Wind Today - Q1 2009 - (Page 26)

Turbines on the Camp Grove Wind Farm overlook Tanners Orchard, Speer, IL. The Camp Grove Wind Farm is located about 20 miles north of Peoria, IL on either side of Highway 40. Camp Grove, IL Dev Development and Construction Turner Hunt, founder and CEO of Vision Energy, started development of the Camp Grove Wind Farm on behalf of Orion Energy Group in 2003 at the same time the two companies developed the Benton County Wind Farm located 90 miles to the east in Earl Park, IN. Zoning and building permits for the wind farm were issued in mid-2006 and construction began on April 15, 2007. Construction of the Benton County Wind Farm started in August 2007. “There was a four- to five-month period where both wind farms were under construction, so we were able to share cranes and other equipment,” says Hunt. He says the two wind farms continue to share spare parts and personnel, including project directors Mark Young and Pete Mallonee. M.A. Mortenson, Minneapolis, MN (763-522-2100), provided engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) services at Camp Grove. The contractor was responsible for erection of five meteorological towers and 100 turbines; construction of turbine foundations, 27 miles of access roads, the operations and maintenance building, 138 kV interconnection switchyard and 34.5 kV/138 kV step-up substation; and installation of 61 miles of 34.5 kV underground electrical collection system and nine miles of 38 kV overhead transmission lines. According to Mark Young, project director, during construction, components were delivered directly to the turbine sites. Some of the towers, he says, didn’t have far to go since they were manufactured for GE Energy at Trinity Structural Towers in Clinton, IL, just 80 miles southeast of the wind farm. Other towers were manufactured by DMI Industries, West Fargo, ND, and Marmen, Matane, QC. Construction was completed and the wind farm officially began generating power on-line on December 17, 2007. During construction, the wind farm and its contractors created more than 200 jobs in the area. Young reports that once construction of the substation and switchyard were completed, OEG turned the facilities over to the local utility, Commonwealth Edison (ComEd). About half of the power generated at the Camp Grove Wind Farm is purchased by American Electric Power (AEP), Columbus, OH; the other half is sold on a merchant basis. Operations Operations and Maintenance enXco Service Corp., North Palm Springs, CA, handles O&M work at the Camp Grove Wind Farm. O&M services create nine permanent local jobs. Justin Landau, enXco site supervisor, said in November that as the wind farm completes its first year of operation, some of the challenges inherent in a wind farm’s start-up are resolved and the more routine operations and maintenance work has taken shape. “In the first year of a wind farm’s operation,” says Landau, “the initial break-in maintenance requires some extra work, particularly when we’re also getting everyone trained.” Landau explains that the GE 1.5 sle wind turbines at Camp Grove have a newer version pitch package—the GE Pitch, an upgrade from the SSB system— so it took a little extra time for technicians to complete training on those machines. According to Landau, enXco’s technicians go through a three-week GE customer service class, as well as converter and pitch classes. In addition to the schooling, enXco sends field engineers to the site for additional training with the turbine technicians. Landau and the eight full-time technicians who work with him conduct scheduled maintenance WIND TODA Y First Quarter 2009 Mark Young, above, is one of the project directors at the Camp Grove Wind Farm. Below, Justin Landau, site supervisor, works with eight technicians who handle O&M services for enXco. 26

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Wind Today - Q1 2009

Wind Today - Q1 2009 Contents U.S. Installed Wind Energy Capacity Canada’s Installed Wind Energy Capacity Global Wind Energy Exceeds 120 Gigawatts Alta Mesa Wind Farm Severe Weather Preparation to Protect Wind Farm Personnel and Equipment Camp Grove Wind Farm Denise Bode Green Collar Jobs Forecast Robert Hornung The U.S. Financial Landscape and Its Impact on Asset Management WINDPOWER 2009 Conference & Exhibition O&M Strategies to Optimize Wind Farm Performance Update: Buffalo Gap AWEA Safety Committee Update AWEA Safety Committee Begins Wind Farm Safety Dialogue with OSHA $787 Billion Economic Stimulus Package Approved MMS Releases Final Environmental Impact Statement for Cape Wind Project Wind Energy for a New Era Wind Farm Construction Update A Look at Regional Entities Tribal Wind Development WT News: United States WT News: Canada WT News: Supplier Glossary Independent System Operators Wind Resource Maps Adarsh Mehta, GDF Suez Energy North America Josh Magee, Emerging Energy Research Nordic Windpower Imperial Crane Signal Wind Energy Stevenson Crane Ultieg Engineers Industry Progress: Canadian Wind Farms Completed & Under Construction U.S. Wind Farms Completed U.S. Wind Farms Under Construction Renewable Portfolio Standards and Initiatives Calendar Product Surveys Ad Index

Wind Today - Q1 2009

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