The Wind is Picking Up!

As energy prices soar and environmental awareness rises, wind energy is a front-runner in the race for alternative energy. Man has harnessed wind energy for hundreds of years; we have used wind to power machines, grind flour, pump water and provide electricity. Wind energy is gaining popularity in the United States, which is now the second largest generator of wind power worldwide.

Community Wind projects have popped up across the United States, often operated by local investors such as farmers, schools, and Native American tribes. Until recently, about 40% of worldwide wind energy was Community Wind energy, while in the US, commercial projects have dominated the field, with only 4% coming from community-owned projects.

Minnesota is at the forefront of Community Wind generation; about one quarter of the state's total wind energy comes from Community Wind. A study by Kildegaard and Myers-Kuykindall of the University of Minnesota Morris found that Community Wind projects provide five times the benefits to their local economies than corporate-owned projects (2006). Much of Community Wind's success in Minnesota is due to supportive state legislation, such as the Minnesota Renewable Energy Production Incentive. Such legislation supports Community Wind projects ranging from small-farm single turbine operations to a ten-turbine Community Wind Farms. This gradual shift towards community wind and renewable energy allows rural communities in Minnesota to harvest wind as a new cash crop.

Windustry, a local non-profit organization, provides outreach, education, and advocacy to help create a healthy wind energy community. Our hotline provides information about wind energy basics, Community Wind business models, leasing land to developers, and general ways to contribute to renewable energy.

A 2007 WedgeShare grant helped make this hotline possible over the past year. So thank you, Wedge members, for supporting our outreach and education efforts for Community Wind, which means more local ownership of renewable energy in Minnesota!

To learn more about wind energy or to become a member of Windustry, please visit Windustry's website: www.windustry.org or call the hotline: 1-800-946-3640.

Volunteer with windustry

at the 2008 Minnesota State Fair's ecoexperience and help promote wind energy in Minnesota!

Commit one four hour block of time to help staff the wind exhibit during the fair and receive a ticket for free admission, a wind energy t-shirt and great knowledge about the wind industry.

Contact dan Craigie at dan@windustry or 612-870-3461 to get yourself signed up!

For more information about Windustry and the ecoexperience please visit www.windustry.org and www.ecoexperience.org.