E4G Principal Pete Ferrell was profiled in the July 1, 2008 issue of Business Week magazine. Available online, the article highlights Pete's years-long effort to help make the Elk River Wind Farm a reality on his 7,000 acre Beaumont, KS ranch, which has been in his family since 1888. more >

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Understanding Wind Energy
Wind energy, as simple as it sounds, is a broad and complicated topic. Reviewing a few of the fundamentals is a helpful way to start in understanding how we got where we are today.

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Wind Energy Development on the Great Plains
Wind development requires six key elements. A quality wind resource, a buyer of the energy produced - thus far electric utilities, electric transmission to connect wind to buyer, quality hardware with installation, and capital. The sixth is the business knowledge and skill to pull the first five together. The Great Plains are alive with wind developers, only some of whom will succeed. The sites below point to the resources.

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Assessing the Wind Resource
While regional wind resource information can point a developer to promising sites actual wind farm design and financing require site specific wind measurements for at least a year and preferably several.

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Land Owner and Wind Lease Assistance
A wind lease may bring significant revenue if turbines are eventually installed. But who you lease to and under what terms and conditions are very important decisions. You want to maximize revenue, minimize risk, and facilitate success without being taken advantage of or making legally binding commitments you or your family may eventually regret. It is important to do your homework. We pride ourselves on being the land owner respectful wind development company and would not expect you to do otherwise.

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Manufacturers of Wind Farm Size Wind Turbines
This list is not intended to be comprehensive, only representative. Wind technology has evolved rapidly in recent years leading to much larger and more reliable but more complex equipment. Manufacturing is highly globalized but centered on Europe where market incentives have encouraged development. Global demand has made wind a seller’s market and lead to significant consolidation. Smaller turbines appropriate for nonutility scale use are not addressed here.

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Wind Energy News Sources
Wind energy has become an incredibly dynamic field and a wide range of news sources have emerged to cover it. The sources noted below focus on wind farm scale development. Some require subscription for full access, which can get pricey. These are ones we like but a "Google" search will yield many other sources. Other aspects ranging from home use to technical research are not covered here.

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Wind Advocacy Groups
Distinct from trade association and research organizations, wind advocacy groups or companies represent different focuses on wind energy development. Some are industry focused; others have an electric utility view. These organizations are an important part of wind development.

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Wind Energy Associations
Wind trade associations have diverse memberships of manufacturers, utilities, developers, consultants, researchers and advocates. With years of experience they offer a lot of information about wind energy. Learning how circumstances and strategies differ in other countries can provide useful insights.

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Incentives for Wind and Other Renewable Energy Development
Energy policy relies on financial incentives delivered largely through our tax system at the state and federal level. Renewable energy, including wind, is no different. Individual state property and other tax incentives, federal depreciation rules and production tax credit, are integral facets of wind energy development. Criteria for eligibility can be complex and require careful research. The sites below are starting points.

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