Wind-power in Ohio

missmanors · #1 07-27-2008, 05:00 PM

Ohio is going green with wind-power in Champaign County as 100 property owners are leasing property to EverPower Renewables for the building of turbines. As many as 130 wind turbines could eventually be built, with the first one going up as soon as next year. Ohio's only other wind farm has only 4 turbines.

The turbines planned, will be a bit under 500 feet tall, and are to be built in a rural part of eastern Champaign County. No contracts have been signed yet, to sell the proposed power to a utility, but each property owner who signed a contract for a turbine stands to make around $15,000 per year.

Critics say that turbines won't produce enough energy to help the country's reliance on foreign oil, and so there is a lot of debate on the issue.

Officials in Champaign County have studied the effects of having the turbines in the county for well over a year, deciding how tall they could be and how close to property lines and buildings they could be built.

Each turbine proposed will be capable of producing enough electricity to power some 800 average-size homes. The Ohio Power Siting Board is in charge of overseeing the process.

flippinout · #2 07-28-2008, 10:21 AM

I was wondering just how productive building these wind turbines in Ohio would be? There are days that we have very little wind as compared to out west where it seems to be much windier than it is here.

And if they havent made any plans to sell the electricity that is produced by these turbines, how are they of any help at the present time. Are they, now, producing electricity for surrounding homes, how exactly is that working?

missmanors · #3 07-28-2008, 05:28 PM

These turbines will be going up in the flatter plains of Ohio, which is much windier than in the south-eastern part with all the surrounding hills. So yes, they will be productive.

In answer to your second question, the turbines have not been built yet, they are still in the planning stage, with the first one going up as soon as next year. The electricity will be sold to one of the electric companies, it's just not clear yet, which one will be the one selected.