Elgin considers hydro power again
Elgin officials are considering installing equipment at the Kimball Street dam that supporters say would generate hydroelectric power and revenue for the city.
The city council could decide Wednesday to move forward with a feasibility study on the issue. ORENCO Hydropower of Palo Alto, Calif., would conduct the study over the course of four weeks for $25,000 and $3,750 for other expenses.
Generating hydro power at the Kimball Street dam has been discussed over the last decade or so, but Councilman Dave Kaptain, who is running for mayor, said technology has improved and the cost benefits are greater enough today to warrant another look at it.
The primary revenue from the project would be savings from energy that could be used by the city or revenue from power sold back to the utility company. Other money could come from selling renewable energy credits and greenhouse gas emission reduction credits.
“In five years the whole outlook on this type of power has changed,” Kaptain said. “It's an opportunity to wisely spend the $25,000 to see if it's something that will work for Elgin.”
Building a hydroelectric facility near the dam would cost about $2.5 million and would take eight years to pay itself off, Kaptain said.
The system could be there for 75 years, he said.
A 2006 study by engineering students at the Illinois Institute of Technology found that a 750-kilowatt hydropower turbine could generate about 3,285 megawatt hours per year. That's about 1 percent of residential customers' usage in Elgin, according to a preliminary report by ORENCO.
Local carbon emissions could be reduced by about 5.5 million pounds, the study said.
Mayor Ed Schock said he'd be open to the project, but wants to make sure the energy generated warrants the expenditure, including construction costs. A city study about seven years ago determined costs were too high, but new technology could make it possible now, he said.
If given the go-ahead by council members, ORENCO said it would solicit feedback from community stakeholders.
Bob Trueblood, executive director of the Fox River Water Reclamation District, said he's supportive of sustainability efforts, and recovering energy from the dam is one example.
“It's not free money, but it's definitely a way to get a benefit from something you otherwise would just waste,” Trueblood said. “I like this project because it's our community. It's a local project that would have local benefits.”
Trueblood said he's had discussions with Kaptain, who is a retired chemist from the water district, and is keeping abreast of the work of the Elgin Sustainable Master Plan Committee, headed by Kaptain and Councilman John Steffen.
Becky Hoag, communications manager for the Fox River Ecosystem Partnership, said her group just became aware of the hydropower plan and is still soliciting feedback from group members.
Chuck Emmert, a local environmentalist who proposed putting in hydropower at the Kimball Street dam in 2003, said the current plan doesn't go far enough. He proposes putting in six turbines not one to utilize the full potential of water that runs through the dam. It would cost double what the city is proposing, but Emmert suggested the federal government would pick up those costs if the project is shovel-ready.