Wind farm puts tiny Mo. town on alt-energy map

Thursday, July 24, 2008 By MARIA SUDEKUM FISHER Associated Press Writer ROCK PORT, Mo. (AP) — Vehicles in this northwest Missouri farm community are likely to be pickup trucks, and "green" is the color of a John Deere tractor. But when it comes to alternative energy, little Rock Port — population about 1,400 — is a pioneer: it's the site of a wind farm that's projected to generate more electricity than the town uses in a year. Four 250-foot wind turbines on the town's western bluffs are the source of Rock Port's alt-energy designation. The massive turbines linked to the city-owned utility were installed early this year by St. Louis-based Wind Capital Group, with financing from Deere & Co., the world's biggest manufacturer of farm equipment. "We are always going to be agriculture-based. We are always going to be rural," said... [read full story]