Wind study in the works

Talk about it

The city of Woodbury will be studying the winds in the coming weeks.

The city’s planning staff got an informal OK from planning commissioners Monday to plan for a specific wind study that would further define where the best wind resources in the community might be.

The study would assist planning staff in drafting an alternative energy ordinance, which city planners said is needed to decide if and where the city might allow construction of wind turbines.

More than a year ago, the School District 833 indicated it was interested in exploring the possibility of installing a 185-foot wind turbine on the East Ridge High School property. District 833 officials said the turbine would help provide energy to power the school and present an educational tool for students, at the school, which will open this fall.

District officials said last October that they were ready to move forward with their plans, but before any work to install the turbine can begin, the district needs approval from the city of Woodbury.

Woodbury senior planner Melissa Douglas told commissioners the planning department has yet to calculate a budget for the wind study. She said the state Department of Commerce has completed maps of wind resources across the state.

They indicate that southern Washington County is one of the windiest areas in the Twin Cities area, but said a more specific study of the city would be helpful in finding areas with the best potential for a wind turbine.

The wind turbine topic is expected to come up later this spring or early summer at city council workshop.

Tags: news, wind, stody, turbine, woodbury, planning, commission, douglas