Dairyland Power Cooperative began purchasing 80 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy from the Barton Wind Farm (Kensett, Iowa), in February. The generation and transmission cooperative serves 24 member distribution cooperatives and 17 municipal utilities in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois. The 80 MW is enough renewable energy to power more than 19,000 homes.
“Dairyland’s vision is to exceed expectations as a safe, sustainable, premier power cooperative,” said John Carr, Dairyland Vice President, Strategic Planning. “Resource diversification is a key component of that commitment to our cooperative membership. Growth in wind and solar supports Dairyland’s strategic direction to diversify, and we are very pleased to expand our renewable energy portfolio with the Barton Wind Farm.”
This agreement is a result of Dairyland’s participation in National Renewable Cooperative Organization (NRCO). Dairyland is a founding member of NRCO, an organization of cooperatives seeking to promote the development of renewable energy resources. “The strategic alliance with NRCO brings opportunities to all cooperative members through joint support of renewable energy projects,” said Carr.
This is Dairyland’s second major wind energy investment in recent months. In 2016, Dairyland announced a power purchase agreement for the 98 MW Quilt Block Wind Farm. Dairyland will purchase the entire output of the Quilt Block Wind Farm from EDP Renewables.
