...Minnesota's wind power production capacity grew by more than 500 megawatts last year, half the output of the Prairie Island Nuclear Plant. Wind now provides about 15 percent of the state's electricity.
This year could be just as good, with some parts of the state seeing as much turbine construction as they in 2011. But if Congress declines to renew the production tax credit — key federal subsidy for wind energy — the industry could nose-dive in 2013.
That would likely bring a halt to the kind of expansion seen in Lincoln County, where 12 turbines comprise the Community Wind North project. The group's president, Conrad Schardin, said wind energy brings jobs, tax revenue and energy stability to the state.
"It's not going to be the savior to solve all our energy problems," Schardin said. "But it's just a piece of the puzzle is the way I look at it."
