Painesville (Ohio) Announces First-of-Its-Kind Municipal-Scale Wind Power Project

The agreement makes the City of Painesville the first municipality in the country to partner with a renewable energy developer for a distributed wind generation project of this size.

“The citizens of Painesville have wanted to see locally produced wind energy as part of our energy portfolio for years, but a cost-effective model proved elusive,” said Rita McMahon, City Manager of Painesville.

“NexGen Energy Partners was able to make the economics and logistics work. As a result, we will be able to harness the wind farm to make clean electricity a reality for Painesville residents.”

NexGen Energy will sell the energy generated by the turbines at a predictable rate for 10 years, giving Painesville Municipal Electric fixed priced power as well as a tool to help stabilize the load of the local electricity grid.

“We are very excited about this project, as it’s the first time a third-party wind power developer has created this type of partnership with a electric municipal utility district,” said William O’Donnell, NexGen Energy’s Vice President of Project Development.

“Our solution will provide not only clean energy for the residents of Painesville, but also substantial long-term value.”

“Distributed wind generation projects are an important part of a diversified energy portfolio that can provide numerous benefits to local communities and utilities,” said Jeff Anthony, Director of Business Development of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). “Wind energy allows consumers and utilities to receive stably priced electricity even if fuel prices go up.”

Plans call for wind turbines on multiple sites in the Village of North Perry, which is part of the Painesville Municipal Electric District. NexGen Energy will build six to eight turbines which will be operational by the end of the year and provide enough electricity to power 439 homes, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

“Everyone is excited about this project and we are ready to see the wind turbines go up. Painesville and North Perry have discussed the idea of renewable energy for a long time, and now we are realizing our vision,” said Mayor Ed Klco of North Perry.

NexGen Energy has hired local contractors to prepare the sites and manage the construction of the wind turbines.

NexGen Energy Partners, LLC is an owner and operator of distributed renewable energy systems sited at customers’ facilities. The company works with governments, schools, businesses and utilities across the nation to deliver its customers the benefits of clean energy without the capital investment and technical risk. NexGen Energy is based in Boulder, Colorado.

www.nexgen-energypartners.com