SUNBURG -- Bob Meyerson ran into lots of "surprises'' when he set out to erect a 20-kilowatt wind turbine on a hill south of Diamond Lake in Kandiyohi County.
There were unexpected costs for permits and a building, long delays in getting the equipment, and even a sudden and serious illness that struck the contractor.
His latest surprise is much better: The turbine's first month of operation suggests that the potential for wind power in Kandiyohi County is better than expected.
The Jacob's wind turbine has been generating an average of over 100 kilowatt hours of electricity per day since its went on line Jan. 10, according to Meyerson and contractor David Winkelman of Winkelman's Environmentally Responsible Construction, in Brainerd. They described the unit's performance to members of the Clean Energy Resource Team for West Central Minnesota at their meeting Wednesday in Sunburg.
Winkelman said that he initially estimated that the Diamond Lake turbine could generate in the range of 28,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year. The first month's performance suggests the actual production could exceed that, and perhaps even reach 36,000 kilowatt hours a year.
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Both Winkelman and Meyerson cautioned that it is too early to predict the year's production with any accuracy.
However, Winkelman said there is certainly reason for optimism. Weather records show that January is not a very windy month in Minnesota. A steady flow of weather systems from the Pacific meant that this last January did nothing to alter the records.
The wind turbine is located on a hill that rises 100 feet over Diamond Lake. It is reputed to be the highest point between Willmar and Minneapolis, according to Meyerson.
