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St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Lee Enterprises

Friday, August 7, 2009 9:56 PM CDT
OUR VIEW: Wind energy could be harnessed here

By the JG/T-C
editorial.@jg-tc.com

The wind blew through the region at a pretty high speed early last week.

Several wind energy officials are hoping to harness that wind in the future and provide electricity for commercial use.

Three wind farm projects are currently possible in Edgar County. Officials from Indeck Energy Services of Buffalo Grove, Eco Energy in Elgin and Horizon Wind Energy of Houston, Texas, have been looking at locations in the north and northwest areas of Edgar County as possible sites for some big wind farms.

One project would require as many as 6,000 acres, while another possible site would need as many as 15,000 acres.

These are big projects. We think the wind energy proposals could be good for the area and good for the country.

Should the FutureGen near-zero emissions coal plant be built near Mattoon and the soy-to-diesel plant be built near Oakland, the wind energy projects would be a third cog in the new energy machine that could be East Central Illinois.

One energy company official said the Edgar County location may not possess the best wind currents in the state but has close proximity to a pair of transmission lines and an AmerenCIPS substation.

Convenient access to transmission lines improves cost-effectiveness for electricity producers as they get power to customers.

And, the Indeck Energy official said large populations in the St. Louis and Chicago areas provide a good market for the energy that the Edgar County wind farms could produce. He might as well have added Indianapolis to that mix. The Indiana capital is about the same distance from Edgar County as is St. Louis.

Anyone who has driven through much of the Midwest is aware of the increase in the number of wind farms. There are several big operations in Central and North Central Illinois.

Why not Edgar County?

The goal for wind-generated energy in the United States is for 20 percent of the electric supply to be generated by wind by the year 2030.

To help reach that goal, which some researchers say is the maximum amount of energy needs wind can supply, the federal government is offering tax incentives to encourage business investments such as those being explored in Edgar County.

The Edgar County Board is developing a wind energy ordinance to help monitor the potential industry. According to the American Wind Energy Association, Illinois ranks 16th among states in wind energy potential.

It does get breezy in East Central Illinois.

Rather than let that wind blow on through, it makes sense to capture some of that power and channel it to productive energy use in the Midwest.

— JG/T-C Editorial Board

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MIchael wrote on Aug 8, 2009 8:03 AM:

" We are beginning to see some "private" wind generators around the county as well. Check out the John Deere dealership in Ashmore the next time you drive through. "

just wondering wrote on Aug 8, 2009 8:33 AM:

" I am sure it could be. There is always a lot of hot air blowing through Coles county. "

julio wrote on Aug 9, 2009 10:19 PM:

" Yes it could but.... If we could burn coal and injected it directly into the earth and create black tar sluge pools wouldn't that be better??? "

Bernie wrote on Aug 11, 2009 9:36 AM:

" Intead of giving tax dollars and breaks to giant corporations, why not help the little guys get a piece of the action, and keep the wealth here in Coles County? "