Carthage, IL – An informational meeting about a possible wind project in Hancock County will be held next month.
A Wisconsin firm called EcoEnergy will sponsor the meeting for invited farmers and local government representatives.
Engineer Wes Slaymaker says the northwestern Hancock County area does not have the strongest winds in the Midwest, but it has sufficient to make a group of up to 100 turbines practicable.
He says his firm is partnering with a maker of wind turbines on the proposal. In addition, towers and blades could be secured from nearby Iowa businesses.
Slaymaker says the northwestern Hancock county area is being investigated because it has broad areas without trees, which would add turbulence to the wind flow.
The meeting is scheduled for Nov. 20 at 6 p.m. at the Hancock County Extension office in Carthage.
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Slaymaker says his firm is thinking of between 60 and 100 turbines, each of at least 1.5 megawatts. He says larger ones are being consdered if the price works out.
His firm has a meteorology tower in place west of Adrian to monitor winds over a period.
He is also using some long-term measurements recorded by individual Hancock County residents or businesses.
He says construction could begin by 2010 if feasibility studies and other projections work out.