Crow Lake Wind Project

Roger and I attended the Crow Lake Wind Project Dedication Ceremony yesterday.  This project has 108 turbines, and puts out 162MV of electricity.  It is now the largest wind tower project in the US.  The ceremonies were interesting. The Emcee was Ron Harper, CEO and General Manager of Basin Electric Power Cooperative.  SD Governor Daugaard spoke first,  followed with speakers from other entities involved. The project is owned and operated by Basin Electric, a co-op centered out of ND.  East River Co-op, and the SD Co-ops who make up part of Basin were represented.  Seven of the towers are owned by SDWP, (South Dakota Wind Partners).  680 South Dakotans invested money to purchase these seven towers.  The Mitchell Tech School owns one of the turbines.  This give the students a live model to work on, and to work at 250 ft in the air.  This project took cooperation from many people, from the landowners who gave permission, to the workers who constructed these towers and worked in a tough SD winter often with below zero temps, to the engineers, project managers and the CEO at the top.  It is truly amazing!