Iowa communities purchase GE Wind Turbines

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Iowa communities purchase GE Wind Turbines

By Greentech Lead America: GE announced that a wind
initiative group has purchased eight GE wind turbines to power a 12.6-megawatt
(MW) community wind initiative in rural southwestern Iowa. The group consists
of 180 community members who each bought shares in the units.

The wind initiative group has purchased two GE 1.5-MW turbines and six 1.6-82.5
wind turbines.  Combined, the eight units will generate electricity
for the towns of Greenfield and Fontanelle as well as other surrounding
communities in the region.

The power generated by the projects will be sold to three
of Farmers Electric Cooperative’s 11 substations, the City of Fontanelle and
the City of Greenfield. All remaining power generated will be purchased by
Central Iowa Power Cooperative (CIPCO), the regional power distributor, which
will provide this power to other nearby communities.

“When we developed our business model, it was critical that we select the right
project partner and technology supplier to help us implement our project for
the benefit of all project investors, as well as the communities where we
live,” said Randy Caviness, president of Green Energy Farmers.

Each turbine provides
benefits from tax credits, land lease royalty payments, property taxes and
dividends totaling $1.08 million annually over a period of 10 years. The state
of Iowa offers a 10-year tax credit for small wind power projects that generate
less than 2.5 MW. Local counties where the projects are being built offer
property tax incentives for the first seven years.

GE will
provide maintenance support for the turbines under 10-year customer service
agreements to ensure the long-term availability of the turbines.

“10 percent of U.S. states generate more than 10 percent of their electricity
from wind, with Iowa as one of the leaders at 19 percent. The community wind
energy initiative in Iowa represents an important model for other towns and
communities to learn from,” said Vic Abate, vice president of renewable energy
for GE.

GE to supply 1.6 and 2.75 wind turbines to Longyuan Canada
Renewables

Recently, GE announced that Longyuan Canada
Renewables will install GE’s advanced technology wind turbines at 100 MW
Dufferin Wind Farm in Ontario, Canada. GE will supply 31 of its 1.6-100 wind
turbines and 18 of its 2.75-103 wind turbines for the project.

 


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