of solar capacity in Ontario. As costs decline, we anticipate that photovoltaics will become a growing part of our Green Power supply.

Learn more about OPG Evergreen Energy:

Overview