Wind tower could mean future wind turbine in northwest DeKalb County

SYCAMORE – A request by a Lowell, Massachusetts-based company with a Chicago office could mean an altered skyline in northwest DeKalb County, near Clare, according to DeKalb County documents.

A public hearing regarding a special-use permit request for a temporary wind measurement tower on property west of Clare Road, between Schafer and Malta roads, will be held at 1 p.m. June 12 in the east conference of room of the DeKalb County Administration Building, 110 E. Sycamore St., Sycamore, according to a public notice from the DeKalb County Community Development Department.

If the applicants receive county approval, an estimated 197-foot wind measurement tower will be installed on property owned by Laurence Smith and Barbara Jo Koehnke, according to county documents.

The special-use permit application also was submitted by a limited liability company called Clare Wind 2, overseen by New Leaf Energy, which has an office at 180 N. LaSalle St., Chicago.

Lydia Lake was listed as the application’s primary contact.

The wind measurement tower, which would be a singular steel pole supported by guy wires, would be installed for at least a year but for no more than 18 months, according to the application.

The temporary installation would be constructed at a distance of at least 1½ times its height away from other structures. Lights and moving parts would not be incorporated, according to the application.

Although the tower wouldn’t produce energy and would be temporary, it would provide valuable insight into whether the location is viable for a wind turbine, which could have a decades-long lifespan.

“The [wind measurement tower] is an investigatory tool to evaluate wind speeds,” according to the application. “It has several measuring devices along it to measure wind speeds to determine if a wind turbine would be suitable in this specific location.”