Plains Organization for Wind Energy Resources

Plains Organization for Wind Energy ResourcesSM (POWERSM) is a collaborative effort that seeks to use wind energy for electrical production. With wind being a clean, renewable and readily available source of power, it makes sense that organizations make use of these resources. Wind energy experts have proclaimed that the central and upper Great Plains region has the greatest potential for wind energy resources, yet these resources has remained largely undeveloped.

The overall goals of POWERSM are to: „h Provide education and training regarding all facets of wind energy from general information to detailed windsmith training. „h Provide a platform for information dissemination, data transfer, and relationship building to foster and promote wind energy development in the region. „h With other regional wind energy interests, to provide solutions to the barriers to wind energy development in the region. „h Provide an opportunity for significant economic benefit to farmers, Native Americans, and rural communities. „h Strengthen the agricultural economy of the region with an additional and complementary revenue source. „h Develop regional strategies to help meet the future energy requirements of the United States.

Data is received from a number of sources throughout the Midwest region. States observed include North Dakota, South Dakota, Colorado, Montana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa and Missouri. Data from the project is available online and updated as new data chips arrive.

The Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC), with support from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the North Dakota Division of Community Services (DCS), developed the Plains Organization for Wind Energy ResourcesSM (POWERSM) to serve as a regional center of excellence for wind energy. Through POWERSM, the EERC provides the educational, technical, and partnership-building resources necessary for harnessing and developing the vast wind resources of the central and upper Great Plains.