One thing that many people complain about quite a bit when it comes to the city of Bowling Green is the heavy wind. That wind could soon be put to new use, creating a cheaper, more environmentally-efficient source of electric energy for the city.
Green Mountain Energy Company is going to install wind-monitoring equipment on a 320-acre stretch of land near the corner of Carter and Newton, on the outskirts of Bowling Green.
According to Daryl Stockburger, director of utilities for the city, this wind-testing equipment is similar to what was used in 1999 when the wind was tested at the corner of Poe and Green Road. The new testing zone provides a larger and more economically sound area to have wind equipment, Stockburger said.
“The city now owns larger land,” he said. “If you can put up wind monitors in larger areas, it is better for the economy.”
If the wind averages to about 13 miles per hour, as it did two years ago, it would be enough for the city to be home to wind turbines, which would be placed after the testing is complete and further planning has been worked out.
Green Mountain Energy has expressed interest in owning some of the turbines if they are built in the city. The company’s main objective is to create more environment-efficient forms of producing electric energy around the nation.
“We were founded in 1997,” said Jim Gravelle, director of communications for Green Mountain Energy. “We were founded on the cause that we would change the way energy is filtered.”
The closest area to Bowling Green that Green Mountain Energy currently services is in Garrett, Pa. They are in discussions with two other Ohio cities, meaning Bowling Green could be the first in the state to go to wind-powered energy.
Provided wind turbines are built in Bowling Green and Green Mountain does own some, residents would have the choice to remain with Bowling Green Municipal Utilities, which would have the clean-energy option, or Green Mountain.
Wind turbines in the city would just add to the forms of energy-producing mechanisms Bowling Green uses. Currently, the city uses a mix of coal, nuclear energy, landfill gas, hydroelectric power, power purchases and natural gas. Coal and nuclear energy are the main sources, according to Stockburger.
While many areas rely only on one source of energy, the city of Bowling Green wants to keep its options open.
“We want to be less dependent on one or two fuels and less dependent on the market,” Stockburger said. “We’ve seen high-priced spikes in the past.”
