Wind Power Will Offset 22% Of Whirlpool Plant’s Electricity

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Two wind turbines at a new 5-turbine wind power farm in Ohio will help a Whirlpool plant in Findlay offset about 22% of its electricity. Each turbine could generate enough electricity to power about 300–400 homes — with adequate wind, of course.

The $18 million dollar Findlay Wind Farm project is financed by One Energy. The other three wind turbines will be used by Ball Corporation. One Energy is also based in Findlay, though the small company started up in Minnesota.

Northern Ohio is a good place for wind power. “If you drew a line from Dayton to Ashtabula, north of that line can do a pretty good job of taking advantage of wind,” explained Jereme Kent, One Energy’s founder. “South of that line it’s a little harder to be economical at this point.”

Many of us tend to think of wind farms as employing a very large number of turbines, but it is often feasible for a business to utilize a couple of them located close by in order to reduce its electricity bill… while using a clean, renewable source. Wind turbine costs have decreased to the point where it often simply makes good financial sense to invest in a small number of wind turbines and enjoy a good return on investment via savings on utility bills.

There are about 2,000 employees at the Findlay, Ohio, Whirlpool plant, which has one million square feet of space. Dishwashers are made there — and a lot of them. Whirlpool is the largest dishwasher manufacturer in the world.

“We’re making positive progress on improving our operations’ footprint, while manufacturing energy-efficient products. The dishwashers we make in Findlay are designed to lower energy and water consumption for our consumers while improving performance, the same as the Findlay Wind Farm will do for our plant,” noted Ron Voglewede, Global Sustainability Director, Whirlpool Corporation.

It’s worth noting that Whirlpool is a technology company and has been successful in its field for a long time. The fact that the huge company chooses wind power seems a valid confirmation of wind’s value. Whirlpool is also an established brand name, so the fact that it chooses wind power is bound to generate some good press for a clean, renewable form of energy… even beyond CleanTechnica.

Image Credit: LBL.gov


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Jake Richardson

Hello, I have been writing online for some time, and enjoy the outdoors. If you like, you can follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JakeRsol

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