By Sarah Doty

Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN 

Peter Tangren thinks they're striking. "If you go out on a bright blue beautiful day and the sun is shining off the white towers, it is dramatic," Tangren said, describing the wind turbines that are sprouting up in the corn and soybean fields of southeastern Minnesota -- including his own.

Austin attorney Craig Byram thinks they are "graceful and kind of pretty."

But there are other residents of southeastern Minnesota who disagree. They say the turbines are an "eyesore,""aesthetically unappealing," and "ruining the rural landscape."

Nonetheless, it is a sight that appears to be here to stay with a bumper crop of turbines rising from the fields. Hundreds more are planned in what many say is a "green-era gold rush."

It's a rush that was created in response to state legislation from 2007 that administered a sense of urgency for the creation of clean energy. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, signed by President Obama, also includes incentives to boost wind-generated electricity, meaning there will likely be a greater push to build the wind farms that already dot the region.

In 2008, 133 turbines, capable of generating a total of 202.65 megawatts of energy, were installed in Mower County alone. That addition boosts the eight-county area in southeastern Minnesota to 443.6 megawatts of installed capacity -- making up onefourth of the state's electricity capacity. That number is set to expand with the promise of hundreds of megawatts proposed to go commercial in the next few years.

But Minnesota isn't alone in wind tower installation. In fact, according to the American Wind Energy Association, 2008 was a record-breaking year, with 8,358 megawatts of new generating capacity installed in the United States, doubling the nation's wind power generating capacity.

Minnesota ranks fourth in terms of capacity installed with 1,752 megawatts, behind only Texas, Iowa and California.

These turbines are doing more than generating power: they're creating a lot of jobs, as well as a lot of questions.

This Post-Bulletin special report, "Chasing the Wind," takes a comprehensive look at wind-power development in the region and how it is transforming the economic and physical landscapes. This report will introduce readers to the economic and environmental impact of wind power, and look ahead to the future.

Wind energy is a complex topic, with only the majestic, egg-white turbines to show for years of preparation and work. There's much more to it, of course.

This report will describe how these new structures rising all over our region produce energy literally out of thin air.

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