Wind Power

Anoka Municipal Utilities (AMU) is a member of the Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (MMPA). MMPA is an agency that provides reliable, competitively-priced power, and is owned by member cities and governed by a Board of Directors with representatives from each community.

Hometown WindPower Program

MMPA’s renewable energy portfolio includes wind energy from the Agency’s 44 mega-watt (MW) Oak Glen Wind Farm, as well as power output from the 78 MW Black Oak Getty Wind Farm. They also have a number of small wind turbines located in each of their member communities. These, while being capable of providing 160 kilo-watt (kW) of energy each, are not really considered part of the portfolio, as they are more for community education. Anoka’s wind turbine, which is owned by MMPA, is located near the Anoka High School and stands approximately 80 feet tall, and has blades measuring 35 feet in length. The blades will rotate twice per 1.5 seconds when operating at full capacity. 

Even though the Anoka turbine is small compared to most (the standard wind farm turbine stands between 300 to 400 feet), it has the capability to produce enough energy to power roughly 107 residential homes! These are all part of the Hometown WindPower program.

The Hometown WindPower Program was planned by Avant Energy, a full service energy supply management company for MMPA. The project was financed through Clean Renewable Energy Bonds, a federal government program allowing MMPA to obtain low-cost financing for renewable electrical energy generating projects.

Common Part of Landscape

Wind power is one of the fastest growing energy sources worldwide, and it produces no carbon emissions or pollution. In Minnesota, wind turbines are an increasingly common part of the landscape.