Topic: $1B Wind Farm Coming to Central Indiana

[UncleRando]

Planned wind farm could be boon to Clinton, Tipton counties
Wind farm project for IPL's owner could serve 400,000 homes
http://www.indystar.com/article/20090704/BUSINESS/907040447

Indiana, one of the nation's smaller players in wind energy, is about to take a big step forward, as the parent company of Indianapolis Power & Light Co. is poised to build a sprawling wind farm in Clinton and Tipton counties.  The project would be the first in Central Indiana, which until now has taken a back seat to the northern part of the state, where wide-open land and substantial wind pockets have drawn more interest.  If plans move forward as expected, it would be Indiana's latest step to join the national shift toward wind energy. As the country looks to curb greenhouse gas emissions and reduce reliance on fossil fuels, wind power is gaining popularity.

[NorthAndre]

I couldn't believe the number of wind turbines I saw driving through southern Minnesota.  They looked pretty unobtrusive in the landscape actually, and if more rural areas could join in on these type of projects, just imagine the difference it could make.

[mrnyc]

you should see central texas -- whew, its loaded with'em!

no doubt we'll all be seeing a heck of a lot more wind farms in the next decade. i'm interested in seeing how creative people will be getting wind turbines up in urban areas too.

[Robert Pence]

Planned wind farm could be boon to Clinton, Tipton counties
Wind farm project for IPL's owner could serve 400,000 homes
http://www.indystar.com/article/20090704/BUSINESS/907040447

...

Under the latest proposal, AES Corp. plans to build wind turbines in an area that would span the line between Clinton and Tipton counties, a project that would cost up to $1 billion. The counties are just north of Boone and Hamilton counties.

...

Emanuel, the Extension Service educator, thinks Boone, Hamilton and other metro-area counties soon will see serious efforts by energy companies to lock up land rights for wind farms even closer to Indianapolis. He said that could force county planners to decide whether they want rural land kept relatively undeveloped (and appealing to wind farm operators) or let it be developed by homebuilders.

I wish them luck trying to preserve open land in Hamilton County. It's sprawlopolis, mostly upscale residential and the shopping that caters to that demographic, and the traffic problems are horrendous and getting worse. For years there's been talk of commuter rail to downtown Indy, but IMO that would only make it more attractive to sprawl development.