January 12, 2013
Wisconsin

Public can comment on wind turbine

By David Brazy | Watertown Daily Times | January 11, 2013 | www.wdtimes.com

The Watertown Plan Commission will hold a public hearing Monday at 4:30 p.m. in the council chambers of the municipal building to hear input from citizens on a proposed 97-foot wind turbine on the Madison College campus at 1300 W. Main St.

According to a site plan submitted to the commission, the turbine would generate 1,000 watts of power and be used to collect meteorological data for student use. The weather data would also be available to the public free of charge.

The turbine would be installed 55 feet west of the college’s parking lot, adjacent the detached garage on the property. The distance between the ground and the lowest blade on the turbine would be 92 feet, 5 inches, according to the site plan.

According to the city code, the tower cannot be within 291 feet, three times the height of the turbine, of any property, overhead electrical transmission or distribution lines. This wind turbine was previously installed at the Bristol Town Hall property near Sun Prairie and in 2011 at the Jefferson County Fair Park to collect wind data.

The turbine is battery operated and does not need to be connected to the power grid. The tower would be installed by Madison College staff and students.

According to the site plan, the noise the tower emitted was measured in Bristol and the fairgrounds at different wind speeds and distances from the tower. According to those studies, the sound from the tower cannot be discerned from 300 feet and beyond.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/01/12/public-can-comment-on-wind-turbine/