It was standing room only on the second floor of the Firehouse Grill Wednesday night as more than 100 people packed in to hear Evanston’s Green Architect, Nathan Kipnis, explain the city’s approved climate action plan and it’s most interesting feature – Wind Farms off Lake Michigan.
Kipnis, who co-chairs the Citizens for a Greener Evanston’s Renewable Energy Task Force, said he has been getting calls already from wind farm consultants who are curious about Evanston’s offshore wind farm proposal. According to Kipnis, it would take about 7 years for the entire process, most of it involving the approval of various city, state and federal agencies.
The offshore wind farm proposal is a major part of Evanston’s overall climate action plan to reduce the city’s greenhouse gases 13 percent by 2012. The proposal calls for 10 wind turbines to be placed four miles off the shoreline from Northwestern University to Dawes Park. Kipnis said the project could work if wind speeds reach 17.5 miles per hour or more.
Kipnis said the offshore wind farm could power up to 9,600 homes. The cost would be between $85-100 million, he said.
“We’re really excited about this,” Kipnis said. “There’s no way we can’t pursue this.”
Kipnis said the project could be financed through wind farm developers with possibly some financial assistance from federal grants and Northshore cities that would benefit from the wind power. He also said that President’s Barack Obama’s commitment this week to doubling renewable energy in three years gives great hope to the project.
The offshore wind farm would not only power homes using a renewable energy source but would bring civic pride and worldwide recognition to Evanston, Kipnis said. It would also play into Chicago’s reputation as a Green city, and its bid for the Olympics, he added.
“For [Evanston] to be known for this would be worth its weight in gold,” Kipnis said.
Today’s Closed Properties
355 Brownville - Highland Park – $385,000
Based on information from Midwest Real Estate Data for the period Feb. 25, 2009 through Feb. 26, 2009. Listing and solds by various Participants of MRED
For more real estate information, please call me at 847-512-2724 or email me at TPareti@rubloff.com
Filed under: Green news, News Tagged: | citizens for a greener evanston, evanston, nathan kipnis, north shore, Northwestern University, olympics, real estate, renewable energy in evanston, wind farms, wind power
