The Old Farmer and the New Wind Mill
reposted with permission from Windgistics.com
In southern Minnesota the farm land is flat and rich in nutrients. Old farmers didn't use any fertilizer on top of the black soil unless it came from the barn. John Deeres were called "Johnny Poppers" and would run all day on a few visits to the gas barrel.
The farmer's wind mill was centrally located at the highest point to provide water for livestock and the farmhouse alike. Uphill trips to the well were made with two 5 gallon buckets, one in each hand for balance. Chores lasted all day long. Fields were plowed, disced and dragged for planting preparation. 160 acres was a big farm. The year was 1948.
T. Boone Pickens wants to create new farmers by utilizing their land for wind generation of electricity. Boone's plan calls for domestic energy self suffiency and the elimination of foreign oil dependency. Huge wind turbines will line the landscape between Texas and North Dakota to provide clean renewable energy and the landowners will get paid a royalty for their wind farm production.
The process used to determine whether or not land is suitable for wind turbine construction is called a site survey. Site surveys are very scientific and many have been completed in the designated "wind corridor." Additionally, prospective wind farmers need to consider maintenance access to their hosted wind turbines and the distance to the nearest transmission line. Your land becomes less desirable if the cost to run the grid connection is too high.
Besides California, Minnesota was one of the first states to embrace their renewable wind energy in the southwest corner of the state. 1993 saw the first wind farm clusters built around Lake Benton, Minnesota. This cluster included 73 towers and was built by the Kennetech Corporation.
Today, Xcel Energy is building their first wind farm in Minnesota and they will build more. The new farmer will continue to run his large John Deeres and wind turbines will co-locate with the farmer's crops. Time is running out, the tax credit is set to expire on December, 31, 2008. Wind farms will still be developed by large energy corporations. Individual farmers may not be able to go it alone with the cost of commercial wind turbines topping the one million dollar plus mark.
Regardless, clean wind energy is good for the nation. It will free up our supply of natural gas and we can use that for transportation. Boone Pickens wants to build the new wind mill in your back yard. If he shows up at your door, condsider it - "opportunity knockin'."
In southern Minnesota the farm land is flat and rich in nutrients. Old farmers didn't use any fertilizer on top of the black soil unless it came from the barn. John Deeres were called "Johnny Poppers" and would run all day on a few visits to the gas barrel.
The farmer's wind mill was centrally located at the highest point to provide water for livestock and the farmhouse alike. Uphill trips to the well were made with two 5 gallon buckets, one in each hand for balance. Chores lasted all day long. Fields were plowed, disced and dragged for planting preparation. 160 acres was a big farm. The year was 1948.
T. Boone Pickens wants to create new farmers by utilizing their land for wind generation of electricity. Boone's plan calls for domestic energy self suffiency and the elimination of foreign oil dependency. Huge wind turbines will line the landscape between Texas and North Dakota to provide clean renewable energy and the landowners will get paid a royalty for their wind farm production.
The process used to determine whether or not land is suitable for wind turbine construction is called a site survey. Site surveys are very scientific and many have been completed in the designated "wind corridor." Additionally, prospective wind farmers need to consider maintenance access to their hosted wind turbines and the distance to the nearest transmission line. Your land becomes less desirable if the cost to run the grid connection is too high.
Besides California, Minnesota was one of the first states to embrace their renewable wind energy in the southwest corner of the state. 1993 saw the first wind farm clusters built around Lake Benton, Minnesota. This cluster included 73 towers and was built by the Kennetech Corporation.
Today, Xcel Energy is building their first wind farm in Minnesota and they will build more. The new farmer will continue to run his large John Deeres and wind turbines will co-locate with the farmer's crops. Time is running out, the tax credit is set to expire on December, 31, 2008. Wind farms will still be developed by large energy corporations. Individual farmers may not be able to go it alone with the cost of commercial wind turbines topping the one million dollar plus mark.
Regardless, clean wind energy is good for the nation. It will free up our supply of natural gas and we can use that for transportation. Boone Pickens wants to build the new wind mill in your back yard. If he shows up at your door, condsider it - "opportunity knockin'."
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