Progress Illinois

As wind power continues to sweep across the state, planners have watched closely to see how municipalities are reworking blueprints and amending building codes to make way for the hulking turbines. The latest case study can be found in the northern suburbs.

Ken Aldridge, CEO of Aldridge Electric Inc., is currently working on wind farm projects as far away as Utah. But in an effort to show his company’s commitment to alternative energy, he has submitted a proposal to erect a wind turbine to power his company’s building in Libertyville.

As a result, the town is grappling with the height, noise, and spacial requirements necessary to plant a free-standing turbine smack dab in the middle of a suburban community.

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While it's yet to be seen if Illinois and the Great Lakes region will realize their full energy-generating potential, local wind power advocates scored two significant victories this week.

At the International Submerged Lands Management Conference in Traverse City, MI, government officials and scientists not only revived a controversial discussion over whether turbines had any place in the Great Lakes, they also began developing guidelines for anchoring them. From the Tribune:

It's only an idea -- for now. But government regulators are bracing for an expected wave of proposals for offshore power generation in a region that never seems to run short of wind.

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The Daily Herald reports on yet another wind farm slated for development in rural Illinois, this one in Pittsfield:

A $66 million, 20-turbine wind farm is planned for Pike County in western Illinois.

Jacksonville-based cooperative Prairie Power says the farm could generate electricity for about 16,000 rural customers.

Construction at a site along the Illinois River about 70 miles west of Springfield would start next year. And electricity production would begin in 2011.

For further discussion regarding the potential of wind energy, check out our recent interview with Illinois Sierra Club director Jack Darin.

Image of the Mendota Hills wind farm used under a Creative Commons license by Flickr user Thomas.Merton.

In early April, Virginia-based energy company Dominion Resources announced plans to buy 25,000 acres near Springfield for the Prairie Forks Wind Farm. Now the Southtown Star is reporting that Kansas-based developer Trade Wind Energy "has signed leases with landowners for two wind farms in DeWitt County and is in discussions for a third in Christian County." According to the Star, increased interest in wind power is due to technological advances and, of course, skyrocketing energy costs:

[Trade Wind Energy development manager Duane] Enger said improvements in wind-turbine technology have made it possible to operate at lower wind speeds - Trade Wind looks for areas with consistent 10 to 18 mph winds - but that rising energy prices also are a factor.

"There has just been more demand for energy the last few years," he said.

Each project would have capacity to house 100 to 150 wind towers and would produce 100 to 150 megawatts of electricity. A megawatt is typically enough to supply 250 to 300 homes.

A public hearing in Pekin, IL, over a proposed wind farm turned into a heated debate on the merits of alternative energy yesterday as people on both sides of the issue lawyered up. The Peoria Journal Star reports that "the hearing Thursday quickly became a pseudo-courtroom, with a half dozen attorneys, several motions, cross examination and a steady flow of wind farm jargon."

Some residents of Logan and Tazewell counties worry that the farm may disrupt their views, lower property values, or create too much noise.

Proponents say critics' concerns are overstated and that the project could provide enough environmentally-friendly energy to power about 30,000 homes in Illinois.

The scope of the proposed project -- 39 turbines over 11,000 acres -- is not large by industry standards. By contrast, the "Prairie Forks" wind farm being considered in Christian and Montgomery counties would span 25,000 acres, contain 150 to 200 wind turbines, and power 67,500 to 90,000 homes.

The idea that alternative energy can be captured from the winds coming off of the Great Lakes is gaining traction across the region.

Today, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported that three separate groups are proposing the development of offshore wind farms in Wisconsin:

One of the Lake Michigan proposals, dubbed Radial Wind, calls for erecting 390 turbines about 18 miles east of Milwaukee.

Two other projects that have been discussed with state environmental regulators would be much closer to the shore: Ewindfarm Inc. of California has discussed putting 610 turbines one to two miles from the shore stretching from Kewaunee to Kenosha, according to documents submitted to the DNR.

Meanwhile, another unidentified developer has approached state officials with initial plans to build "a couple hundred" turbines in an area that would be located "within a few miles of shore" in east-central Wisconsin, [wind energy analyst Steve] Ugoretz said.

The chairman of Wisconsin's Public Service Commission also said that the state could find a "competitive advantage" to developing alternative energy industries in the Great Lakes, and Wisconsin is not alone. Officials in Ohio are hoping to place wind turbines off the coast of Cleveland in Lake Erie, and the most expansive plan comes from the Michigan Alternative & Renewable Energy Center. That group has been pushing to place a turbine farm in the middle of Lake Michigan out of view from the coast:

A power consultant from Jackson has calculated that an 8,806-square mile area in the middle of Lake Michigan from northern Beaver Island to southern Chicago could house 36,400 towers -- equally spaced 2,050 feet apart -- none of which could be seen from the shoreline.

Proponents of all these plans caution that Great Lakes wind farming is a long way off. The projects would have to jump numerous regulatory hurdles and also overcome the objections of property owners who worry that turbines might ruin their view of the Lake. Some environmentalists are also concerned with how the turbines might impact the flight paths of migratory birds.

The State of Illinois doesn't appear to be considering any plans to install wind turbines in the portion of Lake Michigan under its jurisdiction. However, as we noted earlier this month, a 25,000-acre wind farm is slated for construction in central Illinois.

While farmers in Illinois grow corn and soybeans for biodiesel, the Prairie State may soon be producing a different kind of alternative energy. Dominion Resources, a Virginia based energy company, has announced plans to buy 25,000 acres in central Illinois to build the Prairie Forks Wind Farm. Dominion says it will build the 300 megawatt producing farm about 25 miles southeast of Springfield in Christian and Montgomery counties. The AP reports that the farm would contain between 150 to 200 wind turbines:

Dominion development manager Diane Simon says the project will create 300 jobs during construction and 15 to 20 full time jobs once the turbines are operational. She says tax revenue for the project will be about $1 million per year.

According to the American Wind Energy Association, one megawatt of wind electricity is enough to power 225 to 300 households. That means the Prairie Forks Wind Farm could power from 67,500 to 90,000 homes. Construction for the farm is scheduled to begin in 2010 pending regulatory approval.