High Country Energy LLC, a community-based wind energy development located in Olmsted and Dodge counties, announced on Friday that it has sold a 150 megawatt portion of its wind farm to Wisconsin Public Service Corporation, based in Green Bay, Wis.

The High County Energy project, which is managed by National Wind LLC and will be located in both Dodge and Olmsted counties, allows landowners to invest in the project.

Since National Wind is a minority owner, most of the proceeds from the sale will go to High Country Energy landowners, National Wind co-chairman Patrick Pelstring said.

A year ago, only seven landowners were involved, but 55 to 60 landowners have since jumped on board.

"Now we truly do have a community wind project," Pelstring said to an audience of mostly farmers at The Oaks Country Club near Hayfield. "To gain this much success in only 12 months is very, very favorable."

The first phase will include an estimated 100 turbines. However, it could be more than two years before landowners will see turbines on their horizons.

After placement of the turbines has been negotiated, the turbines will be erected and connected to a transmission grid.

WPSC Renewable Energy manager Eric Corroy said that getting the turbines connected to the transmission grid is the hardest part.

Like water being poured into a bucket, energy produced by the turbines will have to travel from the turbine to the transmission grid, then to homes and businesses, as if there were holes in that bucket, Corroy said.

Several landowners have expressed concern about how the turbines might affect their farming operations.

Beef farmer Lisa Heggedahl said she was still being cautious about the project, but was excited to hear the news about the sale. As a child, she always yearned for an old-fashioned windmill on the farm she runs with her father, Donald Heggedahl. She's researched wind farms for the past 10 years, she said.

"Now I'm going to have a huge turbine literally in my backyard," Heggedahl said. "I know we've got a lot of wind out here, and we might as well put it to good use."