Schools Wind Consortium Meets to Officially Move Wind Project Forward

From the Chicago Tribune:

The School Wind Consortium met officially for the first time last week. The group hopes to move quickly to get financing to take advantage of some $15 million in federal grants, which expire in December.

"We've been working to get it done all summer long, and now we have to implement it," said Gary Ofisher, director of operations for District 20.

The agency would oversee the construction and operation of the farm, which could be up and running by fall 2011. Officials foresee about $3 million in annual revenues for some 30 years — the expected life of the wind turbines. The legislation allows the districts to take revenues out of the project equivalent to their own electrical costs, which right now are running at about $3.5 million per year combined.

While the consortium's would apparently be the first scholastic wind farm, several downstate schools have already installed standalone, on-site turbines to generate electricity for their own facilities. Bureau Valley High School in Manlius was the first in 2005, followed by nearby Erie Community School District.[...]

With Stark County wind farm ordinances in place, the school districts have arranged to lease farmland for the massive, 400-foot-tall, 1.5 megawatt turbines. Designed by Heston Wind & Renewable Energy, which has been working with the districts throughout the process, the farm is expected to generate some 65,000 megawatt hours annually — enough energy for about 5,000 homes.

Although the power purchase contract has yet to be negotiated, the wholesale value could net the schools about $3 million annually. The revenues would be divided among the three districts, with District 300 taking 80 percent, and its much smaller partners splitting the balance.

"It's a pretty good return on your investment, it's just not one of those quick ones," said Cheryl Crates, chief financial officer for District 300.

The sixth largest school system in the state, District 300 has more than 20,000 students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade at 27 schools in McHenry and Kane counties. The district eliminated 114 teachers and cut more than $9 million from the budget, but still faces a $6 million shortfall for the coming school year, officials said.

The wind farm revenue won't come soon enough to prevent depletion of $10.5 million in cash reserves, but it could offer long-term help in balancing the budget, Crates said.

Prospect Heights District 23 trimmed 10 positions and $1.3 million from its budget but projects a $1 million deficit for the 2010-11 school year, officials said. The district is considering going to voters next spring with a tax-increase request.

Located in northwestern DuPage County, District 20 reduced its staff by 29 positions for the 2010-11 school year to bridge a $1.6 million shortfall, officials said.

All three districts explored building an on-site wind turbine, but only District 300 is still pursuing that option at its two-year-old Hampshire High School campus. Stymied by FAA restrictions, a planned 400-foot, 1.5 megawatt turbine has been scaled back to a proposed 207-foot, 225 kilowatt turbine. Pending school board approval, the project would net the high school about $20,000 a year — about 10 percent of its annual energy costs, according to officials.