USA - Wind turbine to be tested at wastewater plant

All the hot air blowing around the city may help the wastewater treatment plant save money on its electric bill each year. Green Energy of Ohio has selected the city’s wastewater treatment plant as one of two sites for a test wind-turbine project. The $100,000 turbine will be erected near the wastewater treatment plant and will operate for 12 to 16 months. During that time, wind and weather data will be collected and the overall efficiency of the turbine assessed.

“It’s a great opportunity to collect site-specific wind data that the city of Ashtabula and surrounding area could use for long-term wind energy development,” said Kemp Jaycox, wind program manager for Green Energy of Ohio. Pettisville Local Schools in Fulton County is the location of the other project.“We will likely be commissioning the monitoring towers in late August,” Jaycox said.

There will be a cost of $6,300 to participate in the Green Ohio project; the City Port Authority will pick up the cost, city officials said.The hope is that up to 85 percent of the wastewater treatment plant’s electrical needs could be met using a commercial-grade wind-turbine at the site. City Auditor Michael Zullo said the plant’s power bill is more than $500,000 a year.

For more information please contact Trevor Sievert at ts@windfair.net