What Is Community Wind?

Minnesota Project has been working to advance clean energy development in rural Minnesota since 1994. The goal has always been to create an industry that provides clean energy and that enhances rural communities. Wind energy, the least cost renewable, has been the core of the renewable electricity effort.

Wind development is bringing many economic benefits to southwestern Minnesota, and increasingly into other parts of the state. From early on it was apparent that how the resource is developed makes a difference to the host community. Wind development, to date, has been dominated by large companies — both as developers and as financiers. These companies have invested hundreds of millions of dollars, created dozens of jobs, pay land rents to hundreds of landowners and pay considerable sums in local taxes. These investments have also been substantial enough and concentrated enough to spur the development of a supporting industry. Yet, the vast majority of the revenue generated by these projects still quickly flows out of the local economy. Community wind is a broadly conceived vision for host communities to capture a greater share of the wind revenue through locally lead development and ownership.

Community wind can take many forms. Projects might have one local investor or many. Projects might be large or small. They might be institutional (i.e. a school) or entrepreneurial. Projects might totally rely on local capital or they may partner with external investors and lenders. The common thread in community wind is some form of local leadership in project development and that there is a local ownership stake. Minnesota Project’s core mission is to assist communities create their own destiny

The Minnesota Project continues to work with our partners in the realms of public policy, research, and outreach to ensure that there is a growing, dynamic wind industry in Minnesota and the Midwest and that Community Wind has a meaningful share of that market.