Wind Energy Basics
This measurement, typically ranging from 7-10 mph, represents the minimum wind speed needed for turbines to begin generating electricity.
What is cut-in speed?
The initial phase of a wind energy lease, typically lasting 5 years, when the developer conducts studies and secures permits.
What is the Development Period?
This document is recorded with the county to provide public notice of the lease agreement without disclosing confidential terms.
What is a Memorandum of Wind Energy Lease?
Modern wind turbine access roads typically require only this width, allowing continued agricultural use of surrounding land.
What is 16 feet?
Illinois ranks this position nationally for installed wind capacity, with over 8,600 MW of operating wind, solar, and battery storage capacity.
What is 5th?
This unit of measurement is used to express the manufacturer's rated capacity of a wind turbine to generate electricity.
What is a Megawatt (MW)?
This one-time payment is made to the landowner when a wind turbine is installed on their property.
What is the Installation Fee?
According to standard wind leases, only this small portion of leased land is typically taken out of agricultural production for each turbine.
What is less than 1 acre per turbine?
A typical wind project construction timeline takes this long to complete.
What is 12-18 months?
Depending on the size of the project, a typical wind farm in Illinois could generate this range in annual tax payments to local communities.
What is $800,000 to well over $1,000,000+ per year?
Modern wind turbines are built to withstand sustained winds of this speed and peak 3-second gusts of 156 mph.
What is 112 mph?
These three periods make up the full term of a standard wind energy lease.
What are Development Period, Construction Period, and Operations Period?
This type of easement allows the developer to construct roads and transmission lines to connect wind facilities across the property.
What is a Transmission and Access Easement?
Wind turbine foundations typically have this diameter and depth.
What is 60-100 feet diameter and 10-15 feet deep?
At peak construction, a typical wind project creates this many temporary jobs, plus 10-12 permanent operations positions.
What is 100+ construction jobs?
This technology can ensure wind turbines are only lit when low-flying aircraft are in the area, reducing lighting time by 96-98%.
What is an Aircraft Detection Lighting System (ADLS)?
This payment is calculated by multiplying the Net Electrical Capacity by the Net Revenues for the Lease Year, multiplied by the applicable Lease Rate.
What is Net Revenue Rent?
To protect neighboring properties, Apex Clean Energy implements this minimum residence setback distance for both participating and non-participating landowners.
What is 1,225 feet?
During the operations period, this facility provides 24/7 monitoring of Apex wind projects.
What is the Remote Operations Control Center in Charlottesville, VA?
According to the provided information, since 2017, Apex Clean Energy has contributed this much money to communities through community benefits programs.
What is over $800,000?
At typical setback distances, wind turbines produce sound levels of approximately this many decibels, comparable to a refrigerator.
What is 40-45 dB?
According to Illinois requirements, wind developers must provide this financial assurance through bonds or other instruments to guarantee proper decommissioning of facilities.
What is a decommissioning bond or performance bond?
Under Illinois HB 4412, the statewide standard for wind turbine setbacks from property lines is this percentage of the turbine's tip height.
What is 110% (or 1.1 times) the turbine tip height?
Illinois law HB 4412, enacted in 2023, established these binding requirements for counties and municipalities to adopt for utility-scale wind and solar facilities.
What are uniform statewide standards (for setbacks, operations, and decommissioning)?
When agricultural land hosts wind turbines, this happens to family farms and ranches according to project advocates.
What is preservation of family farms and supplemental income that stays in the community?