5 turbines in the works for wind power project in Lake Erie

[AnOhioan]

Source: The Cleveland Plain Dealer

A local nonprofit development group racing to erect the first offshore wind turbine in the Great Lakes has reached an agreement with General Electric Co. to supply five turbines for a $100 million demonstration project in Lake Erie.

The Lake Erie Energy Development Corp., known as LEEDCo, and Gov. Ted Strickland are to announce the deal in Dallas today during the annual conference of the American Wind Energy Association.

The cutting-edge turbines would stand 300 feet above the lake and be clustered six miles or so off Cleveland's shore, northwest of the city's drinking water crib.

Each of the colossal machines, at 225 tons apiece, would generate 4 megawatts, making them the largest in the nation. The total generating capacity of 20 million watts, or 20 megawatts, is enough to power up to 16,000 homes, at least while the wind is blowing.

Read more: http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2010/05/5_wind_turbines_are_in_the_wor.html

[liberal N proud]

1. This is great, this is right in my back yard.

Maybe there will be some cool technology to check out around here as they do this.

[FailureToCommunicate]

3. Like your positive waves on this! If Massachusetts folks had been this upbeat about our

Cape Wind project, we could have started long before now. Ten years of stupid NIMBY.

[Berry Cool]

10. We already have a wind turbine downtown, by the Great Lakes Science Center.

So most Clevelanders have already seen a wind turbine and know they're not horrible, loud, ugly things that spin at the speed of electric box fans and shred tons of birds into a million pieces every day. Also, admittedly, while we have some people here with ritzy-titzy lakeshore homes, we probably don't have enough of them to form an angry NIMBY movement about the turbines "destroying their view."

The general attitude of Cleveland is this: We've sure as hell got enough wind blowing across the lake making us cold much of the year. If we can harness some of it and put it to use and maybe get some cleaner energy that way, so much the better.

[FailureToCommunicate]

2. Hope they make 'em fireproof. In that region the water has been known to burn...

At least a major river feeding Lake Erie has caught fire several times. On the positive side the burning water may have brought us the Clean Water Act of 1972 and the EPA...

<http://www.cleveland.com/science/index.ssf/2009/06/cuyahoga_river_fire_40_years_a.html>



Caption: "Cuyahoga River fire: On June 22, 1969, industrial pollutants on the Cuyahoga River caught fire in Cleveland, Ohio, drawing national attention to environmental problems in Ohio and elsewhere in the United States. It was the latest in a series of fires on the river beginning in mid 1800s. Fires occurred on the Cuyahoga River in 1868, 1883, 1887, 1912, 1922, 1936, 1941, 1948, and in 1952. The 1952 fire caused over 1.5 million dollars in damage."

[proudohioan]

4. That was in 1969. The Cuyahoga doesn't catch fire anymore. n/t

[FailureToCommunicate]

5. Actually the worst fire was 1952. 1969 was a fizzle. But Mayor Stokes did do good to

to bring national attention to the problem of urban rivers used as sewers and industrial dumbing -for the good of the whole country as it turned out. Too bad Cleveland had to endure being the butt of jokes for so long.

P.S. Sorry for bringing up a sore point, but I experienced the fires. Our family lived there then. :hi:

[proudohioan]

6. You are right....

about the other fires being worse. But the 1969 was the one that caught national attention, and yes, helped boost federal regulations regarding pollution. I suppose that was certainly the 'silver lining' if ever there was one!

Yeah, I guess I'm a little touchy. I just get sick of Cleveland being the butt of jokes. When that Forbes Fortune 500 article came out proclaiming that Cleveland was the most miserable city in America, I thought I would blow a gasket!

Hey, come back and visit sometime! The Westside Market is still alive and well, and sells some of the best damn Kielbasa and Pierogies!

:hi: back at ya!

T.

[FailureToCommunicate]

7. Thanks for the invite. We have been back, and of course Cleveland, and the Cuyahoga

are splendid now compared to then. A beautiful city.

I guess if we still lived there we would get upset about the burning river reputation, but I think it's something of which to be proud. It was bad, but so were lots of other cities pollution problems. And Cleveland DID something about it. And the effort to clean up our mess-when it got bad enough- snowballed into important national legislation that helped other places clean up their act. That's a pretty important silver lining. And there is plenty of relevance to the situation in the Gulf today. Let's just hope and pray THAT turns out better than it seems these bleak days.


BTW I loved going to Euclid Beach Park! Though as a kid I loved the "Dodgem" bumper cars but HATED "The Thriller" roller coaster! (Guess I leaned a few life lessons there about thrill issues...)

Thanks again and I'm glad for the wind turbines -though they probably don't need to be "the biggest" IMHO.

Cheers,

:toast:

[mopinko]

8. it would be great to do that here in chicago

not sure if we can get away with it, as rich folks have views of most of our lakefront. so many building here that would have small wind on the roofs, tho. always wanted to do that to mine. i am a little ways from the lake but am within the 'bowl' of the old lake boundaries. (ie- gardening in this sand sucks) lots of wind, trees bend a little here.

good on ohio, tho. hope all goes well with the project.

[POAS]

9. The "crib" is a favorite

spot for local fishermen and the pylons needed for those towers should attract even more marine life.