Lake County Landfill to be tested for wind energy use

An Erie, Pa.-based energy company wants to determine whether its feasible to develop a wind farm on property at the Lake County Landfill in Painesville Township.

Lake County commissioners have approved an agreement with Lake County Winds, LLC, a subsidiary of BQ Energy, that allows the company to conduct a study to see if the land would be conducive for wind energy.

"We are proposing a feasibility study for Lake County and in the process we're requesting to put up a meteorological tower to measure the wind and it gives us an idea of whether to pursue wind energy in the county," said Lorry Wagner, a project manager with BQ Energy. "During that time we look at a number of issues, such as land use around the area and where it would make sense to put wind turbines."

The agreement gives BQ Energy exclusive rights for two years to conduct the study. The county also received a $500 payment for the agreement.

At this point, the agreement does not come with any commitment if the company decides the area is a good place for any wind-generating projects, Commissioner Daniel P. Troy and Wagner each said.

BQ Energy typically owns and operates the wind farms that it builds, Wagner said. Any power generated from a future wind farm could be sold to a utility company, such as Akron-based FirstEnergy or the city of Painesville, or it could be sold to the nation's electrical grid.

The potential for a wind farm would be determined based on the amount of wind, transmission capacity, area topography and negotiations with power purchasers, Wagner said.

Wind turbines are typically 80 to 100 meters tall and before any would be built, environmental studies would need to be completed, he said.

"We would look at environmental issues such as birds, bats and wetlands, and what is required by the (Ohio Department of Natural Resources) and entities concerned with environmental issues," Wagner said.

He said the number of wind turbines at a farm can vary.

"It really depends on how much wind there is and how much wind is available and the criteria for moving them into an area," Wagner said.

"Now it would be hard to say what size the project is."

The company typically focuses on projects that can generate 20 to 80 megawatts of power, he said, adding that any potential wind farm project would likely be similar to the Steel Winds farm that BQ Energy operates in Lackawanna, N.Y., near Buffalo.

According to the company's Web site, Steel Winds was built in 2007 on a former Bethlehem Steel industrial site on the shore of Lake Erie.

Steel Wind's eight 2.5 megawatt Clipper Liberty wind turbines generate more than 50 million kilowatt hours of electric energy each year, which is enough to power about 9,000 homes without the pollution associated with traditional energy sources.