² With regard to wind energy resource and development opportunities, the Great Plains states are considered to include Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
Back to Article

³ A "full capacity megawatt" would produce electricity at the rated capacity of the project every hour of the year. However, the winds do not blow at the rated wind speed all the time. In Iowa, in a wind regime which could provide a 30% capacity factor, the 105 full capacity megawatts would be achieved by 350 MW of wind power.
Back to Article

⁴ This project became the first phase of a larger, ongoing project. As the NSP Phase I project was being completed, NSP also sought permission to build temporary nuclear waste storage facilities near their nuclear power plant on Prairie Island in the Mississippi River. The 1994 Minnesota legislature granted permission, but also required that NSP must have 425 MW of wind power operating on their system by the year 2002. Under specified financial conditions, that capacity requirement may even increase to 825 MW of wind power. NSP quickly began planning for their next wind power project (NSP Phase II), selecting the winning bidder for a 100 MW plant in May 1995. When completed, this will be the largest single wind power plant in the world.
Back to Article

⁵ COUs include municipal utilities, distribution cooperatives, and generation and transmission cooperatives.
Back to Article

⁶ Limits for other Great Plains states are 100 kW (North Dakota), 40 kW (Minnesota), and 20 kW (Wisconsin).
Back to Article