A wind company wants to put some towers on my land, who can I contact about buying my own towers and being the owner or is it just not feasible for a farmer to own 7-10 MW of towers?

ndman, thank you very much for your inquiry!

Currently the most common way for land-owners to participate in commercial-scale wind development is to lease their land to a larger wind developer. This is done by agreeing to a lease or easement where the landowner typically receives compensation for having the turbines installed on their property. There are other options however.

Two options are to form a joint venture with others or own them yourself. Typical commercial-scale community wind energy projects range from 2-50 MW, thus your proposed 7-10 MW fits this model. Common forms of joint ownership are Limited Liability Companies (LLC) and partnerships. These options are more common due to the limited liability of one individual.

The last option is privately/community owned wind power. A community-based project is perhaps the best way for the broadest group of people to participate in and benefit from harvesting the wind. Examples include school districts investing in wind power as another source of revenue and municipalities drive the local utility to develop wind power.

Before choosing one of these business models, it is important to decide how much time, money and effort you are willing to invest in any project. It is not uncommon for a wind development project to last a few years. The risk involved in developing wind power on your own is higher than leasing to an outside wind developer. The best advice is to do your research and meet with accountants and attorneys experienced in wind development.

I encourage you to browse the information available about private/community ownership of wind power below. The information can assist you in determining the best option available.

http://www.windustry.org/CommunityWindToolbox

I also encourage you to view our information on leases located below. Understanding any lease offer is important and we recommend hiring a qualified lawyer to ensure the quality of the lease.

http://www.windustry.org/leases

Here is a link to wind energy projects that are in use/development and can give you a better idea of successful stores:

http://www.windustry.org/cw-case-studies

Also, this link will bring you to wind energy companies that specialize in anything from consulting to turbine sales:

http://www.windustry.org/your-wind-project/wind-energy-...ind-energy-companies

After reading this information and you have any specific questions, please feel free to contact us again!

Best of luck!

Dan-Windustry
dan@windustry.org