Mo. town first in U.S. to get all its power via wind

Rock Port, Mo., is the first U.S. town to generate from wind all the power it needs, Kelsey Volkmann writes for the St. Louis Business Journal. "That's something to be very proud of, especially in a rural area like this, that we're doing our part for the environment," says Jim Crawford, University of Missouri Extension natural resource engineer. "Anybody who is currently using Rock Port utilities can expect no increase in rates for the next 15 to 20 years." (Photo by Steve Morse, MU Cooperative Media Group)

Rock Port, population 1,300, is located in northwest Missouri, which has "the state's highest concentration of wind resources and contains a number of locations potentially suitable for utility-scale wind development," Volkmann writes. Four wind turbines will supply the small town, which uses approximately 13 million kilowatt hours of electricity each year, with all its electricity. The turbines will produce an anticipated 16 million kilowatt hours each year. "Excess wind generated electricity not used by Rock Port homes and businesses is expected to be moved onto the transmission lines to be purchased by the Missouri Joint Municipal Utilities for use in other areas," Science Daily reports.

Extension specialists estimate the wind farms will generate more than $1.1 million annually in county real estate taxes, which will be paid by Wind Capital Group, a St. Louis wind-energy developer. "This is a unique situation because in rural areas it is quite uncommon to have this increase in taxation revenues," said Jerry Baker, MU Extension community development specialist. Landowners, who can make between $3,000 to $5,000 leasing part of their property for wind turbines, will also benefit from the alternate energy source.

"It's a savings for the community in general, savings for the rural electric companies, and it does provide electricity service over at least a 20-year time period, which is the anticipated life of these turbines," Baker explains. The wind turbines will also generate tourism revenue, Baker adds. Crawford says the per-acre payback "is generally quite good" compared to other crops. "We're farming the wind, which is something that we have up here," he says. "It's as simple as getting a cup of coffee and watching the blades spin." (Read Volkmann's story here and the Science Daily story here.)