One-of-a-kind partnership inspires first-ever wind turbine on state-owned property! 60-foot ‘Gob Pile' to be site of 212-foot, 1.25-megawatt wind turbine to power Central Illinois

MONTGOMERY COUNTY - Lt. Governor Pat Quinn stood in front of a 60-foot-tall "gob pile" that soon will be the site of a 212-foot energy-producing wind turbine - the first ever to be built on state-owned property.  Quinn was joined by representatives from the Rural Electric Convenience Cooperative and local and state officials including representatives from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Commerce and Economic opportunity.  Officials from the Association of Illinois Rural Electric Cooperatives were also present.

 

Central Illinois traditionally clocks lower wind speeds than areas in Northern Illinois where most energy producing wind farms are operating.  But there is one spot in Montgomery County where wind whips at a considerably higher rate.

 

Near the Farmersville exit on Interstate 55, residents and passers by are familiar with the reclaimed coal mine site with its towering 14-acre, 60-foot gob pile.  With its considerable height and the way wind moves up the hill, the gob pile offers one of the best wind power sources in the region.

 

The Rural Electric Convenience Cooperative based in Auburn in Sangamon County identified the potential power source of Farmerville's gob pile and contacted the owner of the site - the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (DNR).  Recognizing the importance of renewable energy systems, DNR and the Rural Electric Convenience Cooperative established a partnership - the first of its kind - that allows an electric cooperative to build a wind turbine on state-owned property.

 

Soon after that one-of-a-kind partnership formed, the United States Department of Agriculture granted the electric cooperative $375,000 to help build the wind turbine.

 

Energy generated from the 1.25-megawatt wind turbine will be placed on the Rural Electric Convenience Cooperative's distribution grid, which serves customers in Sangamon, Morgan, Macoupin, Christian, and Montgomery counties. 

 

"We want to salute the Rural Electric Convenience Cooperative for its commitment to bringing renewable wind energy to Illinois citizens," Quinn said.  "This first-of-its-kind partnership between local, state and federal groups shows how the power of unity can power a community."

 

The wind turbine will turn a "brown" site that once produced coal into an innovative "green" site using new technology and utilizing clean, renewable energy that corresponds with the All-American Energy Plan for the State of Illinois.

 

The plan, unveiled last month by Governor Rod Blagojevich, calls for the state to cut its dependence on foreign petroleum products in half by 2017 and includes $25 million in incentives to build five new biodiesel plants, boosting Illinois' biodiesel production to 400 million gallons annually - a quarter of the state's annual diesel usage - over the next decade.

 

Quinn, who chairs the Governor's Rural Affairs Council and the Illinois Green Government Coordinating Council, has been a strong advocate of the environmental and economical benefits of All-American Energy.  As Lt. Governor, Quinn has advocated increased use of renewable energy such as wind and solar that can expand Illinois' economy while reducing our nation's dependence on foreign oil.