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Wind generators stir interest among farmers (Tuesday, March 4, 2003 -- CropChoice news) -- Teresa Halvorsen,
Iowa Farm Bureau Spokesman:
Windmills remain a familiar sight along Iowa's country roads, but never
before have they offered farmers and rural communities the potential for
economic growth.
Unlike the rusted windmills seen in century-old farmsteads, the three wind
generators on the Miller family farm south of Britt tower 80 feet above the
treetops.
Each generator is equipped with three 24-foot-high blades that move in
effortless circles under the force of the dense winter winds.
Brothers Jim and Skip Miller have kept the wind generators running to
fulfill a dream of their father, Monty, who passed away in 1996.
"It was always something he wanted to do," Jim said. "Basically, they put
them up to fund the grandkids¹ college. With the proceeds, my mom and dad
bought savings bonds for their grandchildren."
The Millers bought the slightly used wind generators in 1994.
"They were taking them down in Palm Springs at the time and replacing them
with larger, more modern generators," Jim explained.
"At that time, and it's still true, what they will pay you for your power
will not pay for a new generator, so we opted to go with used ones," he
said.
The windmills each generate up to 65 kilowatts of electricity with ideal
wind speeds. The farm uses the electricity to power two houses, a golf cart
shop and grain dryers during the harvest season.
Alliant Energy purchases any extra electricity produced by the Millers' wind
generators.
Instead of paying an electric bill, Jim's mom, Mildred, receives a monthly
check from Alliant.
"We've only had two months when we didn't produce enough for our usage," Jim
said.
Growing industry
Interest in wind power is growing among Iowa farmers. More than 150 people
traveled to Algona last week to learn about wind-energy opportunities.
Keith Kutz, administrative specialist with the Iowa Energy Center in Ames,
told the attendees that Iowa has the capacity and the resources to build
more wind generators.
Iowa's rank as the 10th windiest state in the nation has attracted several
large-scale "wind farms" to northern Iowa. Kutz said north-central and
northwest Iowa boast the state's highest wind speeds, averaging about 15 to
18 miles per hour.
"There are very few places in Iowa where you can't put a wind terminal and
make it go. It's just a question of how long it's going to take to pay back
your investment," Kutz said.
"The wind-farm developers are interested in getting their investment paid
back as quickly as possible, so they are initially locating their wind
terminals in the best wind areas, and that's north-central and northwest
Iowa," he said.
These large wind farms benefit both landowners and their local communities,
said Tanya Olsen, production technician for FPL Energy.
The Florida-based FPL Energy has built a 200-generator wind farm in Hancock
County and a 148-generator wind farm in Cerro Gordo County.
The Hancock County wind farm, located east of the Millers' farm, produces
enough electricity to power 40,000 homes. The company sells the electricity
wholesale to Alliant.
Olsen said FPL Energy arranged leasing agreements with 60 landowners in the
two counties to place the wind generators on their land.
While a landowner could make about $400 per acre growing row crops, FPL
Energy pays them four times as much for the one-third of an acre the wind
generator occupies, Olsen said.
"It's just another crop for them. They just farm around it," Olsen said.
In Buena Vista County, a wind farm with 232 generators has brought $254,000
in tax revenues since the generators were built in 1998, said Ted Van
Grootheest, the county assessor.
He said the taxes paid on one wind tower will equal the taxes paid on 200
acres of Buena Vista County farmland once tax abatements end.
Energy policy
Tom Wind, a wind energy consultant from Jefferson, said public policies have
spurred the construction of wind generators in Iowa.
In 1990, the Iowa legislature passed a renewable energy law that requires
all utilities to offer "green" power, or power generated from renewable
sources, to their customers.
"There would be no big wind farms if it were not mandated in Iowa," Wind
said. Iowa ranks third nationally in wind-powered electric generation,
behind California and Texas.
However, he said more policy changes are needed to grow Iowa¹s wind-energy
industry, because it¹s becoming more difficult to find customers willing to
pay more for "green" power.
The Millers are thinking about adding a couple wind generators to their
collection if the government provides more incentives.
³We always cuss the wind around here. Whatever job you are doing, it seems
like the wind always impairs it a little," Jim said. "Now, we can put up
with that wind a little easier."
http://www.ifbf.org/publication/spokesman/story.asp?number=20756&type=News | |
