Municipal Power: Is the Answer Blowin' in the Wind?

Following the opening of a new five milliwatt four-turbine wind farm in April, Rock Port (Missouri) has become the first municipality in the nation to get all its electricity from wind power. The $90 million Loess Hills Wind Farm was built by St. Louis-based Wind Capital Group and the John Deere Corporation.

When fully operational, the four Suzlon 1.25 MW S-64 wind turbines will have the capacity to generate 16 million kilowatt hours a year. Rock Port, a town of 1,395 in northwest Missouri, has historically needed no more than 13 million KwH annually for its electrical users. Missouri Joint Municipal Utilities (MJMU) will buy the excess power from the farm and will supply Rock Port's power needs when the wind turbines are not generating at capacity.