Wind turbines could increase farmers' profits

Wind turbines could create new profits for Ontario farmers in Canada, a wind energy expert says. Paul Gipe told the Ontario Federation of Agriculture last week the province's farmers could earn $150,000 a year in revenues through wind turbine sites. Gipe, the acting executive director for the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association, said new tariffs are the key to financial success.

"If the province's new energy policy incorporates the tariffs we've proposed, Ontario farmers could earn billions in new revenue, spurring a rural economic revival," he said. The Advanced Renewable Tariffs allow farmers to connect their wind turbines to a grid and guarantee a fixed price for a fixed period of time, he said.
Gipe estimated if just half of the farmers in Ontario each installed a one-megawatt wind turbine, they could conceivably pump four billion dollars through the rural Ontario economy and produce one-third of the province's electricity.