The Kingdom of Wind

Ranked first in the nation for its wind resources and often called “the Saudi Arabia of wind potential,” North Dakota is now harnessing clean, renewable wind energy to help meet customer energy needs as well as power the North Dakota economy.

The benefits of wind energy, the fastest growing energy technology in the world, are many and include:

• No emissions
• Generates clean power for use in the region
• Requires little land; surrounding land can be used for other purposes
• Provides tax payments to slocal governments
• Results in purchases of local goods and sservices
• Provides lease payments to landowners where turbines are installed
• Places little or no burden on local infrastructure such as public schools or community services.

The wind turbines used on North Dakota’s energy farms are high-tech descendents of the well-known Dutch windmills. The state of the art windmills are approximately 213 feet tall with three blades, each measuring more than 100 feet long. Atop each turbine sits a generator run by a computer system that keeps the blades facing the wind for maximum efficiency, monitors performance, shuts the turbine down if wind exceeds 56 mph, and starts it up again when the wind returns to operating speeds.

The turbines are designed to use the wind to make electricity. The wind moves the blades; the blades turn a shaft inside the generator to make electricity. Electrical cables run down the inside of each wind turbine tower, carrying electricity to a nearby electrical substation. From the substation, the electricity goes into the existing transmission lines to provide power throughout the region.

FPL Energy operates North Dakota’s two wind farms which are located in the Kulm/Edgeley area. The two facilities combined operate forty one (41) 1.5 megawatt wind turbines that produce 61 megawatts of electricity – enough to power more than 19,000 homes. The wind farms have contributed greatly to the tax base of the two small towns as well as the school district.

The towers for the Edgeley-Kulm Wind Farm were manufactured at locally owned DMI Industries in West Fargo where the towers are rolled, cut, painted and finally transported to a massive lot north of the DMI plant. DMI President Lars Moller was brought over from Denmark, a country known for its wind farms, to run DMI.

The Edgely-Kulm Wind Farm also enlisted the help of EAPC Architects of Grand Forks. EAPC helped design the farm’s tower spacing to maximize the energy potential of each tower.

Otter Tail Power Company, which supplies energy and electricity services to nearly 250,000 homes in ND, SD and MN, has committed to buying all the electricity produced at the FPL wind energy farms under a long term contract.

Wind Turbine Facts

• Each turbine is approximately 213 feet tall from the ground to the center of the blade hub
• Each blade is more than 110 feet long
• The total weight for each turbine is approximately 190 tons
• Turbines are designed to operate in winds up to 56 mph
• The amount of property used exclusively for wind energy facilities is less than one acre per turbine, including service roads.

While commercial operations are the norm, individual sustainable energy operations are also possible. Brad Crabtree and his wife, Renee Gopal have built their own sustainable energy farmstead near Kulm, generating their power through their wind tower and solar panel. The couple has also built a straw bale interior house, which provides cool temperatures in the summer and warmth in the winter. Although limited by cost and space requirements, this alternative lifestyle offers an individual solution to the energy crisis.