Construction on the Luther College wind turbine will start next week

General Electric next week will deliver the major components of Luther College's 1.6-megawatt wind turbine.  The construction of the wind turbine is scheduled to be finished by Sunday, September 18th--weather permitting.

The crane will be the first piece of equipment to arrive on site, followed by the tower, blades, hub and nacelle.

General Electric will work with the Winneshiek County Sheriff's Department and the Decorah Police Department to ensure road safety as delivery of the tower sections and blades will require brief closures of U.S. Highway 52.  Only authorized personnel and vehicles will be allowed into the work area.  No vehicles will be allowed to park along U.S. Highway 52 or any other public road to watch the erection of the turbine.

Members of the public are welcome to watch the turbine erection process from the deck of the Dahl Centennial Union or from the bleachers at Carlson Stadium on the Luther campus.

Once erected, the blades will slowly turn in the wind to protect the turbine bearings until the connection is established with Alliant Energy and the turbine is commissioned by General Electric.

The electricity from the turbine will serve Alliant Energy's customers on the west side of Decorah, including Luther College.  The 5.2 million kilowatt hours of net electricity generated per year are enough to power more than 500 homes in Decorah and represents approximately one third of Luther's annual consumption.

The turbine is currently scheduled to begin commercial operations in mid to late October.