Olympic Steel has announced the installation of a $550,000 Northern Power 100kw wind turbine to supplement electricity to the Company's Corporate Office and attached temper mill facility in Bedford Heights, Ohio.
The gearless, direct-drive designed turbine is mounted atop a 120-foot monopole and features a 69-foot diameter rotor. The unit is expected to supplement approximately 15% of the electric power consumed by the Company's 5096 Richmond Road location with any excess production directed to the local energy grid, managed by First Energy.
A ribbon cutting ceremony is scheduled for employees, media, and local and state officials on the morning of June 23.
"We are pleased to be among those leading our industry to support clean, renewable energy initiatives," said Michael D. Siegal, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
"We would like to thank the City of Bedford Heights and the State of Ohio for their assistance in providing the necessary grants and allowing this project to go forward. It is our intention to continue to pursue these types of opportunities to increase sustainability including and beyond our ISO 14001 certification."
Olympic Steel partnered with Wind Turbines of Ohio to subsidize the project through the Ohio Department of Development and the Advanced Energy Fund. Cascade Renewable Energy, a division of the Grand Rapids, Michigan based Cascade Engineering, Inc., executed the installation.