2/27/2010 6:00:00 AM Epic studies wind turbines Company already has erected 197-foot tower
This map shows the locations of possible wind turbines based on a determination of hazard request to the FAA. The request asks for towers as high as 466 feet enormous by typical standards but a company official said that height is unlikely.
In case you were wondering, that tall, skinny tower on the west side of the city is not a flagpole or an antenna.
Tucked away amid the farmland, it's a 197-foot (60 meter) meteorological tower on the Epic campus designed to study the feasibility of using wind power.
Epic officials, who have been busy planning a third campus - even while the second one was just getting started last year - informed city staff last month they were considering alternative sources of energy for their massive, growing facility on Verona's west side. Among the possibilities were wind, solar, biomass and solarthermal (using sunlight to produce steam). Both Campus 1 and Campus 2 already use a geothermal system for heat, and the Learning Center campus has the infrastructure in place to switch to it.
"We are in the feasibility stage of looking at alternate energy that's right for the environment," Epic director of facilities and engineering Bruce Richards said Tuesday. "We are not looking at alternate energy that uses natural resources. ... And what we're doing we're going to consume on site."
The Morse Company has applied to the Federal Aviation Administration to place four wind turbines at Epic, each up to 466 feet tall, atop the rolling hills north and west of the current buildings. The filings on the FAA site list specific locations and heights for the turbines, but the contractor in charge of the project said Monday those are not necessarily where they will go.
"The FAA determination (of hazard) is just to see because there's an airport nearby; we want to determine what the limitations are of height," said Ed Englert of Morse's Beloit office. "It doesn't mean that's what's going to be put up or the quantity. There's a lot of logistics that are going to have to be overcome."
Richards said he was almost certain the towers wouldn't be anywhere near 400 feet - that was just a worst-case scenario to see what the limitations are.
"We're going to be very sensitive to the neighbors for sure," he said, noting that Epic is studying everything from migratory birds and bats to noise and shadow flicker. "We're going to do the full cross-spectrum analysis."
Wind power has become a hot-button issue in Wisconsin over the past year, with several communities attempting to limit the promulgation of wind farms because of concerns about noise, electromagnetic interference, stray voltage and shadow flicker. However, in September the state Legislature overruled most local control over placement of large wind turbines by passing Senate Bill 185, which Gov. Jim Doyle signed as Act 40.
The law, which enables the Public Service Commission to create uniform wind power siting rules, fit in with the governor's broader goal of increasing clean energy use in the state.
Several city officials were aware of Epic's plans to study wind power and other alternative energy sources, such as biomass, if not all the details about the filings, and the city passed that word on to the Verona Area School District in the January IDAC meeting. Each of the officials said they were informed that the tower would be temporary, and no site plan was required, only a $50 building permit.
"When I talked to the people at Epic about this, they were looking at how they would go about getting permission," city Public Works director Ron Rieder said. "That is the way it was explained to me, that this 197-foot tower was just a temporary structure."
Morse erected that temporary structure in February, and it is expected to be up for about a year, collecting wind speed and direction information, as well as solar information for the possibility of using more photovoltaic cells.
Posted: Friday, March 12, 2010
Article comment by:
Mark Ratzburg
Jim,
I do believe that Epic is proceeding in a responsible manner. While these opinions are my own (I do not represent Epic) as an employee I have seen firsthand Epic's commitment to running a clean, environmentally friendly business. Some form of renewable energy production on site is a logical continuation of this philosophy.
If you have followed the news over the last few days, you will know that Wisconsin experienced the worst particulate pollution in the country - at a level just a few micrograms from being unhealthy for everyone - even those who do not have a pre-existing lung condition. Rates of lung cancer, heart disease, and upper respiratory problems are higher in areas with this form of air pollution. If we don't take action we will bring these same health risks upon ourselves.
We should all keep an open mind as these studies are completed. I do not believe in a 'wind conspiracy' but I do believe in science. We must weigh all the evidence before making a value judgment on Epic's potential wind farm.
Kind regards, Mark
Posted: Friday, February 26, 2010
Article comment by:
Jim Bembinster
Once again a community will be surprised to find out that they have been targeted for wind development.
The details make this look suspicious. Epic and a wind developer apply to a federal agency in this case the FAA for a determination of hazard to aviation with very specific information about location, quantity, and height.
When questioned Epic and Morse say well it may not be in that location, probably not that many and maybe not that tall. Even with all this supposed uncertainty and without gaining strong community support the met tower is up.
Epic has the right to do what they want on their property within reason but they also have the responsibility to keep what they do on their property. A group of wind turbines 466 tall that will be visible over 30 miles, have the potential to cause sleep disturbance, shadow flicker, interference with TV, radio, and cell phone signals is not what you could call keeping it on the property.
Sometimes no matter how good something looks initially you find out that its just not a good fit with the community and would be totally out of character.
Epic has a great reputation in the Verona community and is respected for always doing what best for everyone.
Abandon the turbine project, take down the met tower and move on to plan B.
