Press Releases

2010 Press Releases

July 2010

Kasson, MN - July 29th, 2010: High Country Energy, LLC has elected Michael Frost to the wind project’s local advisory board. Frost, a farmer and participant in High Country Energy, was elected to the board during the project’s recent annual member’s meeting. He represents community members within High Country’s northern footprint, located in Dodge County’s Concord, Milton,...



MINNEAPOLIS, - July 26th, 2010: National Wind announces today the launch of its patent-pending Windfrastructure Partner Program. Windfrastructure enables large power users to purchase renewable energy in a financially neutral manner.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA)...



June 2010

Kasson, MN, June 4th, 2010: High Country Energy, LLC is in search of new advisory board candidates to fill one open seat and up to three others which are up for re-election. Candidates will be chosen from amongst interested parties who currently are or may become project participants. The advisory board is a key component to the development approach of High Country Energy’s community...



May 2010

NEW YORK-MINNEAPOLIS, May 20th, 2010: Deutsche Bank, and National Wind, LLC are pleased to announce the successful closing of a senior secured financing facility for National Wind. It is also expected that Deutsche Bank will help finance National Wind’s growing wind project portfolio, consisting of 13 projects, representing over 4,000 megawatts in active development. Headquartered in...



Eden, South Dakota, May 5th, 2010: Dakota Wind Energy, along with its managing member, National Wind, announces today the acceptance by the Midwest ISO (“MISO”) of its 300 megawatt (MW) interconnection request into the Big Stone II Transmission backfill study group. Regional electrical transmission operator, MISO, identified wind projects that can utilize, or “backfill,” the...



April 2010

Randall County, Texas, April 29th, 2010: Managing member, National Wind of Minneapolis, MN, and KRS Energy of Centennial, Colorado, announce the launch of Buffalo Wind Energy, LLC, a utility-scale, community wind project located in west central Randall County (the “Buffalo Wind Project”). The Buffalo Wind Project plans to develop up to 300 megawatts of wind energy.

Buffalo...



St. Paul, MN, April 20th, 2010: On April 15th, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) unanimously confirmed the Goodhue Wind Project as a Community-Based Energy Development (C-BED) project, issued a draft site permit and accepted Xcel Energy’s request to approve the project’s Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). Most importantly the MPUC denied a request for contested case status...



February 2010

Atwater, MN - February 17th, 2010.- Lake Country Wind Energy, LLC and National Wind announce that nearly 25,000 acres of land have been secured for the project. The acres leased in Meeker and Kandiyohi Counties represent over three-quarters of the land needed to develop the 340 megawatt (MW) community-owned wind farm. The project’s goal is to sign 30,000 acres.

With nearly 25,...



Julesburg, CO- February 17th, 2010.- NECO Wind announces that Phillips County, Colorado was recently awarded a $2.5 million Community Renewable Energy Grant by the U.S. Department of Energy to help finance its community-based wind energy development. The grant, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will help jumpstart development on the first 30 megawatt (MW) phase of the...



January 2010

Hamburg/Denver, January 19th, 2010.- REpower Systems AG (WKN 617703) has received a contract from National Wind LLC, America’s leading large-scale community wind project developer, to supply 20 MM92 wind turbines. The MM92 type turbines have a rated power of 2.05 MW (megawatts) and a hub height of 100 meters. The turbines will be used in the first phase of the Lake Country Wind Energy...



2009 Press Releases

December 2009

Ostrander, MN - December 10th, 2009- Root River Energy, along with managing partner, National Wind, is proud to announce that it has secured over 20,000 acres of land in Mower and Fillmore Counties. This represents about two-thirds of the leased acres needed to develop up to 300 megawatts of community-owned wind energy in the area. With 10,000 acres signed in the last few months, Root...



November 2009

Ostrander, MN - November 30th, 2009- Root River Energy is pleased to announce the opening of its local office in Ostrander, MN. The office is located in the new Ostrander Farmer’s Co-op at 208 Main Street, #4, P.O. Box 156. The local headquarters will allow Root River Energy to better address the growing demand for involvement in the project, along with improving services to its current...



500+ Megawatt Wind Development Allows Montana Landowners to Share in Project Revenues

Billings, Montana - November 30th, 2009- National Wind, working with area ranchers and Billings-based, Montana Wind Resources, LLC, announces today the formation of Judith Highlands Energy, LLC. Judith Highlands Energy plans to develop over 500 megawatts (MW) of community-owned wind...



Minneapolis, MN- November 17th, 2009- National Wind, LLC announces today that Megan Sorensen has joined the company as a wind farm developer. Sorensen’s responsibilities include helping manage the development of two key wind projects, 300 megawatt Root River Energy in Fillmore County, Minnesota and 300 megawatt Northwest Ohio Wind Energy in Grover Hill, Ohio.

Sorensen brings 5 years of...



October 2009

Minneapolis, MN - October 13, 2009 - Updating our country's critical infrastructure is a hurdle President Obama shares with former President Dwight Eisenhower. In 1956, President Eisenhower was confronted with a patchwork of county and state highways that impeded interstate commerce. Seeing an opportunity to restructure an outdated system, he championed a network of federally planned...



Minneapolis, MN- October 20th, 2009- National Wind, LLC announces today the promotion of Scott Hafner and Chuck Burdick to Senior Wind Farm Developers. Both Burdick and Hafner will be primarily responsible for leading the overall management of several of National Wind’s key developments.

“We are proud to promote Hafner and Burdick because they have demonstrated exemplary...



September 2009

Somerville, MA and Grand Forks, ND- September 17th, 2009 – National Wind Assessments, a team of independent wind consultants, has adopted Second Wind’s Triton Sonic Wind Profiler to add value to its wind resource assessment offerings.

Designed and manufactured by Somerville, Mass.-based Second Wind Inc., a leading provider of wind assessment systems, the Triton is an advanced...



Grover Hill, Ohio – September 16, 2009 – Northwest Ohio Wind Energy, LLC, announces the addition of a new field specialist to its community wind development team. Bradley Norden, of Wauseon, OH, will work with landowners and farmers in southern Paulding and northern Van Wert Counties to develop 300 megawatts (MW) of community-owned wind power projects in the area.

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Minneapolis, MN - September 1, 2009 - During the campaign, President Obama laid out his vision for combating global climate change. Unfortunately, President Obama’s original vision seems to have been all but forgotten. His original proposal included a call for a national renewable energy standard (RES) where, by the year 2025, a full quarter of the nation’s electricity would be...



June 2009

Minneapolis, Minnesota – June 12th, 2009 – On June 15th’s Global Wind Day, sponsored by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) and the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), National Wind underscores the myriad benefits not only of wind energy but specifically of community-based development. Community wind projects have 5 times the local economic impact and 3.4 times the impact on local job...



Ortonville, Minnesota – June 3, 2009 – Little Rock Wind, LLC, along with its managing partner, National Wind, LLC, announce today the closing of its asset purchase agreement with community-owned wind project Big Stone Wind, LLC. The assets acquired include development capital, land rights, an 80 meter meteorological tower and historical wind data, and various in-progress development assets...



May 2009

Minneapolis, Minnesota – May 28, 2009 – National Wind, LLC, announces today that it has received the 2009 Minnesota Environmental Initiative (MEI) Green Business and Environmental Management Award. The award recognizes National Wind’s business model of partnering with communities to build utility-scale wind farms. National Wind is currently developing twelve families of wind projects across...



April 2009

Grand Forks, North Dakota – National Wind Assessments is pleased to announce that its own Debbie Jacklitch-Kuiken, a Project Manager and Wind Analyst, has been named the North Dakota Society of Professional Engineers’ (NDSPE) 2008 Young Engineer of the Year. The annual award honors one distinguished North Dakota engineer under the age of thirty-five (35) who demonstrates excellent leadership...



Grover Hill, Ohio – April 14, 2009 – National Wind, LLC, announces today the formation of Northwest Ohio Wind Energy, LLC, a community wind development company in Paulding and Van Wert Counties in Ohio. A group of area landowners and investors previously organized as Ohio Wind Energy, LLC, joined with National Wind, LLC, and the local community to form Northwest Ohio Wind Energy. Northwest...



Minneapolis, Minnesota – April 10th, 2009 – National Wind announces today that it is the newest voting member of the Mid-Continent Energy Marketers Association (MEMA). Formed in 2003, MEMA is an independent non-profit trade association with nearly 100 members. The MEMA works with the Federal Energy Regulation Commission (FERC) to provide rulings, representation and education to improve...



April 10th, 2009 – The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) will be hosting the WINDPOWER 2009 Conference and Exhibition – the largest annual wind conference and exhibition in the world – from May 4th to May 7th. This year, National Wind will be exhibiting at booth #1411. National Wind is dedicated to educating the public and industry officials about its unique utility-scale...



April 8th, 2009 – The Iowa Wind Energy Association (IWEA) held its second annual conference last Thursday, April 2nd, 2009, at the Iowa Lakes Community College in Estherville, Iowa. Wind energy has been quickly advancing in Iowa, with a record year in 2008. Now with 2,790 MW of wind energy, Iowa has surpassed California and is ranked second in the nation only to Texas in terms of...



Minneapolis, Minnesota – April 6th, 2009 – National Wind, LLC is pleased to announce today the promotion of Travis Moen to the position of Wind Energy Project Developer. Mr. Moen, who has worked for National Wind for approximately 18 months, will focus primarily in his new role on projects located in North Dakota, South Dakota and Western Minnesota. This promotion is in recognition of...



March 2009

Leon Steinberg, Chief Executive Officer of National Wind, has been invited to speak at the first German American Energy Conference. The conference, hosted by the German American Chambers of Commerce and the German Energy Agency (dena), will take place in Berlin from March 30 to April 2, 2009. The theme of this inaugural conference is “Renewable Energy Boom USA.” Steinberg will be presenting...



Ortonville, Minnesota – March 12th, 2009 –National Wind, LLC announces today the formation of Little Rock Wind, LLC, its 7th Minnesota-based, community-owned wind energy company. The company has been formed in partnership with several Big Stone County community members. These members have created a board of advisors that will work with National Wind to develop up to 150 megawatts of...



Bird Island, Minn. – March 10, 2009 – National Wind, LLC, and Norfolk Wind Energy, today announced plans to develop a new community wind project in Renville County, Minnesota. National Wind, LLC, will act as the project manager for Norfolk Wind Energy, LLC, and will assist in the development of 40 megawatts (MW) of community-based wind power in central Minnesota, with the opportunity...



2008 Press Releases

December 2008

Estherville, Iowa--December 11, 2008 - The development of wind energy in Northwest Iowa will expand again with the formation of Red Rock Wind Energy, LLC of Estherville, a community-owned wind farm development company. Red Rock Wind Energy, with their project manager National Wind of Minneapolis, plans to develop up to 300 megawatts (MW) of wind energy in Emmet and Dickinson Counties,...



Kasson, MN- December 8th, 2008- High Country Energy, LLC, along with its manager National Wind, LLC, announces today the opening of an office in Kasson, Minnesota. This new office will allow High Country Energy to better address the growing demand for local involvement in their wind farm development, along with improving services to the current 190 local participating residents.

...


October 2008

Minneapolis, Minnesota – October 31, 2008 - National Wind Assessments announced today an agreement with Composite Tower Solutions, becoming the first exclusive US dealer of their 80 meter meteorological (met) towers. National Wind Assessments recently installed an 80-meter composite met tower in Fillmore County for National Wind’s 300 megawatt Root River Energy wind farm development.

A...



Goodhue, Minnesota – October 28, 2008 – National Wind LLC announces today the formation of Goodhue Wind LLC, a community wind development company in Goodhue County, Minnesota. National Wind, the project’s manager, helped capitalize Goodhue Wind alongside local Goodhue County investors. Goodhue Wind intends to develop a 78 megawatt (MW) wind farm, which will supply clean, renewable energy to...



Kasson, Minnesota – October 20th, 2008 –- Two new faces join High Country Energy’s advisory board, providing fresh insight into the development of its wind farm. The High Country Energy members elected to the board are John Meyer of Stewartville and Lisa Heggedahl of Hayfield. High Country Energy’s board of advisors is an important part of the community development model. Their role is...



Julesburg, Colorado – October 8, 2008 – National Wind, LLC, announces today its partnership with landowners in Sedgwick, Phillips, and Logan Counties in Colorado, to form and capitalize NECO Wind, LLC. NECO Wind, which stands for Northeast Colorado Wind, will construct 400 megawatts (MW) or more of wind energy generation facilities under the management of National Wind. When complete,...



August 2008

Eden, South Dakota - August 27, 2008- Dakota Wind Energy, LLC, a South Dakota community-owned wind development company, achieved an important project milestone today. They now have over 40,000 acres of land under option in connection with its plans to develop South Dakota’s largest community-based wind farm in Day, Roberts and Marshall Counties. This is over half the acres needed to...



July 2008

Eden, South Dakota - July 18, 2008 - Dakota Wind Energy, LLC, a South Dakota community-owned wind development company, announces an intrastate public offering of its securities. This offering is only open to South Dakota resident landowners who grant wind-related rights to Dakota Wind Energy. Dakota Wind Energy plans to develop over 750 megawatts of community-owned wind farms in...



June 2008

Minneapolis, Minnesota - June 26, 2008 – Fillmore, Meeker, and Kandiyohi Counties, Minnesota – Central and Southeastern Minnesota landowners now have an opportunity to participate in two large-scale, community-owned projects. National Wind, LLC announces today its partnership with local landowners to form two Minnesota wind development companies, Root River Energy, LLC, in Fillmore...



May 2008

Minneapolis, Minnesota - May 20, 2008 – National Wind Assessments announced today its agreement to install ten 60-meter meteorological (met) towers for Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) throughout the state of Nebraska. NPPD requested proposals from several wind assessment companies earlier this year, and awarded National Wind Assessments the contract. In addition, National Wind...



Minneapolis, Minnesota - May 30, 2008 – A safety, work-gear manufacturer doesn’t usually give a product endorsement to a wind power developer, until now. National Wind Assessments announces today that it has received an endorsement contract from Ergodyne Work Gear, based out of St. Paul, Minnesota.

But the question remains, why a product endorsement for a wind-...



April 2008

Minneapolis, Minnesota - April 18, 2008 – National Wind, LLC announced today the appointment of Terry Lynner to its Board of Directors. Mr. Lynner brings more than twenty years of experience in securities law and investment banking.

"We are extremely pleased to welcome Terry to the board. His breadth of knowledge in business and law in diverse industries, along with his...



Sioux Falls, South Dakota - April 25, 2008 - Dakota Wind Energy announces today that two on-site meteorological towers were installed for the state's first large-scale community-based wind development. Both wind towers are located in Marshall County. Ongoing wind data will be collected from these towers to accurately assess the wind regime in the area. A minimum of one year of...



Minneapolis, Minnesota - April 30, 2008 – National Wind, LLC, announces today that Tryg Sarsland will join National Wind as Vice President and Director of Project Finance. Formerly, Mr. Sarsland was Vice-President at Meridian Companies, LLC, in Boston, Massachusetts. Throughout his career, he has structured and syndicated financing for over $4,000,000,000 of renewable energy projects...



March 2008

Minneapolis, Minn. – High Country Energy, LLC, and Wisconsin Public Service Corporation (WPSC), a subsidiary of Integrys Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE: TEG), announced today that WPSC has signed a letter of intent to acquire a 150-Megawatt (MW) portion of the High Country wind project. The High Country Wind Energy Park, located in Dodge and Olmsted Counties, Minnesota, is planned to include...



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February 2008

Minneapolis, Minnesota - February 14, 2008 – National Wind, LLC announces it has hired ten additional employees to help develop several community-based wind projects in North and South Dakota. Additional help is needed due to the high volume of interest and demand for community wind projects in the area. Five employees join the North and South Dakota team, Charlie Kraemer, Mark...



January 2008

Minneapolis, Minn. - January 11, 2008 – National Wind Assessments, a wind resource assessment and met tower installation and monitoring firm, announces today the addition of four employees and the opening of a new office at the Corporate Center in downtown Grand Forks, North Dakota. The added staff and new office location will help the company meet its rising external customer demand...



2007 Press Releases

November 2007

Dodge and Olmsted Counties, Minn. - November 14, 2007 – High Country Energy, LLC, announced today that Dana Christie, a local landowner and farmer, will join the company’s Advisory Board for the nation’s largest planned (Community-Based-Energy-Development) C-BED wind project. Christie has farmed in the Olmsted and Dodge County area for the past 30 years and will serve as an additional...



October 2007

Finley, North Dakota - October 2007 – M-Power, LLC announced that it has secured the wind rights necessary to develop the first phase of its community-owned wind energy project in eastern Griggs and western Steele counties. The first phase of the project will be located on 32 sections of agricultural land and will consist of 150 megawatts (MW). The footprint of the first wind farm would...



Minneapolis, Minn.- October 9, 2007 - National Wind, LLC announces today that it has acquired Romuld Wind Consulting LLC, an experienced wind resource assessment and energy analysis firm, headquartered in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Renamed National Wind Assessments, this new division will serve as the cornerstone of National Wind’s service offering, working with external customers and...



September 2007

Minneapolis, Minn. - September 2007 – National Wind, LLC announces its partnership with the community to form and capitalize High Country Energy, LLC. When completed, it will be the largest community- owned (C-BED) wind energy project in Minnesota and in the country. National Wind will manage the development and construction of High Country Energy’s 300 megawatt (MW) wind farm located...