Two wind power projects are blowing through Fillmore County. EcoEnergy of Elgin, Ill., has released plans for an $850 million wind farm in Bristol Township, a rural farming community near the Iowa border in southern Fillmore County. The company has scheduled construction for 2009, assuming the project moves forward as planned ...Others are also following suit. Fillmore Wind owner Larry Tammel has filed for a test turbine on his land.

Greg Jaunich, a longtime Minnesota wind-power entrepreneur, pleaded guilty Tuesday to mail fraud in connection with federal charges that he bilked Xcel Energy of up to $400,000 with false meter readings from a couple of mostly inactive turbines. Jaunich's plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson. Jaunich, 47, who will be sentenced by Magnuson at a later date, faces a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison.

A proposal to build new high-voltage transmission lines across Minnesota has the backing of some unlikely supporters. Several environmental groups say they are in favor of the project if it helps provide a means of transporting wind power and other renewable energy. "We do have very aggressive renewable energy goals in Minnesota," said Beth Soholt, director of Wind on the Wires. "And we do believe that without additional transmission investment, we're not going to be able to achieve those goals." However, not all environmental groups agree, and some will demand an alternative at public hearings scheduled this week on the project.

The proposed Bent Tree Wind Farm in northwest Freeborn County could come under new ownership. Wisconsin Power & Light Co., a subsidiary of Alliant Energy Corp., created a letter of intent to purchase the 400-megawatt wind farm site from Wind Capital Group, according to a press release. ...The wind farm's total cost is estimated at $760 million, at $1.8 million per megawatt to build. The farm would have 150 to 270 turbines ranging in size from 1.5 to 2.5 megawatts. Each turbine must be located 1,000 feet from every residence.

Suzlon Rotor Corp., a manufacturer of wind turbine blades in Pipestone, has paid a $19,000 penalty to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) for alleged violations of air quality regulations. According to the MPCA, the company failed to obtain an air quality permit prior to construction and operation of the facility. With the potential to emit 27 tons per year of hazardous air pollutants, 17 tons of which could be xylene, the company is subject to federal standards for hazardous air pollutants. Xylene includes types of benzene used as solvents. Construction of the plant began without an air quality permit in November 2005, and the facility began operation one year later.

Officials from Clear Wind met with Kenyon area residents in March to discuss the possibility of putting up windmills in part of Kenyon Township. The Minneapolis company is looking at a number of wind energy projects in Minnesota, South Dakota and Nebraska but "nothing is definitive" in this area, said Heather Wayne, Clear Wind project coordinator. ... Not all residents are pleased that Goodhue County may become a wind farm hot spot. A grassroots group called Citizens for Environmental Rights and Safety has fought Kenyon Wind's nine-turbine farm from the beginning and, despite state approval of the project, still continues to battle construction of the wind farm.

Grand Rapids Township Road Commissioner Steve Lehr talked about wind towers and trucks at the township's meeting Tuesday. He told board members Invenergy, the company building a wind farm in La Salle County, has changed its plans. "I'm told that there will be 34 wind towers in their second phase and that they will all be in Grand Rapids Township," Lehr reported. ...At last month's meeting, Invenergy reported nine turbines were completely constructed in the township and 31 partial turbines were in progress. The company reported all towers should be built by Thursday, May 15, and phase one could be finished in mid-July.

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.

Kruger joined about 100 residents Thursday at a public forum to learn more about wind power. Dodge County's Economic Development Authority sponsored the event. The wind farms can be a boon for farmers, with hundreds of thousands of dollars in lease payments. But experts urge residents to speak with an attorney before signing leases. ...there are other issues to consider too, said Annette Bair, a Clean Energy Resource Team coordinator in southwest Minnesota. Those issues include noise, appearance, shadow flicker (from sunlight hitting the blades) and construction work needed to install the turbines.

National Wind will typically own 30 percent of the project; the rest belongs to local farmers and landowners. "If the local community is invested in it, then we know that this project has a higher likelihood of happening," National Wind Chief Executive Leon Steinberg said. "Investors like that because they know there will be less resistance. Utilities like it because they are likely to be built and built on time." ...The company charges the community a one-time development fee, a percentage of the total cost of the project. In addition, National Wind earns a portion of the money generated by the project once it starts selling electricity to utilities.

Officials in Tower received a reality check on Monday that is likely to forestall any wind power development in the city for the foreseeable future, but could prompt the city to join forces with Mt. Iron on a joint project somewhere on the Iron Range. The change in direction came during a nearly two-hour meeting with consultant Gary Cerkvenik ...Cerkvenik had wind data which suggested those sites would likely be disappointing. The same data showed the immediate shore of Lake Vermilion has significant wind potential, but Cerkvenik said public opposition would likely prove a major hurdle to a wind project there. Cerkvenik also discouraged consideration of installing just one or two turbines.

Uncertainties about the funding and risk involved in a wind energy development led the Rochester School Board on Tuesday to authorize a withdrawal from the project. In November the board entered into an agreement with developer Johnson Controls Inc. and 23 other Minnesota school districts to pursue the planning of a 10- to 20-megawatt wind farm in a yet-to-be-determined location. ..."There are so many unknowns, and I'm very uncomfortable with it right now. In principle, I love it. But I don't feel we're at a point where we can put our budget at risk," Fischer said.

Plans are under way for a new wind farm in western Dodge County that could power up to 100,000 homes. Nature Energies, a European-based company, hopes to build a 450 megawatt wind farm with up to 300 wind turbines, said Jeff Cook-Coyle, the company's development vice president. Cook-Coyle, a Rochester resident, said western Dodge County is an ideal spot for the project -- thanks in part to good wind and a nearby transmission line. ...The area's strong wind is helping attract wind farm developers. He said he first met with Nature Energies representatives a year ago. The company has not submitted any applications to the county at this time. But Nature Energies has sponsored public meetings for landowners to learn more about the project and consider leasing space for wind turbines.

Seven 196-foot meteorological towers will be erected early this spring in southern Nobles County to measure the wind. The temporary towers will be constructed by Tower Associates LLC, a Juno Beach, Fla., company, to determine if the sites are suitable for future wind development. Steve Stengel, spokesman for FPL Energy, which is conducting the project, said the meteorological towers will collect wind speed data for 18 months to two years before a decision is made regarding possible construction of wind turbines on the sites. "What you're seeing in (Nobles) County is the early stages of investigation," Stengel said. "It certainly is not a signal that a wind project is imminent.

As expected, the Mower County Board of Commissioners agreed Tuesday to table action on three requests for an EnXco wind energy project. The firm received the recommendation of approval for their requests a week ago from the Mower County Planning Commission. However, many concerns were raised by residents of Pleasant Valley and Grand Meadow townships, who live near the high voltage transmission line route or the substation EnXco plans to construct. The commission recommended the commissioners table action until the petitioner and the citizens can meet to discuss the issues.

The largest wind turbine manufactured in the United States is running into some technical difficulty. Clipper Windpower Inc.'s 2.5-MW Liberty wind turbines at the 20-MW Steel Winds facility in Lackawanna, N.Y., are malfunctioning due to faulty gear sets. "At first, we were receiving great performance from the turbines," said Michael Alvarez, executive vice president and COO of UPC Wind Partners LLC, which co-owns the facility with BQ Energy LLC. "Over the summer, a gear-timing issue in the drive train's secondary stage was detected in some of Clipper Windpower's Liberty wind turbines at the Steel Winds site. The cause was found to be a supplier quality deficiency in the drive train attributable to the suppliers' manufacturing process. As part of Clipper's warranty, upgraded drive trains will be installed into all eight turbines at the Steel Winds site. Currently, two turbines are in operation."

A civil dispute over alleged defects in wind-energy generation turbines filed by a regional power agency is headed to federal court. Last week, the Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency filed suit in Olmsted District Court asking a district judge to order the defendant, Vestas American Wind Technology Inc., to enter into arbitration to resolve the dispute. SMMPA claims it has suffered damages exceeding $7 million stemming from defects in four wind-energy generation turbines in western Minnesota.

The project's official name is "Capacity Expansion by 2020," or "CapX2020" for short. It is being driven by an alliance of 11 different utility companies throughout the region, which covers all of Minnesota as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Wisconsin. The power line planned for this area is one of three 345 kV lines proposed at different areas of the state as part of the the CapX2020 project. The project also includes construction of one 230 kV line between Bemidji and Grand Rapids. A public hearing for residents of this area is scheduled for next Tuesday, in Cannon Falls. It is one of many meetings still to come during the CapX2020 planning process. ...Rate payers from all area power utility companies will see an increase in their bills as a result of the CapX2020 construction, he added. Though Fordice could not put a specific amount on how much the increase to utility bills will be - probably $1.50 to $2 a month - the project itself is going to cost $1.4 billion, which will be divided among all 11 utility companies.

A power agency claims it has suffered damages exceeding $7 million stemming from defects in four wind-energy generation turbines in the western Minnesota. Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency, based in Rochester, is asking a district court judge to order the defendant, Vestas American Wind Technology Inc. of California to resolve the dispute through arbitration. ...SMMPA alleges that the turbines have design and manufacturing defects. Duffy said Vestas has refused to address the defects. As a result, he says, SMMPA has lost revenue from down-time caused by system failures. In addition, the defects have accelerated the depreciation of the turbines and their components, there has been a loss of future revenue from the down-time, there have been increased costs, and there has damage to crops and long-term damage to cropland from ground compression due to crane movement.

Horizon Wind Energy's expansion efforts have generated a new need: maintenance of the turbines and the system. LeRoy's the likely site of a facility for an operations building that's planned by the wind energy company. "It's not concrete yet, but it's very likely," said Horizon's operations manager Kevin Clark. "One way or another, we'll be building an operations building next year, and right now, it's almost certain it will be in LeRoy." ...The 200-megawatt site being built next year, called Pioneer Prairie, will consist of 122 turbines, with plans to possibly add 60 more turbines in 2009. The wind farm will run west from LeRoy to Stacyville, Iowa.