Wind Power News: Minnesota
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
Sioux Falls landfill tightens rules after Minnesota dumps dozens of wind turbine blades
Clarification: An earlier version of this story said the turbine blades received at the Sioux Falls landfill were coming from the Albert Lea, Minn. area. The city of Sioux Falls since clarified by saying they came from two wind farms in Iowa, one being about 60 miles from Albert Lea. Iowa wind-farms brought dozens of their old turbine blades to the Sioux Falls dump this summer. But City Hall says it won’t take anymore unless owners take more steps to . . . Complete story »
Dodge County wind farm project hits the brakes
MANTORVILLE – A proposed 170-megawatt wind farm that would span from Steele to Olmsted counties saw the air go out of its sails, at least for the immediate future. NextEra, developer of The Dodge County Wind project, has suspended its application for a site permit and certificate of need on the project, which would include 70 wind turbines and 23 miles of transmission lines. The company also withdrew its transmission route permit request. An environmental impact statement on the transmission line . . . Complete story »
Clean energy jobs are big in Minnesota. But they often go to people from out of state
The fastest growing jobs in the country are solar panel installers and wind turbine service technicians, a fact that clean energy advocates use as evidence of a growing sector and the economic upside of transitioning away from fossil fuels. But in Minnesota, the rise of clean energy isn’t always resulting in new jobs for Minnesotans – at least when it comes to building wind projects. A report released Thursday by the Minnesota and North Dakota chapter of the Laborers’ International Union . . . Complete story »
VA wind turbine being taken down
The wind turbine at St. Cloud VA started coming down this week after years of sitting idle. Earlier this year the VA decided to take the turbine down after it hadn’t worked for years despite several past attempts to repair it. By the end of the week, the 250-foot tall, 107-ton steel structure should be dismantled. The steel will be recycled. A crane for the deconstruction was put up on Monday and crews took the turbine blades off on Tuesday. . . . Complete story »
City Council discusses relocating wind turbine into Le Sueur
At a meeting Monday, July 8, the Le Sueur City Council discussed potentially relocating a wind turbine off of Hwy. 112 to 950 Kingsway Drive just south of Calvary Cemetery. Unable to decide on the night, the discussion was tabled until the next council meeting on July 22. The motion came after the Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (MMPA) requested the city’s cooperation in refurbishing the wind turbine MPAA had given the city in 2009. MMPA is in the process of . . . Complete story »
PUC approves permit for most of Xcel power line project
NORTH MANKATO – The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission gave the final go-ahead on Thursday for an Xcel Energy power line project from Mankato to Blue Earth – or at least most of it. Commissioners signed off on a route permit for the so-called Huntley-Wilmarth project with the exception of a four-square-mile patch of land west of Vernon Center Township on the eastern edge of Ceresco Township. Instead, thanks to concerns raised by Commissioner John Tuma, Xcel staff and state officials will review . . . Complete story »
Dodge Center residents prepare for the worst in power line dispute
An issue concerning many in Dodge Center could come to a head in the near future. There’s a brewing debate over proposed power lines that would run to a future wind farm in the area. FOX 47 first spoke to Dodge Center resident Tom Applegate a month ago. Back then he claimed several residents, including himself, were being taken advantage of. The problem is a route option currently in front of the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) for a 345 . . . Complete story »
‘We’ll keep fighting’: Freeborn County landowners call on state to stop wind project
After a two-year fight, a new wind farm has finally been given the green light in southern Minnesota. But in Freeborn County, hundreds of neighbors are making some noise about it. For more than 20 years, the view hasn’t changed for the Hansen family southeast of Albert Lea in Glenville. They’ve spent the last two years doing whatever they can to keep it that way. “There are people who buy lake-front property because they want the lake lifestyle. There are . . . Complete story »
VA wind turbine was economic failure for St. Cloud
The failed wind turbine next to the St. Cloud VA hospital will finally be dismantled this summer after sitting idle since 2012. Now that the fate of this boondoggle is sealed, let’s look at how the financials penciled out. According to the St. Cloud Times,the turbine cost $2.3 million to build and was operational between April 2011 and August 2012.It hasn’t produced any energy since August 2012. During that time it produced 464,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity. This means . . . Complete story »
St. Cloud VA pulls the plug on its clunker wind turbine
Talk about a bust. A multimillion-dollar wind turbine that was projected to generate electricity for the St. Cloud VA health campus is scheduled to be demolished in July after being plagued by problems ever since its blades first turned eight years ago. “We had 215 acres of land in a handy spot to put a wind turbine and satisfactory winds,” said Barry Venable, a spokesman for the St. Cloud VA Health Care System. But, he added, “It spun sporadically for . . . Complete story »
