This project considered the use of wind for providing electrical power at Illinois Department of Transportation(IDOT) highway rest areas, weigh stations, and team section buildings. The goal of the project was to determinethe extent to which wind power could offset electricity costs, provide a reasonable return on investment, offsetenergy use, and provide educational opportunities. The project gathered and analyzed the natural windresources available at (or near) these facilities. These data were then used in conjunction with various windturbines that are currently commercially available. The result of this analysis is an approximation to the windbasedelectrical energy potential of a given wind turbine at a given site. Thereafter, the monetary value of thiselectrical energy was computed and put in context of the cost of the wind turbine and associated overhead. Inorder to assess economic feasibility, the levelized cost of energy was then compared to current electricity ratesfor Illinois. This analysis showed that indeed there are some combinations of location and wind turbines thatmay produce electricity at a competitive rate. One of the most important factors in this analysis is the cost ofwind turbines, which is generally unknown (but can be approximated) and depends on many factors. Toaccount for this variability, the authors of this report have provided a spreadsheet containing all the datanecessary to rapidly calculate the levelized cost of energy. The user of the spreadsheet need only enter somesimple information, such as cost of the turbine and interest rates. The spreadsheet should enable procurementagents to rigorously compare the prices and returns for given locations and turbine manufacturers.
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