Pretty soon crops won't be the only things Paulding County farmers will be harvesting. ..."There are a number of groups looking at Paulding and Van Wert County as a source for wind farms," said Jim Lopshire, Ohio State University extension agent. "People have been receptive to the idea and open to wind energy. The big concern is there are lots of questions with in-depth contract and leases and making sure you feel comfortable with the arrangement."

The largest number of proposals for alternative energy in Ohio represent wind power followed by hydro and biomass, said Art Meyer, a DP&L senior vice president. Many are from out of state. "Most of the proposals are still in the design or developmental phase," he said. DP&L does not expect to forge an agreement for renewable power before 2011, but that won't stop new energy conservation initiatives starting in 2009. Here's what the future looks like.

Anna Locci, director of Squire Valleevue Farm, says all feedback looks good for approval of wind turbines there. Locci said farm owner Case Western Reserve University wants one turbine only and has no intention of having a wind farm or selling power. She said the farm's principal intention is education. Case does a lot of outreach programs with children there as well as research.

Both major wind development companies looking to build turbines in Logan County faced setbacks recently, though modified plans are still moving forward. "Basically we are still working on development plans for the Logan County project, but at this time, we have decided to release land owners from an area that will not be developed," said Matt Dallas, spokesman for Babcock and Brown.

The size of a planned wind farm in Groton and Oxford townships will depend largely on how many farmers want to lease their land to harvest money from the air, the development's project manager says. "Without you, there is no project," Matthew Krivos, project manager for JW Great Lakes Wind, told a group of about 50 rural landowners and others who assembled for a Wednesday night meeting at Groton Township Hall.

"If people are expecting to have a wind turbine supply all their energy needs, it's never been designed to do so. The fuel source is wind itself and wind doesn't blow constantly. It's designed to help supply more expensive intermediate-load electricity." Intermediate load capacity - as opposed to baseload capacity - is the extra electricity needed certain times of day to do certain activities around the home, such as using a hair dryer.

A New York firm apparently is the only viable company remaining among three suitors interested in using publicly owned land on Conneaut's East Side for a wind turbine farm, City Council learned at Monday's work session. City administrators have heard nothing from two companies that months ago expressed interest in dozens of acres within the East Conneaut Industrial Park, council was told. As a result, the city will extend an invitation to BQ Energy to submit a proposal for the property, council agreed.

City officials are willing to pay to literally find out which way the wind is blowing. The City Council on Nov. 3 approved spending up to $16,000 as the city's share of a wind monitoring study with Grusenmeyer Land LLC. The funds, one-half the project cost, will be used to purchase, install, service and monitor an anemometer east of the city to test wind speed and direction.

The first company to make a pitch for a wind turbine farm on Conneaut's East Side was also the first to see its proposal rejected by City Council. By a 5-2 vote, council Monday night rejected a contract with SGR Site Associates of Willoughby that would have sold the company nearly 160 acres of land within the East Conneaut Industrial Park. The contract, tabled earlier this month for further study, was revived for a deciding vote at Monday's meeting. The measure would have given SGR a two-year option on the land and the chance to buy the property for $2,400 an acre.

Councilman-at-Large Jacob Chicatelli Monday night railed against peers reluctant to consider a contract with the first firm to publicly express interest in a wind turbine project on city-owned land near the state line. Chicatelli said the city is guaranteed to earn more than $300,000 through a pending contract with SGR Site Associates of Willoughby. Companies that want to lease the land, within the East Conneaut Industrial Park, can't promise a similar return, he said. Chicatelli said he will move to revive the SGR contract in time for next week's regular meeting.

A representative for an energy consulting firm urged City Council to stand firm when dealing with companies keen on erecting wind turbines on city-owned property. Patti Shore, of Eurus Energy America Corp., said the city has every right to expect a fair return on the use of its land, regardless of how the property is used in a wind-farm project. Shore's company usually works with energy companies on such projects but also could help Conneaut secure the best deal possible, she said.

In the three-way horse race to erect a wind turbine farm in the Conneaut area, BQ Energy may be leading at the turn. City Council members who attended a Thursday afternoon presentation by the wind energy company were blown away by what they heard. There's a good chance the firm will be invited to prepare a formal proposal, Council President James Jones said Friday. "We may be talking to them about a proposal," he said.

City Council will have further conversations with a New York-based developer interested in erecting wind turbines in the Conneaut area, members agreed Thursday afternoon. No proposals were broached during the hour-long meeting with BQ Energy, but council - impressed with the presentation - seemed open to more dialogue. ...BQ is the third and most recent developer to contact the city about creating a wind farm in the surrounding area. Thursday's meeting served as an informal introduction.

Lake Erie's wind, geology and habitat can accommodate towering wind turbines, new studies from a local energy task force say. Cuyahoga County officials this week rolled out the first three reports from their $1 million study of a grand vision -- erecting two to 10 wind turbines in the lake off Cleveland's shore. ...Turbine noise and vibration could disturb fish, the study said. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources also cautioned that federal rules might require security zones around the towers, diverting recreational fishing and boating.

Legislation that could sell nearly 160 acres of city-owned land for a possible wind farm was tabled at Monday's City Council meeting. Councilman-at-Large Chris Castrilla tabled the measure, in its third and final reading, after three members opposed amending the contract to include concessions recently agreed to by SGR Site Associates of Willoughby. The legislation would approve a two-year option agreement with SGR for the land, which abuts the state line. SGR representatives have said the city land is needed primarily to connect larger parcels to the north and south.

City-owned land sought for a proposed wind turbine farm is needed primarily to link two more important parcels and may not contain any turbines at all, City Council learned at Monday's work session. Ron Gainar of SGR Site Associates said wetlands concerns and other issues may prevent any of the gigantic turbines from sprouting on the 159 acres at stake within the East Conneaut Industrial Park. The placement of turbines on the proposed farm is important because some council members hoped the city could receive a percentage of the profit earned by turbines built on park property.

Whichever way the wind blows regarding Conneaut's two competing alternative energy proposals, the state stands ready to assist, officials said. Dueling wind turbine farm concepts pitched to City Council in recent months prompted Monday's informational meeting, featuring experts from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Ohio Department of Development. The pair, joined by State Sen. Capri Cafaro and State Rep. Deborah Newcomb, updated City Council and a capacity audience on Ohio's burgeoning wind farm initiative.

City Council in Conneaut is becoming increasingly skeptical of a proposed agreement that could help transform a large chunk of publicly owned land into a wind turbine farm. Council had plenty of questions Tuesday night regarding an ordinance that would sell 159 acres of the East Conneaut Industrial Park to SGR Site Associates of Willoughby. The lengthy contract, introduced for action last month, apparently is headed for a major overhaul before council gives it serious consideration.

Edward Somppi, acting Conneaut city manager, asked council not to act on a proposed land option at the Aug. 25 council meeting. He said there is a lot of work to be done on the project. City leaders said they are seeking help from State Rep. Deborah Newcomb, D-Conneaut, and State Sen. Capri Cafaro, D-Hubbard, relating to the wind farm project. "We really haven't done our due diligence," Campbell and it takes us six months (to do the research) we should," he said.

Another suitor has surfaced for city-owned land that could create a wind turbine farm on Conneaut's east side. Property Investment Enterprises of Geneva hopes to meet next week to open discussions about a possible one-year purchase agreement for all the unoccupied land within the East Conneaut Industrial Park, said Michael White, a partner in the business. "(The park land) is a fantastic location," he said. "It has a deep water port, railways and highways. Everything is there. That site is ideal."