Local Video
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| Wind farm plans go back to the drawing board |
By: DAVID HENKE, Staff Writer
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Posted: Saturday, September 26, 2009 1:15 am
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Less may be more for Sparks Energy and Medin Renewable Energy.
The two local companies behind a proposed, 11-megawatt wind farm in Greenvale Township, may reduce the number of potential turbines in the wind farm to address concerns expressed by township residents.
But fewer turbines might not mean a lower power output, according to Sparks Energy CEO Anna Schmalzbauer.
At this point, Schmalzbauer said, the two companies are looking into several different three-blade models with tower heights ranging from 70 to 80 meters and rotor diameters between 72 and 82 meters. According to Schmalzbauer, the larger, three-blade models would have a higher power output than the one-megawatt, two-blade turbines originally included in the wind farm plan.
In July, Sparks Energy and Medin Renewable submitted a preliminary permit application for an 11-turbine, $22.1 million wind farm with a total energy output of 30,586,303 kilowatt-hours yearly. At the end of August, the companies struck one turbine from the plan because the preliminary siting of the turbine did not meet the state setback requirement of 500 ft.
Now, Schmalzbauer hopes a wind farm with fewer, higher-output turbines might prove to be more palatable to township residents, who object to the preliminary siting of the turbines and worry about the aesthetic and environmental impact the wind farm may have.
Greenvale resident and Lorence’s Berry Farm co-owner Shawn Lorence doesn’t believe fewer, larger turbines is the answer. At a township meeting with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission on Tuesday, Lorence signed a petition circulating among residents opposing the project.
“I don’t know that I want to look at them at all,” said Lorence, who is worried that property values in the area would take a significant hit if the turbines were installed. “I’m not willing to say that I’m OK with seven larger ones, when I know somebody’s going to be losing out because of that.”
Lorence’s sentiments are shared by Duane Frederickson, whose Greenvale home is located near three potential turbine sites.
“It just seems like a very, very odd place to put it, because there are so many people around and there are so many people opposed to it,” Frederickson said.
According to Schmalzbauer, the final siting of the wind turbines has not been determined yet.
“We are trying to be responsive to the concerns of the people in Greenvale Township,” Schmalzbauer said.
WHAT’S NEXT?
The official public comment period for the wind farm proposal ends on Wednesday, Oct. 7, although Greenvale Township residents have asked for a 60-day extension of that deadline. To contact the Minnesota Office of Energy Security with a question or concern about the proposed wind farm, e-mail Suzanne Steinhauer at suzanne.steinhauer@state.mn.us.
— David Henke covers city, business and youth issues. He can be reached at dhenke@northfieldnews.com or 645-1100.
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David - in your investigation/interviews surrounding the proposed wind farm, was there any mention of how much the project would require in public subsidies to be profitable?
Why do all the articles regarding the proposed wind farm lack a good description of where the property is? Referencing Greenvale Township only tells me that its somewhere in a 36 square mile area.
kfdrescu: According to Sparks Energy CEO Anna Schmalzbauer, at this point, Medin Renewable Energy and Sparks Energy haven't yet applied for any public subsidies or grants for the project. The two companies, however, are eligible for Minnesota Department of Commerce incentives, including an investment tax credit equal to 30 percent of the installation cost and a production tax credit of 1.9 cents per kilowatt-hour of energy produced.
Uberstadt: The final locations for each turbine, and the number of turbines the companies plan to build, haven't been determined yet. According to their preliminary permit, the turbines would be clustered in two groups: one along 290 St. West and one just south of 280th Street West, on either side of Garrett Avenue. Parcels in township sections 3, 4, 9 and 10 are named in the preliminary permit as potential sites.
Thank you for the clarification. The turbines would be much more aesthetically pleasing if they went with a vertical blade design as opposed to the traditional blade we are now familiar with.