From the Rochester Post-Bulletin
By Laura Gossman
Monday, October 27, 2008
SPRING VALLEY -- An 80-meter meteorological tower in Beaver Township is one of the first signs that Root River Energy LLC's proposed 300-megawatt wind farm is on Fillmore County's horizon.
While most meteorological towers installed today typically are 50 to 60 meters high, National Wind LLC developer Bill Smeaton said the 80-meter tower will be more accurate because most wind turbines are being erected on towers that are 80 meters or higher.
National Wind employees on Oct. 9 erected the tower, which will record wind speeds, wind direction, temperature and air density over time. The information gathered from the tower's instruments will calculate how productive the wind farm will be.
"We already have wind data and we think this is a very viable area for a project," Smeaton said.
Nonetheless, it could still be a few years before the towering turbines are erected in that area.
"It's not a quick process," Smeaton said. "We're still securing the right to land. Then we'll do a transmission analysis and eventually position ourselves with power companies."
Smeaton said the company recently was given clearance to solicit private investors. Eventually they will move to seek financing in public markets.
Root River Energy field specialists Jim Connolly and Bary Rogne have been meeting with landowners in the project's footprint, which runs from Spring Valley south to the Iowa border.
'It's hard for us (National Wind) to know the lay of the land and understand community issues and common farm practices in the area, so having someone who has lived there helps," Smeaton said.
Connolly, a former Fillmore County sheriff, started working for Root River Energy in September.
"Some of the people I've talked with are friends; some are acquaintances or people I met as the sheriff," Connolly said. "So far, I've really enjoyed it and I think it's a positive project."
He said some landowners in the footprint already have signed easements and most seem to be excited about the prospects of wind energy.
"Unlike some competitors, Root River Energy is a community-based project, which means landowners can also invest in the project," Connolly said. "It helps keep the revenue in the community."
Copyright Rochester Post-Bulletin 2008. Read the story at the Rochester Post-Bulletin website.