PROMOTING THE RENEWABLE REVOLUTION BY INSTALLING
WIND TURBINES HAVING AN OBSERVATION PLATFORM
Kenkichi Sato1
Chiba University and GIA KoFuZa

1

SUMMARY: In Japan, the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami was occurred on March 11, 2011. Over
18,000 people were killed and the followed meltdown accidents of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power
stations of Tokyo Electric Power Company effected to national life and economic activities in Fukushima andJapan. Through the experience of the accidents, the most of Japanese people have awaked into the dangerous ofthe nuclear power generation plants but Japanese government and industrial world have not yet awoken. Theauthor found the word “Renewable Revolution” at the time when visited to Grouse Mountain, Vancouver,
Canada, for sighting the Eye of the Wind. In this presentation the author would like to introduce the meaning of
the “Renewable Revolution” and the concept of the Eye of the Wind, because the author considers that extending
the use of wind turbines, having an observation platform like the Eye of the Wind, is to contribute to promoting
the “Renewable Revolution”.
Keywords: renewable energy, renewable revolution, wind power, observation platform, wind turbine
INTRODUCTION
The symposium of RE2014 is an activity toextend the renewable energy usage to our daily life
and industries in the world, and to especially inJapan. In Japan, the great terrible earthquake andtsunami was broken out on March 11, 2011. Over
18,000 people were died. And, the followed
meltdown accidents of the Fukushima Dai-ichi
nuclear power stations of Tokyo Electric Power
Company damaged to national life and economic
activities in Fukushima and whole of Japan.
Through the experience of the accidents, the most ofJapanese people have awaked into the dangerous of
the nuclear power generation plants but Japanese
government and industrial world have not yetawoken. The author found the word “Renewable
Revolution” at the time when visited to Grouse
Mountain, Vancouver, Canada, for sighting the Eyeof the Wind.
In this presentation the author would like tointroduce the word and meaning of the “Renewable
Revolution” and the concept of the Eye of the Wind,
through site-investigation[1]. Because, the author
considers that extending the use of wind turbines
having an observation platform like the Eye of theWind is to contribute to promoting the aim of the“Renewable Revolution”, and in Japan that it iseffective to revitalization from the great accidents
and to make a renewable green community.
THE EYE OF THE WIND
Grouse Mountain
Grouse Mountain is one of the North Shore
Mountains of the Pacific Ranges in North Vancouver,
British Columbia, Canada. Exceeding 1,200 m inaltitude at its peak, is the site of an alpine ski area inthe winter season overlooking Greater Vancouver. Inthe summer, the mountain features lumberjackshows and a 2.9km hiking trail known as the Grouse
Grind. Public access to the mountain top is by anaerial tramway [1, 2].

The Eye of the Wind
Grouse Mountain has been developed as amountain resort by Grouse Mountain Resorts Inc.
The company has built a 1.5MW wind turbine,
named as The Eye of the Wind, of Leitwind
LTW77-1500 type with 65m hub height and 76.8m
rotor diameter at the peak of the resort. The Eye ofthe Wind is an iconic structure located at the peak ofGrouse Mountain in North Vancouver BC.

Figure 1 Photos of the Eye of the Wind,Wind Turbines, having an Observation Platform.
This unique renewable energy source canprovide up to 25% of Grouse Mountain Resort’s
electricity needs. It also offers the visiting public
the opportunity to experience an operational 1.5MW
wind turbine from a viewing platform situated at thetop of the tower.
Characteristics of the Eye of the Wind
The design was recognized in the 2011
Consulting Engineers of British Columbia "Awards
for Engineering Excellence". This award recognizes
the structural engineering services of The Eye of theWind. This role required us to go beyond the typicaldesign procedures used for conventional buildings
and address the special loads, forces, and effectsfrom the wind turbine. Innovative design solutions
were developed and new approaches were taken in
producing a safe and constructible design[3].
Construction of the turbine began in
September 2008 as collaboration between Grouse
Mountain and Italy’s Leitwind Technology. The
turbine weighs more than 250 ton and rises from its
base to the top of the tower. Three 37.4 m, fiberglass
reinforced polyester blades sweep an area of
4,657m2. The support tower includes an observation
deck that is accessible by elevator[1, 2].
From a height equivalent to a 20-storeyskyscraper, tower visitors can feel the platform
moving in step with the nacelle as it turns to face
into the prevailing wind. The revolving blades
have a swept area the size of three NHL hockey
rinks, pass within an arm’s length of the platform,and have tip speeds that can reach 260km/hr. To
ensure an acceptable level of safety, The Eye of theWind meets the requirements of the British
Columbia building code.
This is the first wind turbine in the world with
an elevator[4]. The glassed-in viewing area will hold37 people at a total elevation of 1,280m and willoffer breathtaking views of the Lower Mainland.
The A 360-degree viewing platform, with panoramiccoastal views, will form part of a planned €100
million wind farm[5]. The foundation for this is 65m
high structure. The actual foundation is anchored by
32 seismic anchor rods, which are 63mm indiameter and drilled 50ft into the bedrock. About
150m3 of cement went into the foundation and15,000kg of steel.
The Eye of the Wind was produced to showing
a symbol for renewable innovation by over twenty
companies of nine countries[4].
THE RENEWABLE REVOLUTION
Scope of the Renewable Revolution
A meaning of the “Renewable Revolution” isto achieve an aim to increase a percentage ofrenewable energy use by the year of 2030[6]. It isalso to achieve the needed reductions in energy
related carbon-dioxide (CO2) emission to the date.
That is a way to achieve the final target to the“Sustainable Revolution” to build the sustainable
society. The words of the “Renewable Revolution”
and the “Sustainable Revolution” are not identified
for everyone at the present day.
A Countermeasure to achieve the RenewableRevolution
It is a long way to the renewable society
because there are a different thinking in nations andpeople. The author thinks that a solution for thecountermeasure against this state is effective byadapting characteristics of wind turbine, which havean iconic scene as “media”, produced due to rotating
turbine blades.
At the great earthquake disaster stricken areaof Japan, revival based on new vision is expected.
By the energy, I can reproduce by the use of thenatural energy as de-nuclear power generation, thenon-fossilization and want to promote therevolution.
At this chance the wind turbine having anobservation platform, like the Eye of the Wind,
becomes an effective example as an innovative
project in wind power generation in Japan.
Particularly, by installing the FM radio station in theobservation platform, it gives the revival areas
broadcast of the local community and broadcast
suffering information in the emergency more. In
addition to it offers the place to view sightseeing.
This creates receptiveness of the wind power
generation and can help with the revolution.
Therefore, the author would like to perform a
project to build the wind turbine, having an FM
broadcasting station in an observation platform, incombination with the government revival plan, atthree places in the suffering cities of threeprefectures, Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima, of the
Pacific side in Tohoku.
SUMMARY
I proposed in the report to build wind turbineswith the observation platform in the revival areas
and to promote the “Renewable Revolution”. The
following six is important:
1. Installing wind turbines as the renewable energy
into the revival areas.
2. Security and the reinforcement of the local
community are necessary in the revival areas, andthe wind turbine set up an FM broadcasting station.
3. Promoting wind power, the wind turbine with anobservation platform makes its receptiveness.
4. Its observation platform may become a newsightseeing spot.
5. Selling of the wind-generated electricity is a usualfunction of this project.
6. It may be that it is easy by applying the Eye of theWind and can perform the advanced example of thewind turbine with the above-mentioned complex
functions.
References[1] A Quiet Revolution, Grouse Mountain Resorts
Inc.(2010).
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grouse_Mountain[3] http://www.morrisonhershfield.com/newsroom/Pages/AwardofMeritReceivedforInnovativeEyeofthe
WindTurbine.aspx[4] http://www.joconl.com/article/id36416[5] http://www.joconl.com/article/id40735[6] Janet L Sawin and William R Moomaw,
Renewable Revolution: low-Carbon Energy by 2030,
Report of Worldwatch Institude, (2009).