Green Energy Generates Attention

May 16, 2005 - Page 1
by Harold Brown, City Editor
Bowling Green Sentinel

With all the trappings of an old fashioned religious camp meeting, renewable energy drew hundreds of the faithful to the Wood County Landfill Saturday morning.

Many who gathered were members of Green Energy Ohio, which chose to hold its annual meeting in the shadows of Ohio's first utility-scale wind farm.

Activities commenced with the unveiling of a computerized kiosk that explains AMP-Ohio Green Mountain Energy Wind Farm at Bowling Green, indicates how much energy is being generated and provides links to other resources.  A solar panel attached to the kiosk will supply some of the power for the display.

'Bowling Green is a green gem that needs to be replicated across this state.'
                                         - William Spratley  GEO executive director

"People ask a lot of questions.  I think this will prove its educational value and this might even be a good picnic destination.  You're the test market," BG Utilities Director Daryl Stockburger said as the group prepared to have lunch.

Informational signs are also planned for the site, which is on the west side of the road leading to the landfill, and is reached from U.S. 6.  The city's public works, electric division and information technology departments helped construct the site, along with employees of the Wood County Solid Waste District.  John Witte of Advanced Distributed Generation LLC handled the solar panel installation.

GEO member Geoff Rich of Bowling Green, honored as volunteer of the year for Northwest Ohio, said the timing of the meeting was appropriate since Saturday was National Windmill Day in Northern Europe.  "When I drive by I'm very satisfied to see this.  Green energy is the way we're going to move forward."

The Vestas turbines used at the wind farm are manufactured in Denmark.

Rich is an engineer with First Solar of Perrysburg.  He has given talks on solar electric and photovoltaic installation, promoted GEO events, been involved with wind power and has a 1300 watt solar array installed on his home.

Presenting the GEO Clean Energy Community of the Year Award to the Wood County Commissioners and Bowling Green, GEO Executive Director William Spratley said "Bowling Green is a green gem that needs to be replicated across this state."

Commissioner Jim Carter said the wind farm wasn't the work of the politicians in Wood County.  'We are stewards of the land.  I can think of no better use for the buffer zone around the landfill than to do something for the good of the rest of the county.  This is renewable.  This is not something an F-16 (fighter jet) has to protect."

Stockburger said he was driving past a city-owned site at Green and Poe roads in 1999 and mentioned to Mayor John B. Quinn "that it was my goal to fund at least one small wind turbine.  He looked at me and said if I was going to do it 'don't make it small.'"  The site at Poe and Green was the location of a wind monitoring tower in 1999 and 2000 placed by GEO's predecessor, SEED Ohio.

"A lot of this happened because we worked together to do things for our citizens," Quinn said.

Stockburger said Bowling Green now gets 20 percent of its power from renewable resources.  To loud applause he challenged other towns and cities in Ohio to follow BG's example.  GEO confirmed Saturday that wind monitoring equipment is being installed near Bryan and is planned at Wapakoneta, with the hope that wind turbines will follow.  GEO is also partnering with Verizon to place wind monitoring devices on several of its cell phone towers in Ohio.

Other '"testimony" came from Wood County Solid Waste District Coordinator Ken Rieman who said plans are being completed for a 55-kilowatt generator at the landfill that will use methane gas produced by the landfill.  The city already gets a small percentage of its power from landfill sites around the state.  "This is in benevolent self interest with the city and the turbines," Rieman said.

Also honored from the area was the Northwest Ohio Partnership for Alternative Energy Systems with GEO's Nonprofit Group of the Year Award.  The partnership is a collaborative effort between the University of Toledo, Bowling Green State University, Owens Community College and numerous governmental and industry partners.

PHOTO: Green Energy Ohio members and guests examine the kiosk Saturday set near the wind turbines at the Wood County Landfill.