On April 26, 2010 Southwest CERT and Southwest Regional Development Commission held a workshop in Redwood Falls on wind energy development and land use to educate anyone interested in the issues and provide a forum for discussion and learning.
Introduction & Overview: Annette Bair, Physical Development Director for SRDC and Southwest CERT Coordinator, gave an introduction and overview to wind energy development and land use. Annette set the stage for the meeting by providing: a brief overview of wind in general; who regulates wind; installed capacities in MN from 1999 to 2009; project scale; wind resource maps and locations of state and local permitted turbines in MN, the generator interconnection queue map, and the transmission line map; indicators of project development in your area; and a list of useful resources. Flip through the presentation below.
State Permitting Process: Larry Hartman & Ingrid Bjorklund, Energy Facility Planners for the Minnesota Department of Commerce, Office of Energy Security, reviewed the Minnesota State permitting process for Large Wind Energy Conversion Systems (LWECS). Flip through the presentation below.
Zoning Panel: The presentations were followed by a local panel of zoning administrators who discussed issues they’ve dealt with regarding wind energy systems. The panelists included Jon Biren, Lyon County Zoning Administrator; Mandy Landkamer, Nicollet County Zoning Administrator; and Jean M. Christoffels, Murray County Zoning Administrator. Click here for the full meeting notes to read more about the panel discussion and Q&A session.
