It’s official – Check out this article
from Steven Verburg in the Wisconsin State Journal:
Epic Systems plans six wind turbines northwest of
Madison
Dane County’s first array of commercial wind turbines
will rise hundreds of feet above the rolling hills along Highway
12 northwest of Madison under plans Epic Systems of Verona hatched
over the last four weeks.
The plan had to move quickly so that Epic can take advantage of
federal tax credits that expire Dec. 31, said Bruce Richards, the
medical software manufacturer’s director of facilities and
engineering.
Six turbines — each with three 135-foot blades spinning atop a
262-foot tower — will be visible from the tall buildings in
Downtown Madison, including the Capitol, and the electricity they
generate will help Epic offset most of its energy needs on its
sprawling Verona campus. . . .
A geothermal system heats and cools the Verona campus, and solar
panels already generate electricity. The addition of the turbines
will mean the company can provide about 85 percent of its own
energy needs by 2014, Richards said.
“What sticks out to me is Epic’s incredible commitment to
renewable energy,” said Dane County Executive Joe Parisi, whose
administration has expedited permits for the company.
Morse Group president Lou Rotello said his company will serve as
engineering, procurement and construction contractor on the
project, which will employ about 75 construction workers.
The site is a good one in part because almost all of the homes
that could be affected by noise or flickering shadows from the
turbine blades are occupied by family members of the landowners
who are leasing their land for the towers, Rotello said.
The ridge isn’t the windiest spot in the county, but studies
indicate it will be gusty enough to spin the blades at 27 percent
of their full-speed capacity each year, Rotello said.
The turbines have a capacity of 9.9 megawatts, which
will qualify them as one of 10 “major” wind power generators in
Wisconsin, said Deborah Irwin, the state Public Service
Commission’s renewable energy specialist.
Read the full article here.