USA - Wind power considered for water treatment plant

The city of Galesburg has hired a firm to analyze the potential costs and eventual savings of using wind to power its new water treatment plant at Oquawka.

Galesburg's water utility costs more than $300,000 a year to power, about a third of the city's overall energy bill. Preliminary analysis has shown a wind turbine could provide about two-thirds of the energy needed to run the water utility, according to City Manager Dane Bragg. However, the city would begin to see the benefits only after it had paid off the initial cost of buying and erecting a turbine or turbines. The time it would take before the city's energy savings would surpass start-up costs is being assessed by Wind Energy Consulting and Contracting Inc.

The city paid the firm $2,600 earlier this month for a preliminary economic analysis, which indicated it would take up to 17 years for a turbine to begin paying for itself. However, Bragg said the payback period could be significantly reduced if the city obtained a grant or other financial incentives to build the turbine. At times of peak power, the city also could make money by selling excess energy. WECC is finalizing its study of the wind energy proposal, Bragg said.

The $787 billion stimulus bill President Obama signed into law last month includes substantial incentives for renewable energy. The bill includes grants to cover 30 percent of the cost of renewable energy projects in 2009 or 2010 and $1.6 billion in clean energy bonds to finance wind, biomass, geothermal, hydropower, landfill gas, marine renewable, and trash combustion facilities.

The city is constructing a flood-proof water plant at Oquawka. The plant should be finished by the summer of 2010 and is part of a $20 million project to overhaul the city's water infrastructure.

For more information please contact Trevor Sievert at ts@windfair.net