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

Cliffside park in Toronto is a hidden gem with some of the most stunning views

Toronto neighbourhood gets new garbage bins after years of complaining

Factory that was once a fixture on Toronto's skyline is now completely demolished

Toronto park connected to huge trail system is a hotspot for glimpsing wildlife

Toronto may finally start cracking down on out of control rat problem

Shocking hit-and-run video in Toronto shows driver slamming person into side of truck

Street literally set on fire outside of Toronto's sketchiest McDonald's

TTC route is changing for the second time in a month due to excessive gridlock