by David Namanny, Press-News Editor

How can smaller communities like Osage contribute to lessening America's dependency on foreign oil and declining fossil fuels? The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind.

This spring, Osage Municipal Utilities will continue its longtime tradition of conservation and clean energy with the erection of a $3.3 million dollar wind turbine to generate electricity for the local community. OMU let bids last month on a 1.65 megawatt wind turbine which will generate 8.4 percent of all electrical usage in Osage, enough to power 550 homes annually. It will be paid for, in part, by a $1.8 million clean renewable energy bond (CREB).

If all goes well, the turbine would be located on the west edge of Osage and would be fully operational by mid-September. It would be tied directly into the OMU electric grid. The turbine, built in Quebec, Canada, will be mounted on an 80-meter tower (262 feet tall). The rotor blade diameter will be about 77 meters (252 feet).

The proposed project, according to OMU General Manager Dennis Fannin, is another example of the OMU Board's forwarding thinking. "Right now, wind energy costs more than our conventional methods of producing electricity like gas and coal, but we can see that it won't be long before wind energy becomes cheaper," explained Fannin. "It's also clean, renewable energy that will be the trend of the future. We're just staying ahead of the game."

Discussions on the OMU wind turbine project have actually been conducted for quite some time, but Fannin said it wasn't until a new electric contract with Dairyland Power was signed last year that the proposal become possible. "Our contract with Dairyland Power allows us to displace their energy with other sources," explained Fannin. "Our old contract with Alliant Energy did not allow that."

According to projections put forth in a feasibility study, the wind turbine would pay for itself in 20 to 25 years. And, during that time, as the prices of fossil fuels increases and the cost of wind energy goes down, OMU could add even more turbines, dramatically increasing the percentage of electricity generate by wind in Osage. According to Fannin, Osage will also be ahead of the curve with the wind project as state and federal government policies trend toward 'green energy.'

"Right now, the Iowa Legislature is already moving to mandate a renewable energy portfolio standard for utility companies, where 10 percent of the energy produced must be renewable, clean energy," said Fannin. "If that becomes law between 2010 and 2015, we're already over 80 percent of the way there."

It is assumed that other utilities that do not meet the proposed clean energy mandates would be penalized, thus costing utility customers even more.

"Producing our own wind energy would also be a plus for us if the U.S. Congress eventually passes the cap and trade, or 'carbon tax' proposal," said Fannin. "This is definitely a positive and exciting step for OMU and the Osage community."