Wind Today - Q2 2008 - (Page 32)

Interview Bob Emick Landowner Colorado Green Wind , Farm The Colorado Green Wind Farm is located in southeastern Colorado south of Lamar and north of the Oklahoma border in Prowers County, CO. The 162 megawatt (MW) wind farm is a joint venture between PPM Energy, Portland, OR (503-796-7070) and Shell Wind Energy, Houston, TX (713-241-5541). Colorado Green has been operating since December, 2003. Xcel Energy’s Public Service Company of Colorado, Denver, CO, purchases the power produced at the wind farm. Bob Emick owns the land on which 98 of the 108 GE 1.5 MW wind turbines at the Colorado Green Wind Farm are sited. The wind farm is built on more than 11,840 acres, most belonging to Emick. He estimates that the actual footprint of the wind turbines occupies less than 2% of the project area. Wind Today spoke with Mr. Emick during a September, 2007 visit. Ranch The Emick Ranch In 1938, my father died, leaving my mother to raise 10 children in a house up the road, closer to Lamar. There weren’t any welfare programs back then, so family members helped out where they could. One of my uncles took a liking to me, so from the time I was 10 or 11 years old I spent summers and weekends out here working with him and his brother. A restored antique windmill on As a kid, I remember the Emick ranch. listening to them while they fixed machinery. They would say, “You know, this land ought to be worth something.” They raised cows and feed, but thought there might be oil or gas underground. They never would have dreamed we could get money from wind. The first thing I thought about when we started this wind farm was those old brothers talking about an oil or gas well. I’d like to have told them, “We’ve got a ‘wind well.’” After spending two years in the army, I came back and my uncles offered me a deal. In 1965, they leased the ranch to my wife Helen and me, and in 1971 they sold it to us. Now our seven sons and daughter and their children have an interest in the property. Windmills Antique Windmills I have a picture that led to my interest in the antique windmill business. My aunt and uncle who homesteaded here in 1918 hauled water from a spring two miles north of the house for the first two years they were here. When they had enough money to drill a well, they used a wooden windmill to pump the water. My uncles later converted it to a steel wheel with a water barrel at the base. When I saw this picture and recognized the house as my aunt’s homestead, the person who had the picture offered it to me. Looking at the windmill in the picture, I thought it would be nice to find one of these relics and restore it. The windmill was a 10 ft. diameter Eclipse from the Fairbanks Morris Company. I didn’t know what I was doing, but it came out okay. That started my interest in antique windmills. At one point I had 40 windmills that I’d restored. This year we hosted the 19th Annual Wind Mill Trade Fair—it’s the fourth year we’ve hosted the event. Until a few years ago, I had no intention of selling my collection. However, there were 2,000 acres of WIND TODA Y Second Quarter 2008 Bob Emick owns the property on which 98 of the 108 wind turbines at the Colorado Green Wind Farm are sited. He and his wife, Helen, have seven sons and one daughter, as well as 24 grandchildren. 32

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Wind Today - Q2 2008

Wind Today - Q2 2008 Contents WINDPOWER 2008 - Host City - Houston WINDPOWER 2008 Special Events CanWEA 2008: Fast Forward to Wind Global Wind Plant Ownership Top 15 States with Wind Energy Installed Ranking the Percentage of State Electricity from Wind Largest Wind Farms in the United States Owners with the Most Wind Power Assets in the United States Rick Perry Bluegrass Ridge, Cow Branch, and Conception Wind Farms Loess Hills Wind Farm Bob Emick enXco V and enXco V Repower Climb Assist Devices GWEC Market Forecast Ports of Entry Satisfy Customers WINDPOWER 2008 Schedule Calendar Seven Principal Financing Structures Used in Utility-Scale Wind Projects Raising Project Funds Through Private Placements The Minnesota Flip Business Model Wind Resource Glossary WT Transmission Corn Plus Coop Adds Wind Energy Wind Resource Maps Ryan Orban, Iberdrola Renewables Liz Cussans, TransAlta Wind Bolton & Menk Trachte Port of Corpus Christi NPPD Interstate Truck Rental & Sales Dr. Shrink Aldridge Electric HYTORC Product Surveys Ad Index

Wind Today - Q2 2008

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