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Madison-Plains hears about wind turbines
(by Kristy Zurbrick, Madison Editor - July 14, 2010)
Madison-Plains Local Schools is looking into harnessing wind for power at the school complex on Linson Road.
On July 13, the school board heard from Jereme Kent, a representative of One Energy LLC, a wind and solar contractor based in Wapakoneta, Ohio, and Marshall, Minn., serving the Ohio, Iowa and Minnesota markets.
Kent proposes that the school district place one small wind turbine on the property. The turbine would replace 90 percent to 100 percent of the complex’s power.
Kent’s proposal sets up a lease-to-buy scenario with the payment based on the school district’s electric bill. The district spends about $85,000 a year on electricity. With the turbine, the district would save roughly $12,000 to $20,000 a year during the lease, Kent said. The district’s power savings after the 10- to 12-year lease period could be over $120,000 a year, he added. Savings potential depends on whether electricity rates increase or decrease in the future.
The suggested turbine comes with a five-year warranty and a 20-year life span. Kent said his cost proposal includes extended insurance to cover maintenance and operation of the turbine for its life span.
He also said the one turbine could take care of the Linson Road complex whether it’s home to one K-12 building, as is called for in the Aug. 3 special election bond levy request, or the existing middle school and high school with modular units on site, as is called for in the district’s plan should the levy fail.
After Kent’s presentation, the school board gave Superintendent Bernie Hall approval to move on to the next step in the process, which is to set a public meeting for community input.
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