October 6, 2003
Your grandpa may have used it to pump water from wells, now a South Dakota resource is being harnessed to help light our homes. The switch was flipped on for 27 wind turbines in Highmore, the largest wind farm in South Dakota. But will the extra energy mean extra savings in our electrical bills?
The 27 turbines produce enough electricity to power over 14 thousand homes throughout KELOLAND, but wind power is still so new it plays a small part in the big energy picture. But with wind, as a clean way to produce electricity, officials hope more big turbines are in the future.
With the cut of the ribbon, the 27, 230 foot tall wind turbines near Highmore became operational. People around the small community are excited about the monstrous machines, especially those being paid to have them on their land.
Myron Retzlaff owns the land where the turbines were built. He says, "We never thought the wind, which seemed like a bother to us, would be worth while for us, but it has turned out to be a good thing and we're very happy about that."
Governor Rounds is excited about the future possibilities for the industry in South Dakota. "It means a step towards energy independence for our country, it means using power the way our fore fathers used it, but with new technologies."
Basin Electric will buy the electricity the wind turbines produce. Ron Harper, CEO of Basin Electric, says, "Everyone has become so environmentally conscience today that it just makes a world of sense, and it's not that we're trying to do it because it's publicly and politically correct, it's because that's what Basin Electric and it's family believe in."
South Dakota is considered the fourth best state in the country for it's windy conditions. That's why FPL Energy of Florida is building the machines in the state.
Michael O'Sullivan, Vice President of FPL Energy, says, "Each of these towers behind me are about 1.5 million dollars to install, all in, the turbine the tower the transformer the concrete foundation, we also install projects from other venders this year and all those were state of the art technology."
The electricity produced by the turbines will be used as a supplement to the other energy sources that power homes and business. That accounts for only one percent of power produced, so it won't mean big savings in your energy bill yet. Maybe in the future however that will change as more wind farms are built.
This story, by Scott Thorson, first appeared in the KELOLAND news, October 6, 2003. © 2003 KELOLAND TV. All Rights Reserved.