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Outside of Fowler, Ind., you can see the wind farm from about 5 miles away. At that distance, it resembles a group of storks, elegantly standing among the far-off fields.
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Photo: Tom Campbell |
| Massive 100-foot-long blades dwarf Fred Allen as he works atop a wind turbine at the Benton County Wind Farm. Allen is an employee of enXco, which services the wind farm. |
However, the enormous size of these structures becomes apparent as you drive closer. The wind turbines stand some 300 feet above the earth, with three blades, each 100 feet long. The 135 towers, sprouting from the ground, dwarf nearby barns and trees. One stands tall over a cemetery.
Wind energy is not new. Wind turbines were used for grinding grain and pumping water during the Persian Empire as early as 500 A.D.; however, unlike the noisy, boxy windmills of the past, these new turbines are sleek, silent sentinels of the landscape. The “wisp, wisp” of the blades resembles the sound of a gentle breeze. And for the folks of Benton County, the winds are blowing in a bounty of new money.
Jimmy Bricker, Purdue Extension director in Benton County, talks about these power-generating turbines in much the same way as a proud dad. Bricker is co-author of the 16-page ordinance that helped establish the Benton County Wind Farm. He says the wind farm has been a “win-win,” bringing money and jobs to the county and creating plenty of renewable energy.
The wind farm cost $1.3 million to build and provided 150 construction workers with jobs. Seventy landowners, spread over a 5-mile stretch, will split a half-a-million dollars in annual lease payments. Down the road, another larger wind farm is already under construction. With a $1 billion investment, The Fowler Ridge Wind Farm’s 300 landowners will divvy up a $1.5-million annual lease installment for the next 20 years. It will also create 300 jobs during construction and have 12 to 20 permanent employees.
This is money that would not otherwise come to the rural area. “Our county has struggled for years to get companies to locate here,” says Bruce Buchanan, president of the Benton County Council. “But these projects surpass anything we could come up with for economic development.”
Renewable resurgence
On the heels of the ethanol boom, other alternative energy sources are also enjoying renewal. In 2006, about 7 percent of the total energy consumed in the United States was from renewable sources. Nearly half of that was from biomass—plant and animal wastes—and another 42 percent was hydroelectricity. Only 4 percent was generated by wind.
However, wind is the fastest-growing segment of renewable fuel sources, according to Douglas Gotham, director of the State Utility Forecasting Group located at Purdue University. Despite meeting only a fraction of our country’s power needs, wind energy increased by 45 percent from 2005 to 2006. And, thanks to the new Benton County wind farms and others, “Wind energy is poised to make a significant impact in Indiana,” Gotham says.
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