Visions of Lake Erie churning with wind turbines anytime soon appear to be blowing out of port.
The developer of the planned five-turbine pilot project had hoped to get Governor Kasich’s support for proposals to help finance construction. But that isn’t going to happen. The problem: The developer, Lake Erie Energy Development — that’s LEEDCo. to fans of sporty acronyms — stepped away from the governor’s desk after failing to garner enough assurances that anybody will actually buy LEEDCo’s wind power.
Thus far, the company’s only customer is Cleveland Public Power, which has committed to buying 25 percent of the future energy farm’s output. But according to LEEDCo. boss Lorry Wagner, close to 80 percent usage would need to be guaranteed in order to proceed. He had hoped the state would have required public utilities to buy power from wind farms, even though doing so would cost at least twice as much as juice squeezed the old-fashioned ways.
Instead, it appears the legislature may strip away Ohio’s existing renewable-energy mandate, which calls for 25 percent of a utility’s power to be derived from renewable sources. The news was greeted warmly by late-night talk-show hosts, who may now resume another decade or so of Ohio pollution jokes.
Incredibly, a costly new form of energy that nobody is required to use is not a popular score among investors either. But LEEDCo. isn’t giving up yet.
“We are currently exploring other options with the state and several other municipalities,” spokesman Donny Davis says. But he doesn’t say whether developers anticipate further delays in turbine construction, which has already been pushed from this year to 2014.
This article appears in Feb 8-14, 2012.
ANOTHER ALL TALK PARLEY IN THE HUNGRY FOR MANUFACTURING AREA OF GREATER CLEVELAND. AND WHAT EFFECTS WILL THAT HAVE ON MANUFACTURING TURBINES FOR AREAS OR STATES THAT HAVE A TAD MORE INCENTIVE AND MOTAVATION TO GROW AND SUCCEED THAN THE REGION OF NORTHEAST OHIO. TALK IS EXPENSIVE NO TALK IS EVEN MORE EXPENSIVE BECAUSE IT DOES NOT HELP N. EAST OHIO CREATE NEW FAMILY SUPPORTING JOBS AND INCREASE POTENTIAL TO OUR TAX BASE. I BELIEVE THE TAX PAYERS SHOULD VOTE DOWN EVERY RENEWAL AND TAX INCREASE AND PUT AS MUCH PRESSURE ON THE SYSTEM TO GET THEIR ACT AND PRIORITY STRAIGHT AND ON A FRONT BURNER
WHILE BIG MONEY AND OF COURSE KASICK ARE SCREWING AROUND A LOT OF PEOPLE REMAIN IN ECONOMIC TERMOIL
WE DONT NEED KA SICK WORKING ON LOW PRIORITY HOUSE BILLS OR OR PROPOSAL THAT BENEFIT HIS NEED FOR PERSONAL GREED & REWARD, WE NEED HIM TO ACTUALLY BRING SOME MANUFACTURING COMPANIES TO CLEVELAND AND OTHER OHIO CITIES AND UTILIZE THE MIDDLE CLASS WORKERS THAT WAIT WITH BAITED BREATH ON THE INDUSTRIAL SHELVING AT THE UNEMPLOYMENT STORAGE FACILITIES.
In addition to your problems with spelling,you seem to have a rough time with reading comprehension.There is no market for windmills,and Kasich won’t bow to the wack-jobs who think government should force a market that isn’t there into existence.Aren’t your electric bills high enough already Jeff,without being forced to use a power source that was outmoded by the 1900s? Just like electric cars (outdated by 1918),the only loser will be the American taxpayer,who as usual will foot the bill to subsidize industries unable to function profitably on their own. I don’t care if you want to erect a windmill in your back yard to electrify your house.Just stop trying to get me to pay for it.
Many of the current legislators voted *for* the renewable energy portfolio standard. They would likely vote to keep it.