Saratoga Wind Farm update

Davis Corners - “Sixteen, or about half, the wind turbines are operational,” said Dan Clausen of Madison Gas & Electric (MGE). “We are now working on the north side and hope to have them working by Feb. 8, depending on the weather.”

The company was hoping to have the 33 turbines on the Saratoga Wind Farm on the grid by the end of the year, but a wet fall slowed construction time. Work began last summer, and everything was built right before Christmas. The company is now in the commissioning phase. That includes initial testing and internal assembly.

The energy produced by the wind farm supplies electricity to 47,000 families. That equates to over 1,400 households per turbine. In addition, the lifespan is about 30 years.

“The energy goes into the MISO (Midcontinent Independent System Operator)   power grid, which supplies power to Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and parts of the Dakotas.”

To anyone wondering why the turbines sometimes are not spinning when there is wind, Clausen explained, “They are shut down if the wind is blowing faster than 45 miles per hour. Sometimes we are just trouble-shooting.”

When Saratoga Wind Farm is fully operational, there will be around four technicians, as well as a manager who is shared with the Turtle Creek Wind Farm at St. Ansgar. Turtle Creek is not affiliated with MGE, but did use the same company to build the turbines.

Clausen noted, “Everything should be running by February. We will need to do some reconstruction work in the spring, but of course weather can delay the work.”

[For more information, check out a couple of youtube videos regarding Saratoga Wind Farm: https://www.you tube.com/watch?v=Z5ChsTOF9ic and https://www.you tube.com/watch?v=PTEv1xl0uN0