| College may switch gears |
By: SAM FRIEDMAN, Special to the News
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Posted: Wednesday, July 29, 2009 12:21 am
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NORTHFIELD — Carleton College’s second wind turbine might still arrive by November 2009. But it won’t likely sit on city land.
Northfield city permit requirements drafted this spring made Carleton rethink its plans to locate the turbine east of its Recreation Center on Hwy. 19.
The cheaper two-bladed machine originally envisioned by the college is also off the drawing board, according to Rob Lamppa, Carleton’s director of energy management. The school now hopes to secure another three-blade model as part of an eight-turbine deal involving five regional colleges.
Carleton got cold feet on putting the turbine in the city limits because the conditions for a city conditional-use permit are more stringent than the school wanted, according to Lampaa. The city, which approved turbines in city limits this spring, requires a set-back distance equal to one and a half times the height of the tower.
Carleton had hoped for a set-back multiplier more like the 1.25 figure used by Rice County, said Lampaa. Using the Rice County figure would allow Carleton to put a third turbine on the same lot. Locating a turbine in Northfield would also mean conducting noise and radio frequency studies.
City Planner Dan Olson said that the precedent set by other municipalities and safety concerns led the Planning Commission to choose the setback.
“We don’t think these things are ever to going to fall over, but in case they ever did, we want there to be space,” he said.
A 1.5 multiplier is not unheard of in southern Minnesota: the metro community of Oakdale has the same regulations.
The school now favors a site to the east of the city along Hwy. 19 for its new turbine. Other potential sites include beside the school’s existing unit, and in the school’s lower-arboretum north of Hwy. 19 in restored prairie land. In February, Lampaa said the school preferred not to put the turbine in restored prairie. A third possibility is in southern Dakota County.
Carleton hopes to plug its new turbine directly into its power grid. Energy from its current turbine is now sold to Xcel Energy. Connecting a turbine to the campus could provide Carleton as much as one half its annual electricity, Lampa estimated, depending on the model.
While Carleton officials earlier this year said they had difficulty locating a single turbine for purchase, it now hopes to take advantage of a recent drop in demand for turbines.
The funding for the turbine comes from alumni Richard and Laurie Weiss Kracum in honor of their 25th anniversary and Richard’s late brother. Richard is a member of Carleton’s board of trustees, and Laurie serves on the board of the West Wisconsin Land Trust and American Rivers.
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