The Growing Winds of Sustainability

The wind blows pretty steadily across the plains of South Dakota, making it an obvious choice for wind farming. The Crow Lake Wind Project near Chamberlain, SD is the largest cooperative owned wind farm in the US with 108 wind turbines. The turbines create about 192 MW of electricity, which is enough for about 129,000 homes. Since its construction, the wind farm has significantly contributed to local economic development; it has created 120,000 jobs from the local labor pool, increased payments across landowners within the vicinity of the project, and given locals involved the ownership of their own energy source. The project has also been accredited by VCS and is owned and operated by Basin Electric Power Cooperative.

The Crow Lake Wind Project is part of a growing investment in wind energy. According to the Department of Energy, more wind energy was installed in 2020 than any other energy source and it now accounts for 42% of new energy capacity nationally. This increase is likely because there are numerous advantages to wind energy. Wind is a very clean and sustainable source of energy, it is more efficient than solar, and it’s highly cost-effective (it is one of the cheapest sources of energy available today). Furthermore, electricity from wind farms is sold at a fixed price over time so it is less subject to the variation in cost and uncertainty of traditional forms of energy.

Common Questions about Wind Energy

What if the wind isn’t blowing?

A 2015 study by the American Wind Energy Association showed that wind farms actually contributed to the stability of the grid and were even more reliable than conventional power plants. It’s true that wind doesn’t always blow, but it’s likely always blowing somewhere. The grid does not just take energy from a single source, but rather balances out across the network to ensure a stable power supply. That is why when conventional power plants shut down for maintenance there isn’t a power shortage. Instead the energy is taken from elsewhere. The same can be true for wind farms.

What about bird collisions?

‍