News

Our View -- Wind power should be taken seriously here

 

Mankato Free Press, MN

February 5th, 2006

 

Buffalo Ridge in southwestern Minnesota may be the big, blustery guy in the wind department, but our south-central region shouldn’t despair. A new study by state commerce officials points to the possibility of more parts of the state being able to support wind-power projects.

 

The report shows regions in southern, northwestern and western portions of Minnesota have higher average wind speeds than previously indicated in a 2002 study. The new and improved study included the use of data and modeling to represent the three-dimensional nature of the atmosphere.

 

Increasing reliance on wind makes a lot of sense as this nation attempts to wean itself from its dependence on Mideast oil. The European Union has been taking those steps for quite some time. During the last decade, wind power capacity in the EU has increased by an average of 32 percent a year.

 

Even the Bush administration, which has traditionally supported fossil fuel sources, knows alternative energy sources must be tapped. In his State of the Union speech last week, President Bush supported spending about 22 percent more on energy initiatives, including $44 million in wind energy research. That’s not a huge chunk ($150 million is proposed for biomass and $289 million for hydrogen fuel cells), but even so, it’s acknowledgment of wind energy’s importance.

 

The state Legislature passed a law last year to help communities establish wind projects to retain energy money that otherwise would go elsewhere. Gov. Tim Pawlenty set a goal of 800 megawatts of new community-based wind energy by 2010.

 

 

Area counties are smart to get involved in the Rural Minnesota Energy Board, a group that lobbies the Legislature and encourages the development of renewable energy, placing an emphasis on wind power. Blue Earth County joined the board in the last year, hoping to benefit by expanding alternative energy projects here. Counties that are not members, including Nicollet, Waseca, Brown, Sibley and Le Sueur, should consider getting involved.

 

The recent state study reinforces early data from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter that indicates wind power can be harvested in this area. Rural Minnesota needs to take steps to get involved in wind projects and make sure we are taking advantage of our invisible but powerful resource.