February 13, 2008

Landowners, schools, farmers and other property owners throughout Utah now have an opportunity to see if they have the potential for wind power development on their land. The Utah Geological Survey’s State Energy Program will loan out wind-measuring devices, called anemometers, to public or private entities who would like to know if they have strong enough wind for energy development at no cost to the participant.

According to Jason Berry, Renewable Energy Coordinator for the State Energy Program, “We are looking for sites with strong, consistent winds that could be developed commercially or for private use. The loan program helps us assess wind resources throughout Utah.  We are specifically looking for potential sites along the Utah-Wyoming border in Rich and Summit Counties as well as other areas in southwestern Utah.”

The Utah Geological Survey, with the support of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind Powering America Program, installs 20-meter or 50-meter anemometer towers with monitoring equipment for a period of one year for qualifying applicants.

The State Energy Program’s Anemometer Loan Program helps Utahns make well-informed decisions about their wind resources.  The Anemometer Loan Program takes the guesswork out determining if wind power development is feasible.  Data collected will provide wind speed, wind direction, and the frequency at which each occurs.  The data also help the Survey to better understand the nature of Utah’s wind resource.

Program participants are required to mail a data plug monthly to the State Energy Program and, in return, participants receive a monthly data analysis report.  At the end of the loan agreement the State Energy Program will provide the participant with a final report informing the participant of the feasibility of small or large-scale wind development on the participant’s property.

For more information, or if you are interested in obtaining an application and applying online, please visit http://geology.utah.gov/sep/wind and click on the Anemometer Loan Program button, or contact Jason Berry, Renewable Energy Coordinator, at (801) 538-5413 or at jasonberry@utah.gov.