10 Steps to Successful Wind Farming- Step 1

The first two paragraphs of the 11 pages in Step 1 are

Know the wind quality at your site(s)
Cost-effective development of wind power for electricity generation occurs in areas rated Class 3 (gold) or higher. Because long-term meteorological tower measurements often indicate significantly greater- as much as one class or more- wind energy potential than the map shows, it is “money in your pocket” when you know the wind.

Wind energy density classes are color-coded on this NREL map of the South Dakota Wind Resource.

“Know your wind.” What exactly does that mean? In order to earn money by harvesting some of the 1,030 billion kWhs of power from the wind blowing through our state every year, you need to know the qualities of the wind at your site(s). Soil qualities such as moisture, pH, nitrogen, percentages of sand and/or clay determine potential crop yield; wind qualities are similar indicators of potential yield.

10 Steps to Successful Wind Farming "fleshes out" wind farming in a handbook on farm energy production I am editing. The paper version of the handbook will cost $5.95; a Microsoft Publisher file will be available for $8.95; an online version with more links than "you can shake a stick at" will be available by subscription. The link to the SD Wind Resource Map is one link in the online version; another example is "If you want to make wind variability visible, draw a “wind rose.”

Looking at the map tells us that nearly every South Dakotan can harvest and sell wind power and "green credits" to buyers nationwide. The handbook will be a starting point for action by individuals, groups, businesses, and communities, action that means profiting from every windy day.