Red Rock Wind Energy, with their project manager National Wind of Minneapolis, plans to develop up to 300 megawatts (MW) of wind energy in Emmet and Dickinson Counties, Iowa within the next 3 to 5 years, producing enough electricity to power up to 90,000 homes.
Red Rock Wind Energy, LLC is a community-owned wind company located in Emmet and Dickinson Counties, Iowa. The company’s financial commitment is to assure a significant portion of the project’s development proceeds are shared with it local investors, landowners, and the surrounding community.
Many of the investors in Red Rock, including National Wind, are also developing the NorthStar Wind Farm, a 200-MW community wind project adjacent to Red Rock Wind Energy in Emmet and Dickinson Counties. The NorthStar Wind Farm is slated for construction in late 2009.
Al Blum, a local business owner in the Estherville area for over 30 years and Chairman of the Red Rock management board, said, "We have learned a tremendous amount by developing the NorthStar Wind Farm and look forward to bringing that experience to Red Rock Wind Energy. We can help landowners in Emmet and Dickinson County understand what’s involved in having a turbine on their property."
Already, the project’s site control specialists have leased over one third of the acres needed for the project’s construction. National Wind Assessments, the wind analysis division of National Wind, has also installed a meteorological (met) tower in Emmet County to collect wind data in the area for a minimum of one year, helping create an accurate picture of the wind resource in the area. Meteorological tower data from the NorthStar Wind Farm will also be utilized.
National Wind develops utility-scale (50 megawatts or larger) community wind energy projects. The company currently has 12 in development, representing 3,658 MW. Projects are located in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota South Dakota, and Colorado, and the company is exploring expansion opportunities in other states.
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We have to look at “the big picture.” Our days of tunnel vision need to cease. Our nation better wake up and smell the coffee. With all our bail outs along with the 168 billion economic stimulus package, that btw did nothing for our economy it is hard to understand why our government can’t see the need to bail us out of our dependence on foreign oil. The high cost of fuel this past year seriously damaged our economy and society. Meanwhile, while we are busy doing the Happy Dance around the lower prices at the pumps, OPEC is planning to cut production to drive prices back up to between 75-100. per barrel. Why don’t we invest in America’s Energy Independence. It would cost the equivalent of 60 cents per gallon to charge and drive. The electricity used to charge the car could conceivably be generated by solar or wind.If all gasoline cars, trucks, and suv’s instead had plug-in electric drivetrains, the amount of electricity needed to replace gasoline is about equal to the estimated wind energy potential of the state of North Dakota.
Why not invest some of these millions in getting some of these projects set up? Create clean cheap energy, badly needed new green collar jobs and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. What more of a win-win situation could there be? Now there is talk of another stimulus pkg. Don’t get me wrong, if you hand me a check I will take it. I am broke from this past year myself. I just think we are going about this all wrong. I just read a fascinating book by Jeff Wilson called The Manhattan Project of 2009 Energy Independence NOW. We need to look at the “big picture” This book Is the big picture. http://www.themanhattanprojectof2009.com
Wilson also has a fascinating article on the Better Place Web Page called How Much Electricity Does It Take To Replace Gasoline. You can read it @ http://planet.betterplace.com/profiles/blogs/how-much-electricity-does-it
I’m sure many people reading your comment on this site, completely agree with you as I do. It’s so endlessly frustrating that the average person doesn’t see the light and we’re having drag the gov’t and conventional industry into this kicking and screaming.