Photo courtesy 3M

As demand for alternative energy increases, opponents of turbine farms may find themselves tilting at windmills.

Ontario has been the site of numerous large-scale wind farm developments, but opposition seems to be growing.

In late October, Canadian Hydro Developers announced the official opening of Melancthon EcoPower Centre, a 199.5-MW wind-power project located near the town of Shelburne. The largest wind farm in the country, it is expected to annually generate an average of 545 GWh over the long term.

The previous holder of the 'country's biggest' title is also an Ontario facility—Prince Township Wind Farm, located north of Sault Ste. Marie. A proposal for an even larger wind farm—Brookfield Renewable Power's 111 turbines, standing 120 m (394 ft) tall—is now moving ahead in the province's Essex County area, according to The Windsor Star.

In simple terms, the rotating turbines convert wind's kinetic energy into mechanical energy that can be transformed into electricity. The Canadian Wind Energy Association (CANWEA) states 20 per cent of the nation's electricity needs could come from the air, allowing the equivalent of 17 million homes to stop relying on fossil fuels. However, not everyone is as confident of the technology's promise.

Wind Concerns Ontario, a collection of various local protest groups, describes itself as a â??unified voice of opposition to the unchecked rush to locate over 640 massive industrial wind turbines across the province in the last five years.â? Citing general esthetics, use of prime agricultural land, and impacts on migratory birds, the group accuses wind farm development of â??tearing apart the very fabric of rural Ontario.â?