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The Prairie Star Wind Farm is located in southeastern Minnesota approximately fifteen miles southeast of the town of Austin on high elevation, gently rolling prairie in southern Mower County, Minnesota. To the south of Prairie Star is the 100 MW FPL Energy Mower County Wind Farm, which Horizon Wind Energy developed and sold to FPL in early 2006.
The Prairie Star Wind Farm project site includes farmland in Clayton, Bennington, Marshall, and Grand Meadow townships. The land is primarily used to grow corn and soybean crops. Prairie Star Wind Farm produces enough clean energy to power 30,000 Minnesota homes.
Project Facts and Figures
Location: Mower County
Acreage: 16,000 acres
Construction Completion Date: December, 2007
Project Size: 100 megawatts
Turbines: 61 1.65 megawatt V82 turbines
Benefits for Host Community
At Prairie Star, Horizon Wind Energy is pioneering the use of a community-based venue sharing mechanism. Because wind energy is compatible with rural land uses, most of the land remains available for farming. Landowners within the defined project area receive annual payments regardless of whether or not they are hosting wind turbines or other wind farm related facilities. Payment amounts depend upon acreage “inside” the project area, whether or not landowners have turbines on their land, or roads and wires across landowner fields within the project area.
The Prairie Star wind power project created 200 jobs during the construction phase, and operates with 14 full time employees. As regulated by the State of Minnesota, annual property tax replacement payments based upon the amount of electricity generated by the wind farm are distributed with eighty percent going to the county, fourteen percent to the townships and six percent to the school districts in which the wind facilities are located.
Over forty landowners with approximately 16,000 acres of privately-owned land will participate under long-term easement options that cover turbines, access roads, transmission corridors, and wind rights, resulting in a combination more than sufficient for a 100 MW wind farm.
Environmental Benefits
The Prairie Star Wind Farm emits zero pollutants and greenhouse gases and produces enough energy to power 30,000 Minnesota homes.
On average*, this amount of power in Minnesota causes the emission of:
• 1,070,000 pounds of NOx
• 1,280,000 pounds of SO2
• 240,000 tons of CO2
• 9,000 pounds of mercury
By providing carbon-free electricity, Prairie Star Wind Farm will have an environmental effect equivalent to removing more than 24,000 cars from the road.
*Estimates from EPA eGRID 2002, emissions from the state of Minnesota in 2000.
Economic Benefits
Construction of Prairie Star Wind Farm yielded significant economic benefits to the people of Mower County:
• Approximately 200 workers were involved during the construction phase.
• Many materials and services were purchased locally.
• The creation of 14 permanent full-time, family-wage jobs.
• Operational services and goods purchased locally.
• Construction of the project increased the tax revenues collected in Mower County.
The people of Union County support the Elkhorn Valley Wind Farm for its economic benefits.
Power Purchaser
The clean, renewable electricity produced by Prairie Star Wind Farm is purchased by Great River Energy of Elk River, Minnesota. Great River Energy is the second largest wholesale electric power supplier in the state and the fourth largest generation and transmission (G&T) cooperative in the U.S. in terms of assets. Great River Energy provides wholesale power to 28 distribution cooperatives in rural Minnesota and Wisconsin. Those member cooperatives distribute electricity to approximately 600,000 homes, businesses and farms. Great River Energy is a Touchstone Energy® cooperative.
Links
Official Website for Mower, County, MN
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