ELKTON - The
state's second large wind farm is expected to start producing
electricity in December.
Crews have been
putting turbines in place for more than a month near Elkton for the
Minn-Dakota Wind Farm, which sprawls into Minnesota.
Thirty-four of the
262-foot turbines will be in South Dakota, according to the
developer, PPM Energy of Portland, Ore.
Some observers
suggest that new transmission lines, lower costs and a growing
appetite for renewable energy means more wind energy
development.
"I think last year
the egg cracked, and I'm pretty sure that it's going to continue to
really flourish in the next few years," said Steve Kolbeck, a state
Public Utilities Commission member.
He said the
Legislature has made important changes, including allowing
utilities to make slight rate increases to pay for new transmission
lines.
As important are
recent transmission upgrades in Minnesota and on the eastern edge
of Brookings County.
"The biggest thing
is that the price of power has gone up. So what that has done is
that it's equalized wind's role in producing power," Kolbeck
said.
Local support is
strong for wind energy, with only the occasional complaint about
"sight pollution," said Bob Hill, Brookings County zoning
director.
"We've been setting
here for 20 years watching them go up in Minnesota, and it's about
time Brookings County got some of the tax revenue," he
said.
The Minn-Dakota
wind farm will generate power at a rate of 51 megawatts under ideal
conditions, or enough to power 15,000 homes.
