The video and handout, from the Colorado Governor's Office of Energy
Management and Conservation (OEMC), showcased at the Colorado Agricultural
Outlook Forum, which was held last week in Denver.
"Our hope is that this Guide will take a landowner from the point of
observing wind available on their property to actually producing
wind-powered electricity for their home or business," said Drew Bolin,
director of OEMC.
The video is a virtual tour of a Colorado hog farm's 65 kW wind turbine
installed to offset some of its electrical-use costs while "blending" the
wind energy with electricity produced from biogas. The Guide covers the
steps necessary to put up a wind turbine in three phases. The first phase
covers the project's feasibility through assessing the site, energy usage,
financing, and other considerations. The second covers the installation of
the turbine. The final phase discusses ongoing maintenance and measuring
actual turbine performance.
"We hope that this Guide will help ranchers, farmers, and landowners to
take a look at this renewable energy as a new option economic benefit,"
said Drew Bolin, director of OEMC.
Small wind power is often an economical, practical and renewable solution
for meeting our growing energy needs. By generating and consuming power
onsite, site owners are able to reduce overall and peak energy consumption
and costs. Successful projects require diligence, capital and resource
investment on the part of the project owners.
OEMC received funds from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Wind Powering
America Program to help produce this video and its handout, which are
accessible, at no cost, from the OEMC website.