Monmouth, IL – The Warren County Board has approved leasing three acres of its land for possible wind turbine space.
Jolene Willis of the Western Illinois Economic Department Partnership has been working with a firm called Clean Energy Concepts on the project.
She says the first construction at the site will be a meteorology tower, which will measure wind speed at different heights above the ground for at least one year.
She says that will give the firm guidance on what type and size of turbines would be best for the site.
The original proposal was for three turbines, each 7.5 megawatts in size. The three turbines could power more than 2,000 homes.
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As proposed, the project could provide at least seven full-time jobs.
The initial lease will be for three acres of the 180-acre farm owned by the county.
If conditions warrant, the firm says it could install several more turbines.
The site along Route 67 south of Monmouth was chosen because it is near a McDonough Power Cooperative substation, which could feed the electricity generated into the grid.