TRAVERSE CITY utility officials will buy a new generator to fix broken components at a large wind turbine west of town.
Traverse City Light & Power board members unanimously approved spending up to $100,000 on Tuesday to buy a replacement generator for the public utility's wind turbine along M-72 in Leelanau County's Elmwood Township. The large windmill remained idle for the last three months after workers discovered a failed generator bearing and then later discovered the generator shaft is also damaged.
The only bid to replace the generator came from Minnesota-based TRICO TC Wind at $94,070. The company bid $57,668 to repair the existing generator, but board members opted to entirely replace it instead.
Work to replace the generator can be completed in one or two days, once the replacement equipment arrives, said Mark Rollenhagen, operations manager.
Officials erected the 180-foot-tall wind turbine 13 years ago and the tower generates about one percent of the energy used by the utility's customers.
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