Methods

    Nuts and Bolts

        Research began with an exploration of wind energy technology. Several basic questions guide research on this topic:

How do wind turbines work?
How much energy do turbines produce and how is it transferred to consumers?
What is a "wind resource?" What is Northfield's wind resource?

The overarching purpose of these questions is to understand the benefits of wind energy in general, and how they apply to Northfield in particular.

Economics

This element of the research examines the economic situation of the RENew/NSD/Carleton project. This situation is influenced by a variety of factors, including national legislation on wind energy, the economic goals of the project's participants, and technical constraints. The purpose of this portion of research is to reveal the economic feasibility of the current wind energy project.

Community Building

This portion of research directly tests the hypothesis. The goal is to understand the opinions of citizens on grassroots activism, the Northfield community, and the wind project. In addition to empirical data, narrative evidence was gathered through interviews with citizens representing a diversity of ages and interests.

photo: Turbines at the Buffalo Ridge Wind Farm in southwest Minnesota.
Courtesy of Dana Hendee, St. Olaf class of 2003.

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