Keith Wilkowski and Toledo Wind

Potential candidate for Toledo Mayor Keith Wilkowski is proposing that the City of Toledo spend $50,000 to establish a wind-testing program in which "testing towers" would be erected in order to monitor wind speeds in various locations that then could be used to determine future potential wind-power turbine locations. You may read The Blade news story about that proposal over here.

I find this to be a very interesting idea. For the life of me, I cannot figure why it has taken over twenty years for this concept to receive some attention in Toledo. It was over two decades ago in 1985 that I first proposed the possibility of using wind energy in Toledo. That was when I proposed exploring the possibility of using a windmill (aka wind turbine) to generate electricity in a city-owned free-standing and somewhat small building. I did so while serving in my volunteer capacity as the President of the Citizens League Of West Toledo, a nonprofit community corporation better known through its acronym C.L.O.W.T. Back then, C.L.O.W.T. was instrumental in advocating and renovating the Ottawa Park Shelter House and putting it back into public use. Furthermore, C.L.O.W.T. had signed a five-year lease with an option for another five-year period to manage and operate the facility that then became known as the Ottawa Park Community Building. At the end of the initial five-year period the City of Toledo decided not to renew the five-year option, and instead turned the facility into a Nature Center operated by City of Toledo Parks and Recreation.

I digress. Back to topic. Back in 1985, I was told by the architects, engineers, and other "professionals" that Toledo and northwestern Ohio was not a good location for wind power; and therefore, the idea of wind-power generated electricity that I had suggested was not feasible. As the years have passed, I have seen wind turbine fields constructed in the Bowling Green area of Ohio; and now, I read that Keith Wilkowski is suggesting at least looking into the feasibility of wind power for Toledo.

Who would have thunk it? Oh wait, I guess that's Hooda Thunkit.

Well, blow me over! I'm not blowing wind when I say more power to Keith Wilkowski and to Toledo wind. And no, I am not just blowing smoke; that is Tim Higgins.

Now, if only I can get the golf cart industry to build an entire fleet of solar-powered golf carts with the solar cells on the flat roof of the golf cart.