Minnesota is at the forefront of wind power in the United States. I’ve seen television programs, and read a great deal about the adoption of wind power by farmers as a means to supplement and stabilize their income, but it’s another thing to witness these wind farms in person.
Traveling along I-90 from west to east, it wasn’t long before we witnessed clusters of large-bladed wind turbines spinning slowly on a calm morning. The turbines near farmhouses, silos and green fields make for a pretty picture. And it’s great to see the large-scale investment that turn the promise of alternative energy into reality.
Approaching Dexter, Minnesota, we saw wind power at a whole new scale from the smaller turbine or two per farm. There the towers reach far off to the horizon, and activity was in full swing to add many more closer to the highway. We saw at least twenty towers in various stages of construction, with cranes working on towers, tower bases being dug, and blades being delivered.
A little research online led me to Horizon Wind Energy’s website. This project is called the Prarie Star Wind Farm, and generates enough energy for 30,000 homes. The map below illustrates a number of projects that Horizon is working on throughout the United States.
The Minnesota Department of Commerce has a number of wind map resources, including GIS data downloads for the state.
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Nice post. Looks like wind power is really starting to get some serious consideration in Australia now.