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The Bryan Times
May 12, 2005
Wednesday afternoon monitoring equipment was installed on the WGTE tower near
County Road 12 to determine if there in sufficient wind in the Bryan area to generate
electricity. Pictured behind the wind monitor prior to its installation on the tower are,
at front from left, Pam Sullivan of American Municipal Power-Ohio, Bryan Director of
Utilities Steve Casebere, and Bryan Board of Public Affairs members Tom Foster, Al
Horn and Mary Burns. At back from left are Ammon Gage, tower maintenance worker,
and Steve Watts and Nick Tichich of Green Energy Ohio. (Staff photo by Kim Cullis)
Top Story
Wind power for Bryan is studied
Ever notice the giant power-generating wind turbines along U.S. 6 near Bowling Green?
The possibility of using similar turbines to generate electricity for Bryan is now being investigated by Bryan Municipal Utilities and Green Energy Ohio.
Wednesday afternoon wind monitoring equipment was installed on the WGTE Public Broadcasting tower on County Road 12 west of Bryan, to determine if it is windy enough in Bryan to generate electricity.
According to Bryan Municipal Utilities, Bryan has been selected to participate in the Ohio Tall Towers Wind Assessment Initiative conducted by Green Energy Ohio, a non-profit advocate of renewable sources of electricity, such as wind and solar.
If the study shows the project is feasible and the city goes ahead with turbine construction, a site would then be chosen for the turbines.
Lou Pendleton, BMU director of public relations, said factors in choosing a site would include a requirement for open space to the southwest, and proximity to the city's power distribution system. The wind monitoring equipment has been installed on the 393-foot WGTE broadcasting tower on the west side of County Road 12, about a quarter mile south of Ohio 34.
WGTE has agreed to let BMU and Green Energy of Ohio place the wind monitoring equipment on the tower at no charge, according to BMU.
"We are a public corporation, and this sounds like a great project for the community," Dan Niedzwiecki, director of engineering for WGTE, stated in a BMU press release. " We are happy to be involved."
Six monitoring sites will be selected around the state under the Tall Towers program, which is so named because wind monitors are being placed on existing structures such as broadcast and cell phone towers.
Officials said Bryan is the first site chosen for the program, with Wapakoneta next on the list. The wind monitoring will take place for 18 months. Ms. Pendleton said GEO will analyze the data once the monitoring is complete, and report on its findings.
"GEO wants local communities to take our final project report and immediately pursue development," GEO Tall Towers staff researcher Steven Watts said in the BMU press release. "We are very pleased that Bryan's Utilities Director Steve Casebere has been very proactive in working with us."
Mr. Casebere said the Bryan Board of Public Affairs is looking at the possibility of adding wind power to BMU's power supply mix.
According to city figures, in 2004 about 90 percent of Bryan's electricity was supplied by American Electric Power and 10 percent was from hydroelectric facilities.
The city operates a power generating dam on the Auglaize River near Defiance.
"This is just the first step in a long and complex journey toward wind generated electricity," said Mr. Casebere. "The journey has begun, however, and we're proud to be part of it."
GEO Executive Director Bill Spratley stated in the BMU press release that Bryan could emulate Bowling Green, where four giant wind turbines are generating electricity for the municipal system.
"Two years ago the municipal utility in Bowling Green pioneered utility-scale wind development in Ohio with the installation of two, 1.8 megawatt turbines," said Mr. Spratley in a press release. "Last November, Bowling Green has added two more units and now has the capability of generating 15,000 megawatt hours of renewable energy each year."
According to BMU, The Tall Towers program is funded in part by the Ohio Department of Development and the U.S. Department of Energy.
Green Energy Ohio, headquartered in Columbus, is a statewide not-for-profit organization that promotes environmentally and economically sustainable energy policies and practices.
GEO acts as a clearinghouse to inform Ohioans about renewable energy. For more information on the Tall Towers project or other GEO initiatives visit the GEO Web site at www.greenenergyohio.org.
For more information about Bryan Municipal Utilities visit the city Web site at www.cityofbryan.net. Times Editor Don Allison can be contacted at don@bryantimes.com
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