LORAIN — The first step in Sheffield Lake’s efforts to get the Shoreway Shopping Center off the electric grid was completed Tuesday morning with the installation of two wind turbines at the new boat launch on Lake Road.

Mayor John Piskura said he was thrilled with the city’s $32,000 investment.

“Everyone keeps on telling us all these things we can’t do, and we keep getting them done,” Piskura said. “It’s a real sense of accomplishment, and this is just the beginning.”

Piskura said Sheffield Lake should be proud of the pilot green utility program.

“I believe we’re the first lakefront city to have these in the county,” he said.

The 45-foot turbines will only power the lights in the shopping center, said Tom Whitby, renewable energy manager with Lake Erie Electric, the contractor that handled the installation.

The turbines have a 25-year lifespan, and city officials expect to have them paid off in six to seven years, which will give the shopping center about 15 years of free lighting.

“I think it works out to around $2,000 worth of power a year,” Piskura said.

Piskura would like to see the city buy a third 250-foot wind turbine “in the very near future” to create even more renewable energy. The taller wind turbine would cost between $700,000 and $800,000, he said.

The next goal would be to install as many as 250 solar panels on the roof of Apples grocery store, Whitby said, adding the panels would generate about 6,000 kilowatts a month.

If all that comes to pass, the city could sell the power generated by the wind turbines and solar panels back to Shoreway center tenants for less than they would pay Ohio Edison. The city would charge more than it costs the city to transmit and distribute the power, and Piskura said they’d use the money raised to reinvest in further green energy projects.

“We want to be off the grid as much as possible,” Piskura said. “Our intention is to generate enough green power here to power the entire shopping center.”

The average household uses between 800 and 1,000 kilowatts a month, Whitby said. The two turbines installed Tuesday should generate between 600 and 700 kilowatts a month each.

The turbines sit on a 12-foot by 12-foot concrete pad with a 30-inch, 4.5-foot deep foundation, Whitby said. It took about two and a half days to fully install the turbines, pipes and power lines. The company still has to grade the construction area and plant some grass.

The city plans to install a sign along Lake Road near the library with information about renewable energy and wind turbine power.

Contact Alicia Castelli at 329-7144 or acastelli@chroniclet.com.

---

Print this story
Report an inappropriate comment

---

In order to comment, you must agree to our user agreement and discussion guidelines.

Need help? Email Us.

---