[Winona Online Democracy] Hello Keith,
Thank you for asking about the large wind turbine project the County Board will be discussing at tomorrow's meeting. Again, the project is designed to apply for one of two competitive $200,000 grants the Minnesota Department of Commerce will be awarding this Fall. In case people missed last Friday's Winona Daily News, here is a story about the County's EDA Commitee vote on the issue. http://winonadailynews.com/articles/2005/08/05/news/00lead.txt Below is the briefing the County Commissioners were sent as an addition to their agenda packets. Please let me know if you or anyone else has any other questions or feedback. Thank you, Dwayne Voegeli August 8, 2005 ----- Briefing for County Board Commissioners August 8, 2005 ----- Here are the quick basics behind the large wind turbine that is being discussed: A. Cost: Approximately $2.1 million for one turbine B. Payback Period: Approximately 10-11 years * C. Life of Turbine: Approximately 20 years D. Size: 1.65 megawatts, enough to power 500 homes E. Rate of Return: Nearly 10% over 20 years F. Grant Release Date: August 2, 2005 G. Grant Application Date: October 6, 2005 (less than two months from now) * Blake Pickart, the County's Finance Director, was given the cash flow sheets for this proposal almost two weeks ago. He has been asked to go over the numbers to make sure they are accurate and valid. He will be present at tommorrow's meeting to answer questions. --- Possible partners to work with on this project to share costs and to increase partnership potentials: 1. Winona State University 2. Saint Mary's University 3. Technical College 4. 3 School Districts: Winona, St. Charles, and Lewiston 5. Private Schools 6. Possible Townships 7. Possible Cities --- Some beginning questions and answers: Question # 1: Why should the Winona County be involved with a project like this? Reply: A. It is a good investment and it will save taxpayers money over the long run. B. It will spur private investors to develop more projects like this. C. It will help the farmers who allow the turbines on their land with additional income through land lease payments. D. By helping farmers and rural land owners, wind turbines will help keep the countryside rural and it aligns with the County's Comp Land Use Plan. E. It places us on the cutting edge of a new technology in our part of the state. It will come one day, the question is, "when will Winona County residents benefit from the cost savings and clean energy source?" F. It may help create good paying jobs in our area. G. It will help keep all the money we spend on energy in our area and it will decrease our dependancy on foreign oil. H. It is the environmentally responsible thing to do. --- Question # 2: Isn't this best left for the private sector to do? A. Usually the private sector leads and government follows but sometimes government leads and the private sector follows. (i.e. Did you know that both IBM and ATT had a chance to develop the internet? They both passed on the idea and it was left for government to develop. There are many other examples like that.) B. This grant comes from the Minnesota State Department of Commerce. It is designed specifically for local governments, not the private sector. The Dept. of Commerce wants these projects to be seed projects that will spur more private sector investments and projects like this. C. This project is not simply about catching a really big fish ($200,000 grant), it's about learning how to fish. It's about learning how to help and encourage others to do more projects like this. D. I and others have been working on this for over 2 years. It would be quicker and easier if someone from the private sector would begin a project like this but it simply hasn't happened yet. --- Question # 3: Has this been done before? Reply: Yes. This same kind of grant was done two years ago. Two wind turbines were built and are now up and running, one at Carleton College in Northfield and one at the University of Minnesota - Morris. This grant produces concrete results and it's a real thing, it's not just a nice sounding idea. --- Question # 4: Is there insurance for things like this? Reply: Yes. Even though it's new to us in Winona County, billions are invested in large wind turbines across the country and there is a whole insurance industry built around these machines. --- Question # 5: What about maintenance costs and problems? Reply: There's always a chance there might be problems. Any new power source may have potential problems. But the costs for the repairs are built into the cash flow sheet for the project. There are also people who work on machines like this. --- Question # 6: What about noise problems and other concerns from possible neighbors? Reply: There may be possible concerns. There are many myths about wind turbines which a little bit of information or a tour to existing wind turbines would quickly take care of. Many myths come from the front people and groups who represent the coal and other industries who benefit from the status quo and who do not want to rock the boat with new technologies. For example, when it comes to noise, if you ever have a chance to visit one of the big turbines, you wouldn't believe how quiet they are. It will be important to site any possible project with neighbor's concerns in mind. There might be concerns but there are ways to solve those problems. ------------ Dwayne Voegeli Winona County Commissioner (507) 453-9012 [EMAIL PROTECTED] 359 Pleasant Hill Dr. Winona, MN 55987 ------------ _______________________________________________ This message was posted to Winona Online Democracy All messages must be signed by the senders actual name. No commercial solicitations are allowed on this list. 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