Evanston proposing wind turbines on lake

A proposed wind energy farm off the coast of Northwestern's campus could cut a "gigantic" amount of Evanston's carbon emissions, said Nathan Kipnis, one of Chicago's best-known "green" architects.

Citizens for a Greener Evanston recently drew up the proposal, which calls for 10 turbines above the waters of Lake Michigan, four miles off the NU shoreline and Dawes Park.

The aquatic wind-energy farm is one of the most ambitious of more than 200 proposals that citizen groups have advanced to reduce Evanston's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions since the city adopted a Climate Action Plan last November.

The wind-energy farm could cut CO2 emissions by 80,000 tons per year, almost 65 percent of Evanston's total emissions, Kipnis said.

"It's a gigantic number - multiples beyond any other proposal," he said.

After the city accepted the plan, six task forces of concerned citizens were formed to come up with ideas of how to reduce CO2.

Kipnis, co-chairman of the Renewable Energy Task Force, said he expected to put his architectural knowledge to use on a "green engineering" task force. But Kipnis, principal of Nathan Kipnis Architects, Inc., said he was lucky to have been placed on the renewable energies team.

The ultimate goal of the Climate Action Plan is to reduce emissions in accordance with the Kyoto Protocol, Kipnis said. For Evanston, the Kyoto Protocol would require cutting 2012 emissions by 13 percent, and wind power could do just that.

Kipnis and Citizens for a Greener Evanston are working to move things forward, but nothing is official yet, said Carolyn Collopy, Evanston's Sustainable Programs coordinator.

"A feasibility study still needs to be done," she said. "It's only a strategy at this point."

If the plan is put into action, it will take about seven years to complete, Kipnis said.

The people of Evanston are showing a lot of interest in the issue, said Nicolai Schousboe, member of Citizens for a Greener Evanston.

In a recent survey, "something in the order of two-thirds supported the proposal," Kipnis said.

Elisa Redish, a Communication sophomore and co-chairwoman of Students for Ecological and Environmental Development (SEED), said she "definitely supports the plan" and thinks most Evanston residents will too.

"This is a very progressive town," she said.

Although some residents oppose the farm for aesthetic reasons, it could save the town money in the long run.

The 10 turbines, which would be located on a relatively shallow shelf four miles offshore and visible from the shoreline, would generate enough energy to power approximately one-third of all of Evanston's single-family homes.

The installation of the 10 turbines would cost an estimated $85 million to $100 million, Kipnis said. If Citizens for a Greener Evanston and the City of Evanston can demonstrate that there is enough wind four miles offshore, he said, "some wind developer will say 'Hmmm. I can make some money here,'" and decide to finance the project.

"Then we can provide efficient, green energy to the city," Kipnis said. "And the city would happily pay for it."