David Loomis, director for the ISU center, said the four-fold increase for the six-county area is not surprising. "This area is a sweet spot for wind farms," Loomis said. "This area is the intersection of good wind resources and high-voltage transmission lines."
Among the latest projects is one by Spanish company, Iberdola Renewables, which won approval for its 165-turbine Streator Deer Run wind farm in Livingston County last month. Meanwhile, Houston-based Horizon Wind Energy will be seeking approval Oct. 19 from the McLean County Board for its 223 wind turbines Bright Stalk wind farm.
And more are on the way.
For proponents, the towers can’t be put up fast enough. Wind farms spur economic development with construction jobs and business expansions, and provide stable tax revenue in the midst of a recession and an ailing state economy. But there are others who worry about the turbines’ effect on property values and their disruption of the serene rural landscape.
Ridgeview Superintendent Larry Dodds said the additional tax money generated from the turbines has helped his rural Colfax-based district balance its $8 million budget without making dramatic cuts.
"I wish I could add Miracle-Gro out there to help make the turbines grow faster," he said.
Tax revenue from the nearby Twin Groves Wind Farm pumped more than $1.2 million into his district’s budget, Dodds said. The extra money also has helped the school district stay afloat while waiting for the financially ailing state to make its promised payments to schools.
But chief among the concerns for Pontiac attorney Carolyn Gerwin is the effect of wind farms on surrounding properties.
Gerwin, who represented property owners in the Deer Run project area, presented reports from an appraiser who claimed that property values decrease by 25 percent in an area where a
wind farm is located.
"There are people who say they can’t sell their house because they are in a wind farm area," Gerwin said.
"That is data that is never entered into these property value studies because those studies are routinely are based on actual home sales up to 10 miles away from the project area."
Meanwhile, Loomis estimated Illinois’ 21 operating wind farms have added about $8.3 million to the checkbooks of the farmers who rent their land for the turbines. Also, Loomis said construction of those projects added nearly 10,000 construction jobs and $509 million in payroll to the state, and created new opportunities for local businesses who can supply parts for the turbines.
If there is an irony, it is that most of the energy is produced in Central Illinois is purchased by energy companies including ComEd, Ameren and the Tennessee Valley Authority and used elsewhere. A pair of transmission lines owned by power giants ComEd and Ameren run through the region, giving the wind farm companies easy access to the power grid, said Robin Park, a project manager for Horizon.
"It’s an easy place to get wind; it’s an easy way to transfer the energy and we have a huge customer base," Park said.
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In the wind
The number of wind farm turbines in six Central Illinois counties could quadruple in the next five years if the proposed projects tracked by Illinois State University’s Center for Renewable Energy are completed.
Company…Wind farm…Turbines
LaSalle County
Completed:
FPC Services…GSG…40
Invenergy of Chicago…Grand Ridge I, II, III and IV…140
Horizon Wind Energy…Top Crop I…68
Proposed and waiting approval:
Iberdrola Renewables…Otter Creek…100
Invenergy…Grand Ridge expansion…100
Tradewind Energy…Riverbend Farms…40…
Livingston County
Completed:
Iberdrola…Cayuga Ridge…150
Approved but not constructed:
Gamesa…Minonk Wind Farm…25
Iberdrola…Streator Deer Run…165
Proposed and waiting approval:
Horizon…Top Crop III and IV…167
Invenergy…Pleasant Ridge…333
Vision Energy…K-4…76
Logan County
Completed:
Horizon…Rail Splitter…29
Proposed and waiting approval:
American Wind Energy…Sugar Creek Wind Two…unknown
Tradewind Energy…Alta II…115
McLean County
Completed:
Horizon…Twin Groves…240
Under construction:
Invenergy…White Oaks…100
Approved but not constructed:
Horizon…Black Prairie …333
Proposed and waiting approval:
Horizon…Bright Stalk…223
Horizon…Cropsey Ridge…unknown
Midwest Wind Energy…Blue Ridge Wind Farm…unknown
Tradewind Energy…Alta 1…163
Tazewell County
Completed:
Horizon…Rail Splitter…38
Woodford County
Approved but not constructed:
Gamesa…Minonk Wind Farm…75
Navitas Energy…Roanoke Wind Farm…52
Total: 2,772
Source: Livingston County Planning and Zoning office, McLean County Building and Zoning office and the Center for Renewable Energy at Illinois State University.
By M.K. Guetersloh, The Pantagraph, www.pantagraph.com
