A pioneer community-based wind farms, Juhl Wind, has received Stimulus Grant funds from the U.S. Treasury Department for its Winona County Wind Project. The $1,413,000 grant was provided in conformance with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Over the last two years, the company has finished six wind farm projects worth over $150 million. The $4.8 million Winona County Wind Project was completed by Juhl Wind in the Q4 of 2011. The project has also commenced operations.
The Winona farm project uses two direct-drive, Unison wind turbine generators. It is one among the first projects in the USA to utilize this unique technology that is based on a sophisticated gearless system. Juhl Wind’s development subsidiary, Juhl Energy Development, performed the development and construction for the wind energy project. The Winona County Economic Development Authority participated in the initial stages of the project.
The Chairman and CEO of Juhl Wind, Dan Juhl, stated that community-owned wind farms provide low-cost, clean energy, while retaining the ownership of the farms with American landowners and farmers. The U.S. Stimulus Grant program has provided critical support for community wind projects in the Midwestern region of the United States, he added. Due to the program, Juhl Wind was able to get the financing for the community wind projects, even during the recession. The community wind projects have helped create both long-term and short-term economic development including permanent work and construction jobs, he said.