The
City of Milwaukee’s Office of Environmental Sustainability and the Port
of Milwaukee partnered to install a Northern Power 100-kilowatt (kW) wind turbine
at the Port administration building near the shore of Lake Michigan.
Commissioned in February 2012, the wind turbine provides more than 100%
of the electricity needs of the administration building with its excess
energy sold to We Energies.
In its first 9 months of operation, the project resulted in more than
$5,000 in net revenue for the port after all electric expenses were
paid. The estimated annual savings to the city are $14,000 to $20,000
(at 2011 rates, revenue included). Estimated annual production is
109,000 to 152,000 kilowatt-hours.
The turbine was manufactured in the United States, and many parts,
including the tower, were made in Wisconsin. The $587,000 project
received the bulk of its funding from the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act ($400,000) and $100,000 each from We Energies and the
statewide Focus on Energy program.