By Sara Strong
Rock County is about to enter the wind energy market, with its first four towers going up this summer.
Beaver Creek farmer Mark Willers said the towers are as much about economics as they are about energy.
"It's rural development. We can't be just relying on the Farm Bill. This is a new generation," he said.
Willers serves as president of Min Win I, and the Rock County Board of Commissioners Tuesday granted the company a conditional use permit for two towers.
Another group of local farmers formed Min Win II and was also granted two towers.
The towers will go up about three miles southeast of Beaver Creek or seven miles southwest of Luverne. Some of the concrete base structures are being worked on this week, and the total project might be finished by August.
Each Min Win is spending $1.6 million on the project, which will be completely paid off in 10 years.
Each turbine will carry 1.8 megawatts, which is enough to power 400 homes.
President of Min Win II, Tom Arends, said this is by far the most interesting project he's worked on.
As a livestock producer, he said it's nice to be involved in something that doesn't raise environmental questions.
The Min Win groups are classified as Limited Liability Corporations to work with various federal tax codes. The details kept members busy, but they say it's been worth the effort.
The groups are the first in the state to own turbines. Most are owned by power companies which then lease land from individuals.
Arends said, "We've put up with the wind for so long, that I don't see why we can't farm it."
Because the Min Win LLCs are so unique, they've gotten national attention and landowner-owned turbines might become a trend.
Even though power needs are steadily increasing, the United States is far behind the renewable energy wave.
Germany and Denmark, for example, get one-third of their power from wind, compared to about .05 percent in the U.S.
Roping the wind
Alliant Energy is contracting to use power generated from the new towers in Rock County.
Suitable transmission lines were an obstacle to the first wind towers in the state.
Since then, utility companies have made it clear that wind energy is important to them, or at least their customers. Xcel Energy recently proposed transmission lines to improve wind energy access in southwest Minnesota.
Missouri River Energy, which supplements the city of Luverne's power, is introducing a plan that allows customers a choice to get some of their energy from wind.
Willers said these four turbines might be just the beginning in Rock County.
The group of 65 farmers who are members of the Min Win groups worked for almost 20 months to get to this point and probably won't stop there.
Willers said that even though the profits hit Min Win members, more people will be affected by the turbines than meets the eye.
The materials - such as concrete - needed to construct the bases of the turbines will be bought locally; the units will be constructed in Minnesota; service to the towers will be provided by a Lake Benton company, which is considering expanding to Pipestone.
The only part imported from outside the state is the turbine itself from Denmark, which is necessary because of the quality of the product.
Considering local and regional impacts, Willers said it's no wonder the conditional use permit met no objections in a public hearing.
He said, "They save Missouri River water by not using hydro power, they reduce the use of coal and nuclear energy. They don't leak, they don't smell, they keep revenue here and you don't need a manure plan to run them."
Noise pollution apparently won’t be an issue with the local turbines because Arends said the blades will move too slowly to create significant noise.