EAST LIVERPOOL –An unused, wooded area in the East End section of the city, accessible from Lee Street, could be a good location for a wind farm to generate “green” energy, says Ryan Estell, assistant to the city service-safey director.
Ohio leads all of the United States in land pollution levels and mostly lacks renewable energy sources, Estell said. He explained that a private investor could lease the property from the city and install three or four 150 foot tall turbines. After logging and clearing, simple excavation would prepare the land for construction of the turbines. Township cooperation is crucial to the development project for roads and other infrastructure requirements.Within a few years of installation, an investor could glean a financial return from the power company, which is required to purchase the electricity. Individuals in the United States who have installed wind generators at their homes and produce more than the home can use already sell the excess. Estell is confident that this location, up the hill from Pennsylavania Avenue, could also benefit from the sale of wind power, depending on the amount generated.
Our valley’s air quality is characterized by attributes of air inversion, meaning that air tends to deflect back toward the ground. The blades of the turbine must tower to an elevation above where the inversion could affect them.
A turbine works through centrifugal energy that causes momentum to keep it turning on its own, and can function as an energy at windspeeds of 8 mph. The units are equipped with braking systems so excessively high winds won’t cause the blades to break off.
Wind energy has grown in popularity in just one year, as has the trend for incorporating renewable energy sources. Go to ohiowind.org for more information.
