February 1, 2008
Colorado
Colorado
Denver International Airport plans to monitor wind levels for a year to determine whether it should locate a wind farm on its property in Adams County.
DIA owns property far north of the airport, and “we’re trying to assess what to do with the property, and one of the possibilities we’re assessing is putting a wind farm up there,” said Patrick Heck, DIA’s deputy manager for revenue and business development.
DIA officials inked a contract with Air Sciences Inc. in Golden for about $75,000 to do the monitoring and are seeking approval from Adams County to put up a wind-monitoring pole.
The property DIA plans to use is between East 132nd and East 136th avenues and was the location of the Stonehouse Farms subdivision. The houses got into a “state of disrepair,” Heck said, and DIA decided not to invest the money to improve them. Renters were asked to leave, and the subdivision is now vacant.
Other options airport officials are considering for the property include industrial facilities, a sod farm or other farming.
DIA plans to start the wind monitoring this year and next year will analyze the data to determine whether it should put a wind farm there.
“If it works, it fits right into Denver’s Greenprint and goals,” Heck said. Greenprint Denver is Mayor John Hickenlooper’s conservation initiative.
“This would just be another example of a way that we can help push the green goals,” along with a solar-power system planned to go up at DIA, Heck said.
If DIA does decide on a wind farm, the company that would operate it might sell the wind power into the power grid, Heck said.
By Kelly Yamanouchi
31 January 2008
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/02/01/wind-farm-weighed-on-airport-property/