Lee County / Ashton
ILLINOIS ENERGY – WIND
Contributed by Susie Miller, Ashton IL
Due to recent legislation, the State of Illinois is required to pull 20% of its energy from renewables by 2020. Seventy five percent of that is to come from wind. Wind energy is promoted heavily in the Sauk Valley area. Proponents say wind energy will get America off foreign oil. In reality, wind energy does not get us off foreign oil. Wind energy will take from coal, nuclear, and natural gas, those that power our homes. Wind energy cannot be stored. If the wind isn’t blowing energy cannot be gleaned from it. There needs to be a continuous source of power and wind will not do that. You would still need coal, nuclear, or natural gas to produce electricity.
The Sauk Valley area is not a good area for wind. For the maximum output of wind turbines you would need winds sustained around 25 MPH 24/7. The wind in the area is around 12 MPH. Due to this low wind speed wind turbines are being put in this area only because of the lax zoning regulations at the county level and the grid infrastructure to transport the energy produced to other areas.
Did you know wind power is so expensive that 80% of the cost of a turbine comes from government subsidies – OUR MONEY? The remaining 20% is from energy companies, like Exelon (ComEd), who are forced to buy energy from the wind companies. They in turn raise their rates to pay for wind energy - OUR MONEY, again.
If you are considering signing up for a wind turbine on your property before signing on the dotted line PLEASE take it to an attorney to look over. Ask the attorney what you will be getting from this contract and what you will be giving up.
