August 17, 2015
Iowa

Wind turbine might be history at Northwood-Kensett

BY MOLLY MONTAG | Mason City Globe Gazette | August 17, 2015 | globegazette.com

Interested in buying a wind turbine? If so, Northwood-Kensett Schools may have a deal for you.

The school district is informally shopping around its 250-kilowatt wind turbine. Purchased in 2002, the turbine is on a wind farm west of Interstate 35 and 410th Street.

District Superintendent Mike Crozier on Thursday will update the Northwood-Kensett Board of Education on the efforts at its regular meeting.

“If there’s a market out there, we’ll go ahead and sell it,” Crozier said. “It’s one of those things that if we could get what it’s worth out of it, we’ll go ahead and we wouldn’t have to deal with it anymore.”

The district hasn’t set a price. It bought the turbine 13 years ago for $68,000.

The initial plan called for the turbine to be moved to the Northwood-Kensett school campus in Northwood, but that never happened.

The turbine remains out at the wind farm, where it generates electricity that the district sells to Alliant Energy.

Officials estimate the equipment should generate $12,000-$14,000 annually, but has earned far less due to mechanical breakdowns. Instead, it’s generated about $4,050 in total profits over the past five years, Crozier said.

“Last few years we’ve made money, but there was a time where a big part went down on it,” he said.

The district would formally advertise the turbine and open the project for bid if anyone shows interest and officials decide to sell.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2015/08/17/wind-turbine-might-be-history-at-northwood-kensett/