(Wahpeton)– The Flying Cloud Wind Farm was officially dedicated in a ceremony Wednesday on the grounds of Lakeside Laboratory on West Lake Okoboji.
Jim Deelsen, Chief Executive Officer of Clipper Wind Power, the company that developed the project, says it’s truly a win-win for the environment and local farmers who have leased their land for the operation.
Governor Tom Vilsack was keynote speaker at the event. He told the crowd of 200 or so people the local wind generating facility means Iowa is well on its way of meeting a goal to become more energy independent. The Governor referred to a goal of one thousand megawatts of Iowa-generated power by 2010. As of today, Vilsack says 628 megawatts of renewable energy are being generated in Iowa with 427 megawatts of that being wind. The Governor says another 310 megawatts will come on line in 2005 and 2006, meaning the state will reach its goal four or five years ahead of schedule.
Power generated by the 29 turbines at the Flying Cloud facility between Spirit Lake and Lake Park is being sold to Interstate Power and Light Company…a wholly owned subsidiary of Alliant Energy…through a 15-year purchase agreement. The facility generates enough electricity to power 20-thousand average american homes.
The wind farm encompasses 2,600 acres of land leased from 14 local land owners.
