Company considers wind farm

OBERLIN -- Kansas Wind Power is considering harnessing Northwest Kansas wind to generate electricity.

Company representatives were in Oberlin recently, according to the Oberlin Herald, to discuss with residents and county and city officials the pros and cons of developing a plant that uses the wind to generate electricity.

The Herald reports the pros include royalties to land-owners, new jobs and a decreased reliance on fossil fuels. Wind-generated power is an energy source that is renewable and not polluting.

The cons include bird deaths, scenic concerns and the worry that it will cost more for electricity.

Oberlin City Administrator Gary Shike is concerned, the Herald reports, that the wind farm only generates power, and does not store it. Shike also pointed out that when energy demands are the highest -- in the summer -- the wind blows the least. Troy Helming, chief executive officer for Kansas Wind Power, said although the area seems to be windy enough, the company would do a study before going any further with the plan.

Helming said one concern lies with the way the country's "energy grid" is set up, allowing electricity to be sent only north and south from Oberlin. Power generated near Oberlin, Helming said, could not be sent to Topeka or Denver, but it could be used in McCook or other small towns in the area, like Hoxie, Jennings or Norton.

Helming and Jim Beach, vice-president of marketing, said another problem is the expense of moving the energy generated by the wind. Cable from the generators to a transmission line, which will take the electricity to the cities, costs more than $1 million a mile.

Shike said in a Herald story that the wind farm idea has a lot of merit, but thinks the city would need a three-way agreement with Sunflower Electric as a backup for heavy-use summer months.