MOUNT STERLING, ILL. -- Another round of wind energy is blowing through the Tri-States.
Adams Electric Cooperative is in the middle of constructing it's second wind turbine, this time in Brown County.
Crews with Adams Electric have already poured the foundation for the turbine just east of Mount Sterling. They will begin building the tower for the 1.5 megawatt turbine August 15. The process normally takes a week.
The $3 million turbine was made possible through the help of a $450,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
According to Bill Stalder with Adams Co-Op, the new turbine will generate 4 million kilowatt hours of energy per year, enough for about 300 to 400 homes.
"There's a variety of factors that go into where we put the turbines. Wind capacity is near the top of that list. The Ray Farm in brown County, has good sustainable winds. And just as important, it's very close to an existing sub station.So we won't have to build a lot of infrastructure in order to get the power where it needs to go," said Stalder.
He says the area in which the new turbine is being built hasn't received much concern from area residents.
"There is some controversy that mainly centers around wind farms, where you have dozens and dozens of turbines, and I can see their point of not wanting to look at that every day, but our two are in very remote locations," said Stalder.
Stalder says for many around town, this turbine will be a source of pride, helping the state rank 16th in the country for wind potential. Stalder says there are no immediate plans for a third turbine.
What do you think about this new development? Leave your thoughts below and join the conversation on our Facebook page where we ask "are individual wind turbines in your backyard better than an entire wind farm?"
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