Answer to energy crisis may be blowing in the wind

September 7, 2008

The Herald-Whig Staff (opinion)

WINDMILLS HAVE been a proven source of energy since at least the ninth century, when they were used in present day Iran to grind grain and pump water.

Now, perfected with new technology, they are helping the United States move away from a historically heavy reliance on fossil fuels and imported oil.

The Midwest and this area are likely to play a role in that transition, and benefit as a result. That prospect has often been discussed but has not been considered economically viable until recent years.

Studies in the early 1990s showed Adams and Pike counties had only marginal wind resources, but the data has been reevaluated and now appears more promising.

Improvements in wind turbine technology, changing market conditions and government efforts to promote renewable fuel development also have helped to make wind power projects more economically viable.

The Illinois Rural Electric Cooperative became the first co-op in Illinois to utilize wind power when it completed work on a $1.85 million turbine near Pittsfield in 2005. At the time, studies showed Pike County could support 100 turbines that would add about $7 to the local tax base.

The co-op’s turbine project was financed partly with funds provided in the 2002 federal farm bill for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects.

Adams Electric Cooperative plans to build two wind turbines, one in Adams County and one in Brown County, with one of them operational by the end of next year.

Most recently, landowners in Hancock County heard that EcoEnergy, based in Elgin, may spend $200 million to install up to 67 wind turbines south of Dallas City.

EcoEnergy already has started work on a 67-turbine wind farm covering 16 acres in Stephenson County that is expected to generate $800,000 in additional tax revenue for the county.

Two leading wind energy companies also are exploring the possibility of developing a wind farm in Camp Point. Global Winds Harvest of Schenectady, N.Y., in partnership with Acciona Energy, a Spanish company, are studying potential sites for a project.

Not every project will be launched or — depending on location — should be launched. Turbine towers can be up to 300 feet tall and feature blades with a radius of 100 feet or more. The whooshing sound and visual impact may not be appropriate or welcome in some areas.

There will be false starts for any number of reasons just as several plans for ethanol plants in the area have failed to move forward.

Still, there is reason to believe that the industry will become well established, prove economically sound and broaden its reach.

New technology and an expanding market helped transform the Midwest more than 150 years ago, when John Deere’s polished steel plow made it easier for farmers to break through hard prairie soils and feed a growing nation.

Communities and residents in this region saw new growth and prosperity then, and may see much the same in bringing a new “crop” to the nation’s table.