CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Lake Erie Energy Development Corp. said today it is ready to award a contract to a developer to build the first wind turbines in the Lake as early as 2012.
The project will cost about $100 million, generate 20 million watts and involve four to eight turbines, depending on the size and generating capacity of the turbines.
At a morning news conference at the Great Lakes Science Museum, Richard Stuebi, interim head of LEEDCO, said requests for bids were being sent to major developers today.
"The initial request is for 20 megawatts," he said. But it is a precursor to subsequent projects. The goal is 1,000 megawatts by 2020."
A megawatt is equal to 1 million watts. One megawatt of power generated by conventional power plants is sufficient to power about 800 homes.
The new wind development corporation, created and housed at the Northeast Ohio Technology Coalition, or NORTECH, has set an April 30 deadline for bids.
Stuebi said LEEDCO hopes to choose a developer by the end of May with initial construction to start by the end of 2012
"We are talking to domestic and foreign manufacturers," he said.
In an interview Stuebi said the first few turbines may be made by foreign manufacturers since there are so few U.S. makers. He said LEEDCO hopes to secure an 80 percent federal loan guarantee.
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown Governor Ted Strickland joined Stuebi and other local officials to announce their efforts already to assist the project.
Brown has introduced legislation that will increase extend production tax credits for wind turbines out to 2020 and increase the amount per kilowatt-hour.
Strickland and his allies in the Ohio General Assembly have a pending bill that could become law as early as May to slash state tax rates on wind and solar.,
Case Western Reserve University President Barbara Snyder and Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason also spoke.
As chairman of the county's wind task force for the last five years, Mason said the goal of wind turbines in the Lake "seemed like a distant reality" when the county commissioners convened the wind task force five years ago.
Quote: anyway, why only 20MW? We are really underselling the power of the Lake.
I heard it could produce as much as 1.21 Giga Watts
Well maybe if we put lightning rods out on Lake Erie instead of Wind Turbines.
One of the "drawbacks" of windpower is that you need a shedload of turbines out there to generate anything close to the kind of power you can get with a standard powerplant. I'm sure there are problems with Shipping Lanes, Geography and "Not in my back yard" ... but if they can get wind turbines out there somewhere, it can't be a bad thing.
Quote: i think its a baby step, see how the bid, construction, productivity play out etc, before going into something larger scale
I also think that is huge ... putting a turbine out on a road-accessible mountain-side is one thing, but putting it out on a lake with waves and the potential to freeze/thaw ... might mean that maintenance could cost more than it's worth. This will be a good trial.
completely agree, but any chance to throw a BTTF clip is a worthy one in my mind
I did a study in college of the SoCal wind turbines and was shocked at how inefficient that energy really is. By the time it goes from pure wind energy to the actual end user, it was less than 5% (projected to be up to 15% with the new 3-fan turbines they were testing out).
Even with that though, the projections of the North Dakota wind tunnels showed that they could produce enough energy to power all the major cities in the US (actually getting the energy to those cities would be the issue).
One more note: hopefully these jobs are going to Ohioans (both construction and maintenance)
I hate wind turbines. They kill migrating birds. And, Lake Erie is a migration highway. You may not think this is a big deal, but birds are declining quickly where they locate these things.
Quote: I hate wind turbines. They kill migrating birds. And, Lake Erie is a migration highway. You may not think this is a big deal, but birds are declining quickly where they locate these things.
That's a good point...they follow the leader.
The lead goose heads in there, a bunch of dead geese are on the water.
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn.
Quote: I hate wind turbines. They kill migrating birds. And, Lake Erie is a migration highway. You may not think this is a big deal, but birds are declining quickly where they locate these things.
That's a good point...they follow the leader.
The lead goose heads in there, a bunch of dead geese are on the water.
So hire someone to sit there and pick them up. Does 2 things - helps with employment, and you could use them to feed the needy.
Just think how GREEN that would make the city - Green energy, more jobs cleaning the environment, and to top it off, using environmental "waste" to feed the needy.
Heck, pitch a plan like that to congress and the city would get billions of dollars and be held up as the example for every city to follow.
Maci would even go along with that, since it wouldn't be helping country folk.
I honestly feel the more we can become autonomous the better. Who needs to rely on the grid when you can create your own? Small turbines and solar are coming along and it won't be long before people could get by with just them. THe prices are coming down and efficiency going up. I'm looking forward to the day that people aren't reliant on the gov't or a utility company for their energy needs.
why not? I mean the birds may be a little "gameyyy" however if you are hungry... should you complain? plus if they don't like the dead birds it will motivate them to get a job and work so they don't eat canadian goose all the time.
so all in all it well help the local enonomy becuase more people will be working and less money will go to the unemployed (which can go to repairing the streets or other city services) thus the city will need to hire more people for work.
That is....I would envision them more out in the lake....maybe a mile off shore, and spread apart a bit more....it's not like space is a problem as it seems to be there..
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn.
Up to this point, researchers have seen no major bird kills at Maple Ridge, or any of the other wind farms in this state. However, New York’s new emphasis on green energy is expected to result in close to 3,000 new wind turbines being constructed across the state by 2013. Currently, there are more than 500.
I'm just saying that I have issues with these turbines for this reason...besides the fact that they are damned ugly. Clearly wind power is more important than protecting our wildlife for most people.
So, before we all jump for joy over turbines, let's just consider for a moment, the impact they may have on other things besides US. And, honestly, if we lose as many birds as some think to these things, we WILL lose entire species eventually. We've already lost a few due to other factors, and that should be VERY VERY alarming to people. Humans have caused bird extinction. Nobody finds that kind of sad?
if a bird is dumb enough to fly into a ginormous windmill... that's their own problem. Pigeons stay away from hazards in the cities. I'm sure birds will learn to stay away from them just as they avoid the highways now.
So hire someone to sit there and pick them up. Does 2 things - helps with employment, and you could use them to feed the needy.
Is this a joke?
Hey, I do have a sense of humor even if it doesn't come through on a message board.
However - and I'm serious now: We are constantly told we need to become energy independent. Quit using oil.
How do we do it? Wind power - oops - can't do that, cause it kills birds.
Solar power - unreliable, although with global warming coming we shouldn't have to worry about it, right?
Nuclear power? Just not around me, right?
Hydro power? Can't do that - it hurts the fish.
MIchelle - I can't tell you how many dead birds I have had at my house because they try to fly through my windows - should I get rid of my windows?
We need to weigh the good of wind power against the bad - the good is we get a little bit of energy - at a HUGE financial cost. The bad? Might kill a few birds. I see dead animals on the road every day - many of them. We don't ban vehicles though.
Not too long a go a business close to me (yeah, maci - country folks have businesses - imagine that - some of them even make some of the products you use every day), I digressed there, my bad..........Anyway, this tool and die shop got zoning approval to put up a huge wind turbine behind my house. Now, he owns the 100 or so acres right behind me. I could've griped and complained about the noise it will generate. But I didn't. Good for him - he wants to spend that kind of money? Fine. No skin off my back.
Life hands you lemons, you can be sour, or you can make lemonade.
Besides, look at it like this - many people believe in evolution. Maybe killing off the birds dumb enough to fly into fan blades will result in smarter birds.
I'm just saying that I have issues with these turbines for this reason...besides the fact that they are damned ugly.
This is honest/serious Arch now - I think those turbines are unbelievable. About 40 miles or so from here - Bowling Green, they have 4 monster wind turbines. I love driving past there - amazing to see. Plus, honestly - the blades don't turn all that fast. Fly 100 geese through one, only about 10 would get hit - I mean - the blades aren't spinning like a blender.
You don't need to tell me michelle isn't a bimbo - I have respect for her, and I would guess she would say as much, but I won't speak for her - she can speak for herself. She and I agree on quite a bit, and have disagreed respectfully in the past. Plus, some of what I'm saying is tongue in cheek.
Have you ever seen those turbines in action? They don't move that fast when you get down to it. It's not like they resemble airplane propellers.
It is very unfortunate that wind energy is pushed as "green" while it really has a negative effect on wildlife. It is quite damaging to migrating birds. I am a bird lover (hence my user ID), and I find it very sad that windmills are being created. Many precious and endangered birds are affected by these machines. And unfortunately, birds will never "learn" to not fly into windmills.
Quote: It is very unfortunate that wind energy is pushed as "green" while it really has a negative effect on wildlife. It is quite damaging to migrating birds. I am a bird lover (hence my user ID), and I find it very sad that windmills are being created. Many precious and endangered birds are affected by these machines. And unfortunately, birds will never "learn" to not fly into windmills.
Thank you, BirdDawg. I'm glad someone gets what I'm saying.
For the rest of you, I suppose dolphins getting caught in tuna nets doesn't hurt, either? The more wind turbines we have, the higher the number of birds will be that die as a result.
And, Arch, they make some decals you can put on your windows to help deter birds from flying into them if it's a common problem. They don't really obstruct your view, but the birds can see them from the outside. I just don't see that wind turbines in high traffic migratory lanes is quite the same as a bird flying into a window once in a great while.
Quote: Fly 100 geese through one, only about 10 would get hit
And, 10 dead geese is okay with you? You don't think they go that fast, but when a lightweight bird flies through one and gets smacked by a blade, it will be dead.
Sorry, I will not change my mind on this until birds no longer die. I don't think it's okay to continually try to better our species at the expense of other species -- and I never will. Can you imagine a sky without birds? A morning without chirping? If we keep justifying everything that is killing the birds, it will happen.
Personally, I still think nuclear and solar are the 2 best options, but nuclear has such a taboo to it that no one wants it. And solar isn't entirely reliable in the north, year round.
We don't have to agree with each other, to respect each others opinion.
I don't know, but maybe people should keep working on it instead of justifying the killing of wildlife. It is NOT okay. And, it's more than a few birds.
Quote: Sorry, I will not change my mind on this until birds no longer die.
You may not have been literal with this statement, however I do agree that putting them in migratory paths is a bad idea. I believe many people would be satisfied if the impact of X wind turbines was less than the environmental impact of X power plant(s) that they replaced.
Just because this is a good place to share, and many may not be aware.
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