Title: No More Money Down the Drain for Utility Costs: Arcola, IL Uses Energy Efficiency and New 40 kW Wind Turbine at Wastewater Treatment Plant
Date Published: 3/23/2011 8:46:17 AM

Forward thinking Arcola, IL has taken the next step toward energy independence and cutting their utility costs at the city's wastewater treatment plant. This past month at the plant, a new 40 kW Enertech Wind Turbine was installed by Effingham, IL based Tick Tock Energy Inc. Earlier this summer, Tick Tock Energy installed a new high efficiency aerating blower.  These steps were part of an Energy Action Plan created by Tick Tock.  Together these two projects are forecasted to reduce electricity costs at the plant by over $18,000 this next year.

The 40 kW Enertech E44a wind turbine was installed on a 120-foot tower and will be visible to thousands of cars a day on Interstate I-57. The turbine is expected to produce 90,000 kWh annually, reducing the plant's energy costs by 40% compared to 2009 consumption.

The city of Arcola, a small community in central Illinois, has taken aggressive action to cut utility costs in recent years. Tick Tock Energy carried out several energy-efficient lighting retrofits of Arcola's city facilities in 2009. Arcola's projects are great examples of how municipalities can reduce the costs of services.  "The city has been great to work with," said Eric Pals, president of Tick Tock Energy, "they really took advantage of the full spread of options in cutting their energy costs through efficiency retrofits and a long-term investment in renewable energy generation."  The turbine's energy production will help the City of Arcola hedge against energy cost inflation over the next 20 years.

The project was co-funded by a $90,000 grant from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation (ICEF) and a $62,265 grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and administered by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO).

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