School hopes new windmill bill will keep things turning

Here is an article published in the Pioneer Press about our efforts to bring tax savings via sustainable energy to our area:


School hopes new windmill bill will keep things turning
By JOSH SINGER jsinger@pioneerlocal.com

A school district eyeing windmills to reduce energy costs is counting on a new law to help it benefit from the alternative source of electricity.

School District 20 in Hanover Park first proposed erecting a 300-foot-tall wind turbine next to the Greenbrook School and a forest preserve but was stymied by village zoning ordinances. The $5 million turbine would generate enough electricity to power the district's schools, recouping $300,000 annually.

"If we're not spending money on electricity, we're spending money on kids," said Gary Ofisher, District 20 operations director. Approximately 1,700 students attend schools in the district, which includes 15 children at the Phil Rock Center and School for those who are both deaf and blind.

When the school district suggested moving the turbine about 140 miles away near the rural village of Downs, Ofisher said ComEd balked at the proposal. A letter from ComEd to the school district furnished by Ofisher states: "Meter aggregation, as you suggested ... does not compensate the utility for transmission service."

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School hopes new windmill bill will keep things turning