Press Release

May 20, 2005. The WATER Foundation announced today that it was successful in helping the Morrison County Agricultural Society obtain a $20,000 grant from Minnesota Power to put up a small wind turbine on the Morrison County Fairgrounds in 2005. The wind turbine is a 20 kilowatt Jacobs unit with a 31 foot rotor on a 120 foot tower, which will produce enough electricity to power a small farm (estimated 15,000 to 20,000 kilowatt hours per year).

The turbine will be installed in time for the Morrison County Fair in 2005 (July 27-30). Through the efforts of The WATER Foundation, the Morrison County Fairgrounds also became the home of the Windy River Fair in 2004. The Windy River Fair is a Sustainable Agriculture and Renewable Energy “fair”, held in conjunction with the Morrison County Fair, on the east end of the fairgrounds, the same dates as above.

The Windy River Fair will kick off public education programs for Wind Power via the new wind turbine. This will be the first county fair in Minnesota that will have a permanent wind turbine on their grounds (and may be the first in the USA!). The turbine will feature educational signage on its base explaining the basics of the technology, the costs of getting electricity from the wind, the financial benefits for the homeowner or farmer and the pollution reduction benefits for all. The Windy River Fair website will display the actual production and income earned from the wind turbine, updated on a monthly basis for all to see. Visit www.windyriver.us often for updates.

Minnesota Power is a progressive investor-owned utility serving north and central Minnesota. They are one of the leading utility companies in the nation in promoting sustainable, renewable energy such as wind, solar and geothermal. They have an ongoing rebate of $2.00 per watt for solar and $200.00 per ton for geothermal and now special, limited wind turbine grants upon request. You can see more information about Minnesota Power’s incentives at www.mnpower.com.

The WATER Foundation promotes renewable energy and sustainable agriculture to help keep our water clean. Much of the mercury found in our fish, water and food supplies comes from the coal fired power plants either spewing out mercury or creating acid rain which then leaches mercury out of the soil and into the water. The Foundation will be installing several other wind and solar power generators on other sites during 2005. The WATER Foundation’s facilities feature two types of geothermal heating/cooling systems, solar electricity, a small wind turbine, as well as composting toilets, greywater system, a geothermally cooled food/crop storage building and many other types of conservation technologies. Visit their website at www.hopshop.net for details.