The Green Optimistic

By admin on July 23rd, 2008

Psychology says that all good habits and deeds must be set as an example to others so they will obey the rule of copying what’s good (of course, that also happens to the bad ones). Such an example is the town of Rockport from Missouri. Though the small town only features a population of 1,300 inhabitants, it is the first US community powered entirely by wind power.

They only have four wind turbines, which is not much (and probably so are their enegy consumption habits). The four turbines are part of a larger setup made up from 75 of such turbines, helping the power grid of three counties.

“We’re farming the wind, which is something that we have up here. The payback on a per-acre basis is generally quite good when compared to a lot of other crops, and it’s as simple as getting a cup of coffee and watching the blades spin”, said Jim Crawford, a natural resource engineer at the University of Missouri Extension in Columbia.

The wind turbines will also provide savings to rural electric companies. They will generate electricity for at least 20 years, the anticipated life span of the turbines.

“Anybody who is currently using Rock Port utilities can expect no increase in rates for the next 15 to 20 years,” Crawford said.

Jerry Baker, an MU Extension community development specialist. added that the turbines could also increase touristic attraction to the area.

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