wind turbine toronto

Toronto's famous wind turbine is working again

After two years of sitting at a standstill, the blades of the massive wind turbine at the Exhibition Place are spinning once more. 

The 299-foot-tall white windmill known as the Toronto WindShare ExPlace turbine started generating energy again on Friday afternoon.

As the first windmill to be installed in a major North American city, the ExPlace turbine added an average of 1,000 MWH of electricity (enough to power 100 homes per year, according to the site) to Toronto's power grid until it stopped in March 2017. 

Its operators, Toronto Hydro Energy Services and WindShare (the TREC-owned wind power co-op), had to shut the turbine down for maintenance after a rainstorm caused damage to the tower's ring generator. 

It was meant to re-open later that year, but despite the wait, these upgrades will hopefully extend the turbine's lifespan by an extra 10 years. 

Lead photo by

Bryan Bonnici


Latest Videos



Latest Videos


Join the conversation Load comments

Latest in City

This is why we still have mounted police in Toronto

Ontario might see rainy and unpleasant weather for 2024 Victoria Day weekend

Yet another shocking GTA shopping mall jewellery store robbery caught on video

Toronto neighbourhood is getting a stunning new boardwalk near a ravine

Canada will have best chance to see Northern Lights this weekend in almost 20 years

Metrolinx shows off basically complete Toronto LRT that you still aren't allowed to ride

A 'zombie' virus is running rampant among Toronto raccoons

An invasive insect is threatening the destruction of Ontario forests