Though no one has officially replied to Evanston’s Request For Information for an offshore wind farm, 10 developers have indicated they intend to respond, said Carolyn Collopy, the city’s sustainable programs coordinator.
The RFI seeks responses from developers interested in building wind turbines off Evanston’s Lake Michigan coastline. Developers have until the end of next month to submit responses.
“The RFI doesn’t close until June 30,” Collopy said. “I don’t anticipate we’ll receive anything until then.”
The city will not choose any particular developer based solely on the RFI, she said. The city has issued the RFI because many officials are unsure about how to move forward with the plan and hope to receive informative responses from developers.
“We really don’t know what the scope would be, how the developers would propose the energy, if it’s even possible, or if it’s too expensive-and that’s why we’re going through the process we’re going through,” Collopy said. “The reason we’re doing this is because we have a lot of questions and we need to start somewhere.”
The wind project was initially proposed by Nathan Kipnis, co-chairman of Citizens for a Greener Evanston’s Renewable Energy Resources Task Force. In his original proposal, Kipnis planned for 40 wind turbines to be installed seven miles off the coast of Lake Michigan with four rows of 10 turbines each.
Kipnis said installing the turbines in Lake Michigan would be an efficient way to generate energy. Wind speeds average 8 mph on land, compared to the 19-20 mph averages on the lake, Kipnis said.
“This is not an insignificant thing,” he said. “It’s a whole other ball game out there.”
In addition to promoting tourism and providing green jobs, the turbines would offer a cleaner alternative for producing energy, Kipnis said.
“Coal plants are very dirty,” he said. “We want to put this idea out there because it would reduce the amount of coal plants that have to be turned on, and that would reduce the CO2 emissions. The idea we have now is that the power would be pure.”
The goal of the turbines’ installation is to reduce CO2 emissions 13 percent by 2013, Kipnis said.
That goal is subject to change over time, Collopy said.
“Right now our target is 2012, but the challenge is only going to get greater,” she said. “The 2012 target seems like a ways away, but when you look at all the work you have to do, it takes a long time and you’re left with very few years to actually implement the plan.”
Joel Brammeier, president and CEO of the Alliance for the Great Lakes, said he is not opposed to the turbines but wants to proceed with caution.
“We really have to acknowledge our role in the Midwest as a major contributor to the greenhouse gas problem and we have to be part of the solution,” he said. “If offshore wind turbines are going to be part of that equation, then there are a number of questions that need to be answered before we go there.”
Brammeier said he would like to know more about the cost and environmental impact of the project before it moves forward.
“We need to be certain or more sure about what the longer term implications will be,” Brammeier said.
Once developers have responded to the city’s RFI, the city will issue a Request for Qualifications to assess which developers are best equipped to take on the project, Kipnis said. That will be followed by a Request for Proposals in which developers will detail exactly how they would move forward.[email protected]
