United Wind is currently the only company and the first ever to offer little to no money down leasing options to small wind customers in the United States. During our conversation, Russell provides insight on distributed wind industry and explains how leasing a wind turbine actually works.

He also mentions a New York Times’ article, entitled “Wind Power Spreads Through Turbines for Lease,” about farmers who installed wind on their dairy farm. You can read it here.

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United Wind has partnered with Colorado’s Smithfield for a 3-MW WindLease Agreement. WindLease lets farmers lock into their electric rate using wind energy.

The partnership will provide Smithfield with long-term, low-cost renewable energy for its agricultural operations and contribute to its industry-leading goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 25% by 2025 – the first commitment of its kind from a protein company.

“At Smithfield, we are committed to seeking out innovative ways to reduce our environmental impact, all while creating value for our company and stakeholders,” said Stewart Leeth, VP of regulatory affairs and chief sustainability officer for Smithfield Foods. “This partnership with United Wind is part of our efforts to produce the food needed to feed a growing world population, while minimizing our use of natural resources.”

United Wind’s WindLease provides farms and other rural businesses with a distributed wind system, sized to meet each customer’s onsite load, and priced at a fixed monthly rate for the twenty-year lease term. United Wind handles all aspects of the project, from permitting and construction to monitoring and maintenance, with no upfront or ongoing project related costs.

“We’re excited to bring competitive distributed wind energy options to food and agricultural companies like Smithfield in wind-rich environments throughout rural areas of the country,” said Russell Tencer, CEO of United Wind. “The economics and land-use attributes of distributed wind just make more sense in the areas we serve.”

Since its founding in 2013, United Wind has developed, financed, and commissioned more than 100 distributed wind projects ranging from 10 to 100 kW in rated capacity throughout Western New York and the Midwestern U.S.

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Through WindLease, FBN members will be able to enjoy the benefits of local wind energy, without the risk or obligation of owning wind turbines.

United Wind is the first renewable energy provider to offer its WindLease through the FBN network’s farmer-direct marketplace. The agreement means WindLease will let FBN members lease a small wind system for no money down to stabilize electricity costs over the long-term, and save on utility bills from day one.

United Wind says it will handle all responsibilities related to development, construction, and O&M of the wind system, so its customers can focus on their farm operations.

“Farmers are being squeezed on both sides by low crop prices and high input and energy costs,” said Co-Founder & VP of Products, Charles Baron. “By stabilizing electricity rates over the long-term, farmers can hedge against these rising utility rates and create certainty in their energy costs and produce renewable energy right on their farm. On-farm energy production strengthens farmers’ independence.”

FBN members will now be able to enjoy the benefits of local wind energy, without any of the risk or obligations of owning a wind system. The FBN network and United Wind also see alignment in the character of the farmers they serve; innovative, resourceful, and entrepreneurial.

“FBN members operate complex businesses. They are always looking at ways to improve their bottom line and ensure the sustainability of their farm for today and the next generation,” said United Wind CEO Russell Tencer. “Our WindLease provides a turn-key solution to meet those objectives, and take the wind that was once a nuisance, and turn it into a source of economic gain.”

Through this listing, United Wind will provide exclusive benefits and pricing to FBN members. Recognizing that many of its farmers may have the wind resource and energy demands that would be ideal for small wind, Farmer’s Business Network, Inc. is excited to have United Wind’s energy solution offered in its marketplace.

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