Suburban Schools Consortium Continues with Plans for Wind Farm

The consortium of suburban Chicago schools continues to receive positive press for their plans to build a wind farm at a remote location in Stark County, including this article from the Chicago Tribune:

With help from Milwaukee-based Heston Wind, Keeneyville School District 20, Carpentersville School District 300 and Prospect Heights School District 23 are looking to build and operate a 10-turbine, 20-megawatt wind farm in Stark County, about 150 miles southwest of Chicago.

If successful, the project could be a template for other cash-strapped school districts that lack land to construct turbines on their campuses.[...]

Schools harnessing wind energy is not new. A few school districts in central Illinois already rely on turbines to meet their energy needs. Bureau Valley High School was the first in 2005, erecting a 220-foot turbine on its campus in Manlius.

But the financial structure of the so-called "School Wind Consortium" is unique. The three school districts are not going to use the electricity themselves, but rather use revenue from selling power generated by the wind farm to defray their electricity costs.

However, the largest benefit to schools could come from private wind development, says the Tribune article:

Wind generation is already funding schools in Illinois, even without their direct involvement. Every megawatt of privately owned turbines built in the state brings $9,000 to $13,000 in new property tax revenue each year, with about 60 to 70 percent going to local school districts, Borgia said.

"This new revenue also comes without new students or other strains on local infrastructure, making wind farms an incredible revenue source for schools," he said.

Borgia said students at school districts that install wind turbines will be the biggest beneficiaries.

"Not only are turbines an excellent tool for teaching about clean energy, but wind helps schools greatly reduce their electric bills, which is often one of their largest fixed costs," he said. "This means money can be diverted for more important uses, resulting in better education for Illinois' students."