Wind Moving Forward in West Central: Damstrom Farm Wind Project

As the clean energy movement sweeps quickly, yet quietly, across Minnesota, communities are discovering new and unique opportunities for renewable energy development. With its diverse and varied landscape, Minnesota has the ability to participate in clean energy development in several ways. From the sweeping prairie plains in the west, to the streams in and rivers in the east, Minnesota is a hotspot for clean energy development.

In the West Central CERT Region of Minnesota, wind is meeting its agriculture application. Craig Damstrom recognized this as an opportunity for him and his neighbors to become involved in their own form of renewable energy. So, Craig did what any other interested person should do. “Go to the internet and start researching; read as much as you can,” he recommends. “Look to see what other people have done, what works, what doesn’t. Investing in large scale energy development is just like any project, you do your research before you become involved.”

Craig Damstrom owns and operates a large scale agriculture operation near the city of Alexandria. As the price of energy has climbed in the past decade, farms with large scale irrigation systems felt the burden more than others. The Damstrom outfit, a 1,500 acre operation comprised of corn, soybean, and sugar beets, wanted, specifically, to become involved in wind energy.

The first step in Craig’s process was to determine the strength of support he could rely on from his community. He began talking to people proposing a community wind farm, and the support flowed in. Letters from Minnesota Congressional representatives, local business, and numerous other professional organizations all applauded him and committed support for his initiative.

With the community’s support as a foundation, Craig contacted National Wind, a company devoted to exploring and evaluating individual sites for their full wind potential. Such an evaluation does not just report “how much wind is blowing,” but this consultation highlights other critically important aspects such as the ability for energy exporting (the process of actually transferring the energy to a site where it can be redistributed) and long term goal planning.

National Wind suggested that he invest in a meteorological tower (MetTower as it is called in the business), to examine his location’s true potential for putting up a wind turbine. National Wind provided him expert consultants and mass amounts of usable data about his location. That is where the WC Clean Energy Resource Team (CERT) was able to help him.

Many of the challenges that the Damstroms have faced in this process have been related to gathering information. Craig said that most of things he has come to understand about wind energy have been learned by asking professionals and personal research. One of the biggest tools that he has been able to draw information from, though, was the feasibility study.

CERTs funding helped to finance the National Wind feasibility study which proved critical for the Damstrom’s project. Applying for new loans and grants require extensive background information regarding a project’s details, such as effectiveness and feasibility; this study provided both. The West Central CERT granted Mr. Damstrom $3,750 in the summer of 2010 to cover labor costs related to the feasibility study provided by National Wind under way. “Having actual cash was very helpful, since we have had to fund this out of our personal savings due to the development nature of the project,” Damstrom wrote.

As of today, the feasibility study is completed and the MetTower continues to gather important data that will help the Craig Damstrom determine the best way to get their wind tower project underway. Right now, the plan recommends constructing two 1.5 megawatt (MW) turbines. These turbines will serve the agriculture needs of the Damstrom’s farm and supply energy to be redistributed through local power connections to neighbors.

With the current status of the Damstrom project in a period of waiting, other questions have surfaced. According to Craig, notification of an important USDA grant is currently pending. It seems that all involved are waiting to see how profitable of an investment this venture really is. If the USDA grant is approved, it is highly likely that the two turbine project will become a reality in the coming months.

The Damstrom wind project has been a learning experience for both Craig and the surrounding community—hard work and persistence has proven valuable in this process, but it will have dividends for years to come. Craig’s experiences in the process have left him very hopeful for the future of energy consumption in Minnesota. The data required to undertake a venture of this scale is immense and expensive, but with careful planning and community support, local clean energy ventures like this can become Minnesota’s new energy legacy.

For more information, contact Craig Damstrom at 651-270-2943 or email CDamstrom@northstarintermodal.com.

Project Snapshot:

• Purpose: Feasibility study to provide renewable energy to support agriculture in West Central Minnesota
• Technology: Wind feasibility study, installation of a meteorological tower (met tower)
• Grant: $3,750 WC CERT,
• Other funding: Low-interest loan, West Central Initiative
• Total Cost: $100,000