Evanston City Council Debates Wind Turbine Plan

Evanston, Ill. - On Tuesday, the Evanston City Council voted unanimously to gather more information on a proposal to put 40 wind turbines out in Lake Michigan, anywhere from 6 to 9 miles offshore directly east of Northwestern University.

You might have seen wind turbines near downstate Streator, but this project would be the first off-shore wind farm in the United States.

Engineers say the 18-mile-an-hour average winds would keep the giant propellers spinning, and generate enough power to run 40,000 households.

The City of Evanston is looking for partners to build the windmills, at a cost of $10 million each. They would then sell the power to power to neighboring communities.

The towers of power would be up to 300 feet tall, and supporters say they would barely be visible from shore. An underground cable would tunnel under the beachfront and connect to the power grid.

Other wind farms have generated complaints about birds being hit, noise, and lights. Since these would be way out in the Lake, those issues would be minimized.

This is all in a very preliminary stage; we’re at least seven years from anything being built.