Story originally printed in the Tomah Journal or online at http://www.tomahjournal.com

Wind turbines set to go up in 2006
By Bob Kliebenstein

NORWALK - This time of year Monroe County ridgetop cropland is abuzz with farmers near the end of tilling fields, and many harvesting first crop alfalfa.

Next year at this time, some of that cropland will be abuzz with another activity that, upon its conclusion, will help harvest a renewable energy source.

Mark Jacobson of Invenergy LLC., was at the Monroe County Dairy Breakfast on June 4 at the Carrol and Mary Wallerman farm between Tomah and Norwalk. Jacobson and other Invenergy staff have been meeting with landowners in several Monroe County townships to secure easements to build wind turbines for a wind farm for the past several months.

A meteorological (met) tower was built last September on the Wallerman farm to collect wind speed data for the project, which will be called Summit Ridge. The tower was located within view of the shed where the Invenergy display was set up for the breakfast.

Jacobson said construction of turbines is expected to start the summer of 2006. He anticipates the wind farm to consist of 40 to 50 turbines.

The firm has acquired easements from property owners on 5,000 acres, enough to move the project forward, Jacobson said. The permitting process to erect the turbines will start this summer.

"The test data (for wind speed) is looking good at this time," Jacobson said.

The collection of data from the met tower started late last year and will continue through October or November, he added.

Jacobson said the wind farm would generate 60 to 75 megawatts of energy, enough to serve 25,000 homes. Invenergy has a purchase power agreement (PPE) with Alliant Energy to provide 100 megawatts of energy to the utility. Some of that will come from other Invenergy wind farm projects, one which is located in Dodge County.

Not all landowners in the area are sold on Invenergy's proposal. Some property owners have talked with other wind farm firms. One of the concepts they have been educating themselves about is community wind projects where landowners have more of a stake in ownership of turbines. Jacobson said the community wind farms have merit, but added there are obstacles. They include finding outside investors, securing sufficient local money and getting turbines. Right now turbine supply is not keeping pace with the demand worldwide that project's are placing on turbine manufacture. Jacobson said, in the long term, those three challenges are not "insurmountable" for a small group of property owners looking to build a wind farm, but added, they make it "very difficult…there are real reasons why only a few community projects have ever been successful in the U.S." In the short term, Invenergy believes it help can implement a community wind plan by offering its "economies of scale" to help purchase wind turbines from manufacturers.

"We feel a community wind project is viable and Invenergy could help make it go," Jacobson said.

A meeting is being planned later this summer where Invenergy will discuss turbine locations. The exact time and location has not been determined at this time. Jacobson said the firm is still seeking additional easements for the Summit Ridge project. If interested, he can be reached at (262) 853-0697.

All stories copyright 2005 Tomah Journal and other attributed sources.