Developing Community Wind in Northwest Ohio

Northwest Ohio Wind Energy LLC was formed in December 2008 to develop 300 megawatts (MW) of clean, renewable wind energy in Northwest Ohio. Our company is based around a model of community ownership, where local landowners can become project owners.

National Wind is the manager and developer of Northwest Ohio Wind Energy.

Wind Power in Ohio

In May 2008, the State of Ohio passed an Alternative Energy Resource Standard, which went into effect on January 1, 2009. By 2025, utilities and electric service companies in the state of Ohio will have to procure at least 25% of their retail electricity supply from alternative energy resources. These alternative resources include renewable sources such as wind, solar, and geothermal, as well as advanced CO2-reducing power generation technologies like clean coal and generation III nuclear power. However, at least 12.5% of utilities' total retail electricity supply must come from renewable resources. Laws that call on utilities to provide a certain amount of electricity from renewable resources are commonly referred to as Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS's).

All facilities eligible to supply the alternative energy needed to meet the state's new standard must have an in-service date no earlier than 1998. As such, utilities in the state of Ohio will need to look to new power generation facilities to meet the standard. Wind is the one of the most inexpensive sources of new electrical power generation in the United States - second only to natural gas. Furthermore, according to the RPS, half of the required energy from renewables must come from sources within the state of Ohio. Northwest Ohio Wind Energy hopes to help utilities in the state meet the RPS requirements by developing 300 MW of community-owned renewable energy in Ohio.