FAA is OK with Dist. 79 turbine plan
Wind turbine projects are picking up speed in Lake County.
Fremont Elementary District 79 has cleared a hurdle in its quest to build a wind turbine that would provide electricity to school buildings, with the idea of saving money.
District 79, which serves students in the Mundelein and Grayslake areas, recently received Federal Aviation Administration approval for its application to build the wind turbine.
Meanwhile, the potential for what's believed would be Lake County's first wind farm is being studied east of Antioch near the Tri-State Tollway. A determination on whether wind energy can be produced from the site is expected within 18 months.
Fremont began considering wind as a way to save on electricity costs last year. A consultant last fall found District 79's campus, between Gilmer and Fremont Center roads in unincorporated Lake County, has the correct wind conditions for a turbine.
Now that it has FAA approval, Fremont will pursue studies on whether a wind turbine is financially feasible, and the potential noise and visual effects on the area. District 79 also plans to order a wildlife-impact study.
Preliminary estimates show Fremont could save $7.7 million over the turbine's expected 30-year life span.
"In my opinion, it is a viable project in the future," District 79 Superintendent Rick Taylor said in a statement. "Energy costs will continue to accelerate. This is a renewable energy, and it will more than pay for itself."
FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory said Friday the agency must approve all wind turbine requests because of a possible interference with flights.
In the Antioch area, the Spencer Farm Wind Project is being explored on more than 380 acres in unincorporated Lake County.
Hillside-based Sexton Wind Power's farmland would accommodate a maximum of 10 industrial-sized turbines near the Wisconsin border and the Tri-State Tollway's Russell Road exit.
"It would be the first and only (wind farm) in Lake County at this time," said Sexton's operations director, Todd Daniels.
Sexton has built a 265-foot galvanized steel tower to collect meteorological data to assess wind conditions. Daniels said the research on whether there is enough wind to provide power started in mid-January and will take 12 to 18 months to complete, so all four seasons are covered.
Daniels said the 10 turbines would provide enough power for 3,000 to 5,000 average-sized homes yearly. He said it hasn't been decided if the wind farm would target residential or commercial customers.
Individual wind turbines already are used in some parts of Lake County, such as Chipotle Mexican Grill in Gurnee and the Prairie Crossing subdivision farm in Grayslake.