(EL DORADO, Kan.) — You're going to hear plenty of politicians call for renewable energy this election season, but cities know it takes green to go green.
Within a year, the City of El Dorado plans to install a turbine in the center of a dam along the Walnut River east of town. The turbine will help power the city's water treatment plant and should pay for itself within seven to eight years.
City Manager Herb Llewellyn has heard politicians' call for more renewable energy, and like many other city managers, knows it's easier said on the campaign trail than done at home. He says El Dorado and other cities are doing everything they can to go green, but the cost is still tough to handle.
"I'd like the cost of wind turbines to come down, and I'd like the cost of this water turbine to come down," says Llewellyn. "Things are still pretty expensive, and turbines are still getting more expensive because of supply and demand."
