Abstract: . . .  watt-hours) of electricity annually from about 225 gigawatts of wind energy capacity. Most of that capacity is along Buffalo Ridge, a geological formation that runs through portions of Minnesota, North and South Dakota, and Iowa. Commissioned in 1994, the Buffalo Ridge Windplant produces 25 megawatts of pollution-free electricity for sale to Northern States Power Company, a major Minnesota utility, under a long-term contract. Northern States Power secured approximately 2,000 acres of privately owned land under easement for construction of the Phase I wind towers. Corn and soybean crops continue to be grown and harvested in the fields surrounding the turbines. An additional 107 megawatts were commissioned in 1998, and another 175 megawatts in 1999. State mandates for clean power production will result in a total of 425 megawatts of new wind power plants by 2002 and 400 megawatts more by 2012. By that time, the region’s wind plants will be capable of producing a total of 825 megawatts of electricity. This would offset approximately 1.7 million tons of CO 2 emissions from fossil fuel power plants annually.  . . .
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