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Roseville 2040 Chapter9: Resilience and Environmental Protection <br />Wind Energy Resource: <br />A good wind energy site needs to meet a number of characteristics, such as: a good <br />wind resource; soils that can supportthe weight of the turbine; a site large enough <br />to accommodate safety setbacks from neighboring properties, structures, or other <br />uses; and surrounding land uses for which the visual impact and potential <br />nuisances will not create a conflict. <br />The Minnesota Department of Commerce developed wind speed maps at a 500- <br />meter resolution to give a general sense of the wind resource at various tower <br />heights (FIGURE 9-4); these maps are not appropriatefor a specific site assessment. <br />FIGURE 9-4 WIND SPEEDS AT DIFFERENT TOWER HEIGHTS IN ROSEVILLE. SOURCE: MN <br />DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE. <br />Wind Speeds (MPH) <br />- <br />6-8 <br />- <br />8-11 <br />_ <br />11-13 <br />- <br />13-15 <br />- <br />15+ <br />30 meter tower 80 meter tower 100 meter tower <br />According to the Minnesota Department of Commerce, the minimum average <br />annual wind speed required for a good wind resource is 12 miles per hour. At 30- <br />meter heights (about 100 feet), Roseville has an average wind speed of less than <br />11 mph. At 80 meters (about 260 feet), wind speeds are more favorable — <br />between 13 and 15 mph throughout the city. At 100 meters (about 330 feet), wind <br />speeds are over 15 mph throughout the city. Asa suburban community with some <br />urban and rural characteristics, Roseville mayor may not be suitable for the taller <br />towers needed for productive wind energy systems. <br />Alternatively, residents and businesses can participate in Xcel Energy's <br />Windsource® or Renewable*Connect programs. These programs provide the <br />clean energy benefit of having local wind (and solar) energy, although the <br />economic benefits of clean energy development are realized elsewhere. <br />According to Xcel Energy, seven businesses are subscribed to a total of 642,209 <br />kWh, and 702 residences are subscribed to a total of 1,884,077 kWh in Roseville <br />as of 2016. This amounts to 0.6 percent of the community's total electricity use. <br />Chapter 1 Page 15 <br />