 |
|
July 2008
Tread Lightly
Benton County home to first wind farm
in Indiana |
Driving west toward Earl Park in Benton County
on U.S. highway 52, small white objects appear on the horizon
like tiny white needles piercing the sky. It isn’t until
you’ve driven for 10 more miles that you realize the
enormity of the white towers with their giant blades spinning
in the Indiana breeze.
The structures are wind turbines that make up
Indiana’s first wind farm. Each white turbine towers
260 feet overhead. The 160-foot blades stretch into the sky
from the base producing a steady, but barely audible, whoosh
whoosh whoosh sound, just like that of a baby’s heartbeat
in the womb. The sight is magnificent, the sound soothing.
Standing like sentries overlooking the surrounding
green fields, 87 wind turbines cover 24-square miles. Each
produces enough electricity to power 400 homes – with
the entire wind farm producing enough carbon-free electricity
for 34,800 homes.
“This is the first wind farm built in Indiana,” said
Kreg Kitchen, asset manager for Orion Energy Group who owns
the turbines. “It has taken years of studying and planning
to make this happen.”
How do they work?
The wind turbines produce electricity
through a generator inside. The blades, which require 3 meters
per second of wind to rotate, turn the generator at 11,000
revolutions per minute inside the turbine’s base. The
generator produces energy and sends it to a power circuit.
Between eight and 20 turbines are hooked up to one circuit
which feeds into the main power grid. The electricity is then
distributed to home-owners through the local power companies.
Anemometers measure the wind, sending signals
to the system to change the pitch of the blade, assuring that
each catches the 3 meters per second that is required. “They
use their own energy to work,” said Kitchen.
Fowler Ridge Wind Farm
The 87 turbines in Earl
Park are not the only wind turbines in Benton County. In Fowler,
BP Alternative and Dominion are in phase one of building what
will be one of the largest wind-power facilities in the world.
The first phase includes erecting 222 wind turbines. When finished,
Fowler Ridge Wind Farm will produce enough carbon-free electricity
to power more than 200,000 average American homes.
Sitting in Fowler, it isn’t long before
semi-trucks pass carrying parts for the turbines and towers.
It takes six to seven semis to deliver one tower. Each blade
is as long as a single semi-truck bed.
“Green” education
Orion Energy Group
had to “tread lightly,” even during construction.
Along with producing carbon-free electricity, Kitchen said
the whole process – beginning to end – of erecting
the wind farm was environmentally friendly. “We had regulations
we had to meet,” he said. “We had to ensure we
weren’t harming any natural wildlife or vegetation or
even the soil before we began to build.”
According to Kitchen, Orion Energy Group makes
education a priority. “We work with schools in other
areas where we have wind farms,” he said. “We plan
to do the same in Benton County.”
Kitchen said they tentatively plan to begin hosting
tours of the wind farm in October. “We want to be able
to teach the community – especially the students – about
the importance of utilizing natural resources to provide energy,” he
said. “We are helping the environment by cutting down
on pollution. We are ensuring the longevity of our planet,
which everyone needs to survive.” |
Home
