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 WIND ENERGY |
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Harvesting Wind — Adding Value to your Farm
 As of January 2004, about 6,374 megawatts of wind power capacity were installed in the U.S. generating over 16 billion kilowatt-hours annually. That is as much electricity as about 1.6 million average American households use each year. It is estimated that Iowa alone has the potential to produce 4.8 times its own annual electrical consumption through wind power. With this growing potential, the Iowa Farm Bureau believes wind energy is a tremendous opportunity for Iowa farmers to add value to their working farm.
As a growing industry, there are many positives, including 1) strong support for the local economy through new investment, jobs and tax base; 2) providing renewable resources that are readily available and environmentally sound for the nation’s energy needs; and 3) high compatibility with agriculture, providing another “crop” which can be harvested from working farmland.
An Iowa farmer interested in exploring wind energy will need to arm themselves with some basic information to get started:
- Just how windy is my proposed site? Is it windy enough to produce commercially viable amounts of energy?
- Even if it is windy enough, does the site have access to a distribution system (electrical grid) to economically move the power to end-users?
- Even if a site is windy enough and has access to the grid, is there a local utility company or energy user willing to pay enough for the energy to assure a positive return on the lifetime of your investment?
- Are there state or federal incentives available to help make the wind project economically feasible?
This online assessment was established to help Farm Bureau members begin collecting necessary information. The first step for interested farmers will be to provide us with basic information regarding your proposed site. That information will be analyzed and you will be provided with a preliminary estimate of the site's wind speed, its access to the electrical grid and the range of selling price and incentives you would need to receive for your energy in order to generate a positive return on your investment. Based on that information, the system will also generate an opinion as to whether the proposed site is:
- Private Use —A small wind turbine may be feasible for reducing your electric bill..
- Maybe Feasible —May be Feasible – A wind turbine project maybe feasible at this site because of the wind speed and site characteristics..
- Probably Not Feasible —A wind turbine project is probably not feasible at this site because of the inadequate wind speed or high cost for electrical interconnection.
If your proposed site is classified as “Maybe Feasible” you will be contacted by phone by our experts (Wind Utility Consulting) for additional discussion on the opportunity. This will give you a chance to further explore your potential interest in pursing the opportunity.
These services are free to any Iowa Farm Bureau member. Please remember, however, that these services are advisory only and before making any business or investment decisions a member should retain expert assistance and counsel.
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WIND PROJECT SITE ASSESSMENT FORM |
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