It can be hard to see electrons zooming through a copper wire. Especially if that energy is being transmitted underground.

Much of the work at the wind farm site in southwestern DeKalb County has been below ground or at ground level since construction of the 145 turbines – each standing 398 feet tall from the ground to the tip of the blade – finished in November.

For the past 2 weeks, engineers have made the necessary connections to be ready for commercial operation. The goal is to be selling energy by Dec. 31, and NextEra Energy Resources, the company that owns and will be operating the wind farm, is on track, perhaps ahead of schedule.

"Assuming there are no major glitches, it'll be before then," said Neil Palmer, a NextEra representative who has been overseeing the project. "People will likely see turbines spinning, or rotating, as early as next week."

However, the effect won't be anything like the grandeur of plugging in a web of Christmas lights into an outlet. The turbines won't start spinning all at once, but rather in stages, "through parts of circuits at a time," Palmer explained.

Though seemingly undramatic, the project is "at a critical stage" through the testing and connecting of equipment, NextEra project manager Anthony Pedroni said.

Each of the 145 turbines that have been built in DeKalb and Lee counties was connected to the electric grid between Dec. 1 and Thursday. Over the next 2 weeks, turbines will be tested to make sure they're running properly.

As of Friday, 116 turbines had been tested by General Electric, the manufacturer. The remaining will be tested in the upcoming week.

After the testing comes energization, which involves taking power from ComEd and moving it through each of the underground circuits to the substation – basically putting energy into the system.

After that, "we wait for the wind to blow," Pedroni said.

Operations and maintenance

When the wind starts blowing, the turbines point in the direction of the wind and pitch – in which the blade angles are adjusted to catch the wind most efficiently – and begin to turn.

Power is collected underground at 34,500 volts. At the substation, near McGirr and Haumesser roads in rural Shabbona at the center of the wind farm, a transformer steps up the voltage to 138,000 volts. This high-powered energy is now compatible with the electric grid and is sent through ComEd's power lines.

Once on the grid, it's anyone's guess where the energy ends up. Electrons aren't choosy; they "flow with the path of least resistance," ComEd spokesman Paul Callighan said. The energy grid has opened up so much that power can be moved from DeKalb County all the way to the East Coast.

But individuals, companies and governments do have some control over how that demand for power is being fed. They can contract with a specific supplier or pay a premium that guarantees a certain portion of the grid comes from renewable energy sources.

As the project nears completion, NextEra is building a control center in Shabbona that will be finished in January. This is where the 14 permanent employees will be based, along with eight maintenance workers who travel from site to site about every 3 months, Pedroni said.

Most will be wind farm technicians, who maintain the site and troubleshoot any problems. Some are trained as high-voltage technicians, who will work primarily at the substation. A plant manager will oversee operations.

Resistance holds steady

Two lawsuits hang over the almost-completed NextEra Energy Resources project.

A citizens' group is suing the 24 county board members and Florida Power & Light Energy Illinois Wind LLC, the parent company of NextEra.

The judge dismissed the complaint Wednesday but gave the plaintiffs, the 39-member Citizens for Open Government, 28 days to amend it.

Also, FPL filed a lawsuit against the Lee Village Board, claiming the board improperly denied the company's application for permits to build six wind turbines within the village's jurisdiction. That case is next in court Feb. 4.

Mel Hass, spokesman for Citizens for Open Government, said the group is holding fast to allegations that the DeKalb County Board wrongly used its zoning ordinance to grant special use permits for the turbines.

He pointed to small victories that continue to bolster confidence, such as the judge allowing the plaintiffs to enter evidence into the case, and being given a chance to modify the complaint.

There have been disappointments, though – a motion to halt the project has not yet been heard, for instance.

"We are trying to preserve the status quo," Hass said. "Once they're up and running, the restraining order will most likely drop because the status quo is that they're up and running."