1.4 Wind Turbines

Illinois has appropriated over $250 million for the Illinois Solar program.33 A component of the Illinois Solar program is the Community Solar program. This program helps residents buy into a solar farm built in their utility area. Not only will this program provide funding, but it will also allow residents, regardless of being homeowners or renters, to feel a sense of pride from partial ownership of the solar farm. The Community Solar program is not the only funding source available for solar farms. Blue Island can partner with ComEd to receive funding from the U.S. Department of Energy or pursue funding from the agency independently.

Stakeholders: Blue Island Planning Department, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greaeter Chicago, Local Businesses and Landowners

Timeline: 10+ Years Illinois Institute of Technology's advanced wind turbine can serve as a model for Blue Island's energy implementation.

Illinois Institute of Technology (2011).

While the addition of wind turbines to Blue Island must be at a different location than the Solar Farm, the goal of this policy is to incorporate both clean energy options into the community microgrid.

One of the drawbacks of building a solar farm is the fact that the land designated for such usage cannot be used for agriculture or alternative energy generation. That being said, a great advantage of wind energy is the versatility of where wind turbines can be installed due to their variety of sizes.

Small-sized wind turbines can be affixed to building exteriors, bridges, and other similar structures while medium sized wind turbines can be installed along the Calumet-Sag Channel or other public or industrial areas with sufficient space. Additionally, Blue Island can set aside space for several wind turbines when installing the solar farm.

Cost

According to the non-profit organization Windustry, a wind turbine built on the home or farm scale with ten kilowatts of capacity will have an installation cost of approximately $50,000 to $80,000.34 This investment is a stepping stone to Blue Island’s goal of a Green Economic Future as plans for a hybrid-microgrid will be even more resilient using wind energy. Blue Island can explore additional incentives, including additional property tax abatement and sales tax rebates.

Case Study: Illinois Insitute of Technology Microgrid

The Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago has built a microgrid that powers its campus buildings and streetlights. This microgrid is largely powered by solar panels similar to the one proposed to Blue Island. However, IIT has also successfully installed a wind turbine just a few blocks away from campus. This shows that operating a microgrid with a wind turbine component is possible even in an urban environment.36