By Alex DePillis, Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets
When I came to Vermont from Wisconsin in 2012 to work at the Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets, fresh from working with farmers on wind power projects in Wisconsin, I was ready to help farmers here in Vermont get a single wind turbine for their farm. “Well,” I was told, more than once, “wind power is controversial in Vermont.”
Wind turbines on ridges, yes. A single wind turbine for a dairy farm is a different story.
Twelve years after I arrived in Vermont, a farmer can choose from at least five turbines right sized to dairy farms, other farms, and food businesses. And, instead of 25%, USDA is offering up to 50% in grant funding.
Maybe you’ve seen these farm-sized turbines at Blue Spruce Farm on Route 22A in Bridport or at the Nea-Tocht Farm in Ferrisburgh. The same size turbine can be seen from I-89 in South Burlington, on the other side of the highway from the “whale’s tails” sculpture.
How big? These turbines are big enough to offset the electricity used by a dairy farm with 250 milking head. Five or ten companies offer these “medium-sized” turbines.
On the small end of the range, Bergey Windpower Company offers a turbine with 15-foot blades. Larger models, but still farm-sized, are a Star Wind Turbines model with 35-foot blades, and the Northern Power turbines mentioned above, which now come with a 42-foot blade. These turbines produce enough electricity for a dairy operation with 35, 125, and 250 milking head, respectively.
The deadline for applications to USDA’s Rural Energy for American Program is September 30, 2024.
For a listing of potential wind turbines, tips on how to apply for the USDA grant, rules on siting a wind turbine in Vermont, how to estimate your wind speed (and your potential energy production), and more, please visit our web page _______.
