Reports that a German wind energy firm has recently approached farmland owners in southern St. Joseph County has sparked debates on social media about the pros and cons of wind farms. To try and sort some of it out, I spoke with a Purdue University expert.
Chad Fiechter, assistant professor of agricultural finance, says his interest in the farm economics around renewable energy started from his personal experience. A solar firm wanted to lease land on his farm south of Fort Wayne.
Fiechter say he ultimately declined, partly because he didn’t like the look of solar panels on his land, and also because the firm wasn’t willing to increase future annual lease payments enough to keep up with inflation.
He advises having an attorney scrutinize any leases, especially to ensure the wind energy company will restore land to its original condition if they ever stop using the turbine.
Generally Fiechter says land owners can be paid up to $10,000 per acre annually to lease to wind energy firms.
“Turbines usually only take up like somewhere between one to three acres, and so you’re still farming the remainder of the parcel," Fiechter says. "And so you’re generating that $25,000 to $50,000 on like one to two acres.”
But Fiechter says farmers that have been approached by wind firms face more than financial considerations.
“The viewshed, about how you want to interact with your community, there’s also political beliefs about renewable energy. It seems like most people have already decided whether they’re amenable to something like this happening on their property.”
