Wind Energy Blog No. 1: Horizon Wind Energy

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As one of the largest wind energy companies in the world, Horizon Wind Energy had installed more than 2,500 megawatts (MW) by the end of 2010. The company is based out of Houston, Texas, and it has wind farms in 18 states, including California, Texas and New York. Each wind farm the company constructs follows the same step by step process.

The first and most important consideration when choosing a site is that the location produces a steady stream of wind, and is also feasible for construction. Other factors that determine the site suitability include availability of transmission lines and a willing community.

“The landowner relationship is the most important aspect of it,” says Vanessa Kellogg, Horizon Wind Energy’s director of project development for the Southwest region. “We are out in the field working with the landowners. We also do a lot of education and outreach to explain the purpose of the wind turbines, how they work and the impacts on the land.”

The landowners that enter into long-lease agreements with the company receive monetary benefits from the very beginning, because Horizon Wind Energy pays landowners for access to their land so the company can put up meteorological towers and do field research. Once the wind farms are generating power, the landowner receives payment based off of the wind energy output. For farmers, the wind turbines can provide supplementary income, and they can continue farming without much interference from the turbines. This extra income can be especially convenient in times of drought or flood.

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