By Scott Weisser, Goshen Daily News
MILFORD - Johnathon Runyon isn't bothered when the wind blows.
For Runyon, project coordinator with JW Great Lakes Wind, wind equals opportunity. And there's opportunity in Kosciusko County.
The county Board of Zoning Appeals recently OK'd a 196-foot-tall meteorological tower west of Milford. The test tower will collect data used to determine if the area is suitable for a wind farm. The testing period will last 12 to 16 months, Runyon said.
At a wind farm, turbines "harvest" the wind to produce electric power. Runyon told the BZA that Kosciusko County is a desirable location because it has plenty of places to transport the electricity to get it out of state.
If the project moves ahead, Great Lakes Wind will lease land for the wind towers from property owners. The towers would be 400 to 500 feet tall.
The much shorter, temporary test tower is on the east side of C.R. 320 west, about 4,000 feet south of C.R. 1250 North. Tony and Ruth Zimmerman own the property. The Zimmermans are grain farmers.
"And we hope to raise some wind, too," Ruth said. "It would be a nice supplement."
"Farming has become a lot more uncertain," she added. It's been good for several years, Ruth said, but now "the margins are really narrowing."
Runyon sees growth potential in wind power. Utility companies, he said, are going to have to buy more "green" energy - wind, solar, etc.
As for how big a Milford-area operation could be, Runyon said, "It's all going to depend on the cooperation of land owners." He said he has spoken with most of the people in the area, though, and there is interest.
Kosciusko County planners are working on developing an ordinance setting guidelines for wind towers.
JW Great Lakes Wind is a Cleveland, Ohio-based subsidiary of juwi GmbH, a developer of wind, solar and biomass projects worldwide.
Benton County
In Benton County, Ind., 87 wind turbines are up and running and another 220 are set to be operational later this month. Hundreds more are planned.
Extension educator Jimmy Bricker touted the benefits to Benton County. He said 370 land owners have signed lease arrangements with developers and will receive $2 million annually.
Developers also make payments to the county in exchange for tax abatements - that up-front money amounts to $5 million over four years, Bricker said. In the future, the wind projects will result in property tax revenue to Benton County.
Bricker said a wind turbine takes up less than 2 percent of an acre "and the farmer farms right up to it." The turbine blades turn at 15 rotations per minute, and bird and bat deaths are a non-issue.
"These are modern machines," he said.
NIPSCO perspective
Northern Indiana Public Service Co. communications manager Nick Meyer said NIPSCO is always interested in alternative sources of energy. NIPSCO recently bought 100 megawatts of wind power, he added.
According to Meyer, NIPSCO has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for additional power resources.
"We are looking to explore all available options for this RFP," Meyer said. "Specifically supplies that are safe, reliable and cost-effective for our customers, as well as environmentally sound."
"Certainly we have a need for additional electricity, and that again just comes from our growing demand from our customers to meet both current usage and future usage," he said.