Ontario company makes wind energy more lucrative for farmers
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An energy company based in Markham, Ontario, is making the use of renewable energy more accessible and cost-effective for Ontario farmers. Farmers are one demographic that will really play a key role in the development of new renewable energy technologies, like wind energy, because farmers own the key resource for most of these technologies: land.
Many farmers lease land to renewable energy producers, earning extra money if they have the land to spare. However, the standard lease benefits the energy producers more than the farmers, who receive a set fee for leasing from the energy company, and none of the earnings generated by the wind turbines (or other energy producers).
401 Energy has designed a package for farmers interested in getting into wind turbine leasing – the company arranges the financing, conducts the environmental assessments and procures the wind turbines, while the farmer only covers the soft costs. Each party then has a controlling stake in the project: 401 Energy earns 49% of the revenue, while the farmer earns 51%. The package offers an incentive for farmers to participate, by removing the daunting prospect of learning about the industry, as well as accessing engineers, and understanding the science and the applications. This, combined with the increased financial benefit to the farmer, makes wind turbine land-leasing easier and more motivating to get involved in.
Farmers with the land to spare can set themselves up to receive a steady income supplement through wind turbine energy profits, while allowing them to focus on the day-to-day work on their farm.
The program benefits 401 Energy, too, even if they’re not collecting pure profit like their competitors. By making wind farming more attractive to farmers, they have the edge over their competitors in terms of recruiting farmers to use their services and giving them access to more land.
Interested in leasing some of your land to wind turbine initiatives? Learn everything you can about costs, compensation, and other factors, such as noise and legal considerations. Here are some websites to get you started:
http://www.windfarmersnetwork.org/
http://www.canwea.ca/
http://canmetenergy-canmetenergie.nrcan-rncan.gc.ca/eng/renewables/canren.html
