The 18-county region is an established wind power commerce center in the United States — a place to invest, build, sell and distribute wind power.  It is a renewable source of economic growth for the 18-county region offering unlimited opportunities to foster greater prosperity in the plains of southwest Minnesota.  Let's work together to maximize the free wind resources that blow across the agricultural lands in the plains of southwest Minnesota.

Years ago, the installation of large wind turbines that provide power to electric companies and consumers was primarily concentrated in California.  Now, the faming regions of Minnesota and Iowa have emerged as major growth areas, followed by Texas, Wyoming, Colorado, and Wisconsin.  Wind generation is a regional economic asset of southwest Minnesota that provides long-term, low-cost, clean, sustainable energy.

The regional economic benefits are significant. Wind power:

• Stimulates the region's economy through new investments
• Creates new business opportunities and jobs
• Expands retail trade
• Broadens the local tax base that helps fund roads, schools, and health care facilities
• Creates personal wealth
• Provides a new cash crop for farmers
• Keeps energy investment dollars in the community
• Builds an industry compatible with agriculture.

Environmental benefits include:

• Cleaner air
• Part of a solution that addresses global warming.

By capturing and harvesting the wind, farmers in the 18-county region can benefit in this growth industry, which is compatible with planting crops and grazing livestock. 

Landowners and farmers can develop a new, long-term source of income by electing to:

• Lease land to wind developers;
• Use the wind to generate power for their farms; and/or
• Become wind power producers.

Developers and investors can benefit by investing in wind projects that yield a return on their investment.

All of the critical success factors are here to continue to build a thriving industry:

• Natural resources
• Value-added agricultural industries
• Intellectual and local capital
• Bankers experienced in wind financing
• Education and training for wind turbine maintenance
• Non-profit support
• Political support
• Media support
• Environmental support.

To help you find the resources you need to be a part of this growing industry, please see the Financing, Services and Resource Directory pages.  We are fortunate to have a wealth of business- support resources in our region and state.

The region is also fortunate to have farmers and entrepreneurs who have demonstrated profitable business models for wind energy, as outlined in the Wind Energy Projects table.  The table also demonstrates the local commitment to wind generation and provides a road map to the possibilities for revitalizing the region.  (This project list is not meant to be an all-inclusive list.)  

Wind projects are typically defined as: 

• Small wind turbines:  Provide electrical power to a farm with excess
  sold to a utility.
• Small commercial-scale:  Provide electrical power to a commercial
  or manufacturer's site.
• Large wind power projects:  Provide electrical power that a utility purchases.
• Community wind projects:  Provide electrical power to a community, school or other community entity.