Microsoft wind farm breaks ground in Kankakee

A new wind farm that will supply power to Microsoft Corp. for the next 20 years broke ground Wednesday in Kankakee before a crowd of more than 100.

The 175-megawatt Pilot Hill Wind Project is being constructed 60 miles outside Chicago along the border of Kankakee and Iroquois counties. The farm joins a recent trend by corporations looking to supply their power needs with renewable energy.

The wind farm is 96 percent owned by EDF Renewable Energy, a U.S. subsidiary of French utility Electricite de France, and will supply power to the same electric grid that powers Microsofts Chicago-area data center. It is expected to begin operating in 2015. The project is expected to supply enough electricity to power 70,000 homes in Illinois.

The project is symbolic for Kankakee, which has been trying to retool its Rust Belt image and its economy since 1999, when it was rated the worst place to live in the U.S. and Canada by Places Rated Almanac. In the aftermath of the announcement, the city became the butt of one of David Lettermans top 10 lists and the recipient of two gazebos Letterman donated to make the city feel better about its woes.

In 2010, nearly 20 percent of the city was out of work, and the county also faced double-digit unemployment. The countys Economic Alliance decided to woo the renewable energy sector to the area to create jobs. Today, city unemployment has dropped by half, helped by those efforts.

Were not only breaking ground on an exciting, new wind energy facility, were leading the way to a clean energy economy, said U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill.

Kankakee Community College began a renewable energy training program in 2008, helping it earn President Barack Obamas approval this year as one of the top community colleges in the country for training people for jobs in the solar industry. The college also received a $5 million state grant to build an advanced technology education center.

The project is expected to create about 150 jobs during peak construction and a handful of jobs in long-term operations and maintenance. Tens of millions of dollars will flow to the county through lease payment to landowners and property taxes.

We are thrilled to see it become a reality, said Mike Van Mill, president and chief executive of the Economic Alliance of Kankakee County. In addition to generating job growth and tax revenue, Pilot Hill further establishes Kankakee County as a renewable energy leader and green technology hub. Our doors are wide open for green business.

The 20-year agreement follows similar investments by corporations looking to offset their energy needs with power sources that dont release greenhouse gases. In November, the company announced it would buy power from a 110-megawatt wind farm in Texas. South of Chicago, in Vermilion County, IKEA is building a wind farm large enough to ensure that its stores will never have to buy power again.

Read more here:
Microsoft wind farm breaks ground in Kankakee