It's a Wind-Wind Situation

The dream of a wind farm providing full-time clean energy to the City of Greensburg is finally coming true. The groundbreaking ceremony and celebration for the project will be held Friday, October 23 from 11:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at the site three miles south of town. Getting all the pieces of this puzzle put together has been a huge undertaking and local folks are understandably proud and excited of what it means for our community.

Powering Greensburg with 100% renewable energy, 100% of the time has been a vision since shortly after the tornado. Local people understand the perfection of a scenario in which the same force of nature that brought down the town is now powering its future. Central to Greensburg’s identity as a model green community is ensuring that all of the local homes and business receive their energy from a clean, renewing source of power.

As early as August 2007, City officials were in discussion with consultants from the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL), which is part of the U.S. Department of Energy. The agency has played a key role in the process of bringing this dream to fruition. Special recognition goes to Lynn Billman, NREL Project Leader, and to the aptly-named Tom Wind and Dale Osborn, who are NREL consultants. Wind and Osborn are two of the most pre-eminent authorities on wind energy in the world, and Greensburg is fortunate to have had the benefit of their expertise and guidance through this process. As with so many of the projects associated with the local Green Initiative, NREL has played an integral role behind the scenes.

City Administrator Steve Hewitt and City staff went to extraordinary lengths to make the project happen for Greensburg. In the early days of the discussions, there was tremendous political pressure from traditional power providers to go with conventional, non-renewable power sources. Steve deftly handled the issues that arose, and stayed the course carrying the town’s vision. 

GreenTown has been a strong advocate of renewable power for the community and was active just weeks after the tornado advocating for such a project. Many local citizens have also been active proponents; Kelly Estes is singled out as one who has been doggedly persistent helping to figure out ways to bring wind power to the community.

After months of meetings and exploring options, the City decided to partner with John Deere Wind Energy to launch this ambitious project. Greensburg Wind Farm, LLC will consist of 10 turbines, each providing 1.25 megawatts of power. John Deere Wind Energy is building the project and will maintain it over its lifetime. They will sell the generated power to the Kansas Power Pool, which is a cooperative of over 40 Kansas cities. KPP, headed up by CEO Colin Whitley, is an integral element of this project; without them and their access to the power grid, this project would have had no viability. It’s anticipated that Greensburg will use about a quarter of the electricity generated by the turbines, with the remainder going on to the grid to be available to other consumers.

NREL conducted a wind study of the area and found that the farm's location offers optimal power capability. Kansas is said to have the 3^rd highest potential for wind in the country. From visitors, we often get the question, “What will you do for power when the wind isn’t blowing?” Although this situation doesn’t arise often, the Kansas Power Pool will ensure that Greensburg is receiving power from other renewable sources, including hydropower.

Another key player is Native Energy, a Vermont-based company that offers carbon offsets and renewable energy credits. They help finance sustainable power projects that benefit family farms, community-based operations and Native American projects. They are providing some of the gap funding which is enabling the project to be completed. Special acknowledgment goes to Tom Rawls, Acting VP, Marketing & Sales.

On October 9, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a $17.4 million loan to the project through USDA Rural Development. Total cost is projected at $23.3, with the remainder of the funding coming through an equity investment by the John Deere Renewable Energy. Commented Vilsack, “This project will not only enhance our country's long-term energy security by producing clean, renewable energy, but also create green jobs and generate income in the local community. . . Greensburg stands out as an example of the promise and potential in communities throughout the country."

As you can see, the groundbreaking on the 23^rd is the culmination of vision, commitment, and consortium. It typifies the kind of community effort that has made Greensburg what it is today. We encourage residents and visitors alike to come out to the Wind Farm on Friday to meet the folks who are making this happen, to have lunch, and to imagine a clean, green future for Greensburg.