Windmills used to be regular sights on farms; used for grinding wheat, or for pumping water for the livestock. While windmills may be a lot rarer on farms these days, another form of the mill is becoming more common: The wind turbine.
On a Minnesota family farm near Princeton, there are two identical 120-foot turbines rotating lustily in the breeze. This is the farm that belongs to Colin and Carolyn Burke and they’ve had their domestic wind farm for five years. Has it been worthwhile? The Burkes have seen their electricity bills all but vanish. The two 10 kilowatt turbines produce more energy than the family need on the farm. The excess? It’s sent down the distribution line and bought by the local power co-operative.
More farmers in the area are taking a leaf out of Burke’s book and installing wind turbines on their farms. Not only does it cut electricity bills, but it is environmentally friendly and helps cut carbon emissions.
A local company “Gone 2 Green” helps rural farmers and homeowners decide whether to install turbines on their land. The company specialises in selling and installing turbines on 120 and 140-foot towers. Thanks to grants by Xcel Energy, the company hopes to build 50 more of their wind turbines for property owners in Stearns, Benton and Meeker counties.
A US Department of Energy report listed Minnesota as the nation’s second-largest generator of wind power. According to the DOE report, Minnesota can generate an impressive 17 percent of its electricity from the wind.
You’ll not hear any complaints about noise from those who have installed wind turbines on their land. If they do hear any noise, it’s the sound of money being saved.
