PROSPERITY WIND PROJECT PROFILE

Apex Clean Energy is constructing Prosperity Wind, which is expected to start operations next spring. 

PROJECT SUMMARY

• Capable of producing 300 MW of clean, homegrown energy, enough to power 99,000 U.S. homes each year
• The project footprint, including turbines, facilities, and roads, encompasses just over 38 acres, although Prosperity Wind takes hardly any tillable soil out of production, demonstrating how complementary wind power can be to traditional crops
• Expected to consist of up to 50 wind turbines spaced approximately 1/4 to 1/2 mile apart 
• The project’s construction is advancing, with access roads nearly complete, 50 miles of public road improvement done, half of the foundations backfilled, and a quarter of turbine components already delivered to the site
• Represents a significant investment in the local economy, with revenue for farmers, local government, and schools
• Has created more than 400 well-paying union jobs during construction
• Will create eight permanent jobs at a local operations and maintenance facility

WHY PIATT COUNTY?

Once built, Prosperity Wind will have a capacity of 300 MW, producing enough energy to power 99,000 homes every year. Representing a private investment of nearly $500 million, Prosperity Wind will benefit the economy of Piatt County in the near term with construction jobs and local purchasing of materials and services. In the long term, the project promises to bring sustained tax revenue to the county for the local government as well as 30 years of local purchasing, employment, and investment.

Rural Piatt County was selected by Apex Clean Energy after a thorough examination of many candidate sites within Illinois for the following reasons:

• Verified wind resource
• Expansive commercial farmland
• Existing network of state highways
• Avoids sensitive military and environmental areas
• Strong local landowner and community support 

Farmers who host turbines on their property and other participating landowners will also receive annual lease payments. These payments will continue over the projected 30-year lifespan of the wind farm, injecting millions of dollars into the economy of Piatt County to support local merchants, contractors, and equipment suppliers.

WIND ENERGY FOR RURAL AMERICA

The cost of wind energy has dropped more than 50% over the past five years, providing a cost-competitive source for clean electricity across the nation. Now, a new study confirms wind energy is at the point where it's cheaper than coal, even without subsidies.* Wind powers the equivalent of 18 million American homes each year.** Wind energy comes with many benefits, including reduced pollution, increased domestic employment, consumer cost savings, water conservation, nationwide availability, and increased community revenues.*** Wind turbines complement working farms, because they allow for existing agricultural operations to continue around them. They also help farmers by diversifying the rural economy and providing a consistent, drought-resistant new harvest.

*Minnesota Public Radio, Study: Renewable energy now Minnesota's 2nd-largest electricity source, March 2018

**AWEA, Wind Energy Facts at a Glance, March 2015

***Department of Energy, Wind Vision: A New Era for Wind Power in the United States, 2015