OPPORTUNITY: BUY A SHARE OF WIND

People with money want to invest it where it can earn more money. No place better to do that than New Energy. World Watch Institute reported wind investments of $36 billion in 2007.

But this public offering from High Country Energy isn’t quite an IPO. This is an opportunity for the community that is hosting the wind farms to get a piece of the action.

Typically, only landowners who lease to turbine installers earn direct benefits. The community derives enormous indirect benefits from an influx of capital, jobs and tax revenues. With this public offering to state residents in which locals get first preference, anybody in the community can earn dividends from wind energy’s bounty.

It is a plan especially well-suited to a state that still prides itself on being founded from the strength of farm cooperatives.

Putting money on Minnesota wind seems like a pretty good bet. (click to enlarge)

High Country Energy and National Wind Announce the Nation’s First Intrastate Wind Project Public Offering
June 12, 2008 (PR Newswire via Yahoo Finance)

WHO
High Country Energy, LLC (Barry Rogne, Board of Advisers Chairman); National Wind, LLC (Mark Lucas, Vice President/Project Lead); Delphi Financial Corp. (Ryan Pelstring, Vice President of Capital Markets)

WHAT
Delphi will agent the nation's first intrastate public offering of a wind project's securities, shares of High Country’s planned community-owned wind farms in Minnesota.

There are even better places to develop wind in the state but this is a good start. (click to enlarge)

WHEN
High Country will assure that locals to the wind installations have the first opportunities to buy in.

WHERE
- The community-owned wind farms are planned for Dodge, Olmsted and Mower Counties, Minnesota.
- The securities sales are for Minnesota residents only.

WHY
- The High Country plans are for 300+ megawatts of installations.
- In an effort to keep sales of shares straightforward, Delphi will only sell after the buyer has reviewed the project prospectus.

Not too many wind companies are publicly traded so this could be a big opportunity for Minnesota folks. Caveat emptor. (click to enlarge)

QUOTES
- Barry Rogne, Board of Advisers Chairman, High Country: "This offering is available to interested investors throughout the state of Minnesota…However, it is very important to all High Country Energy members that landowners within the project footprint have the first opportunity to invest. This offering is consistent with our company's goals of sharing ownership with a large cross section of our community."
- Ryan Pelstring, Vice President of Capital Markets, Delphi Financial Corp.: "An intrastate public offering is a way the local, rural communities can become a part of this trend. In comparison to a private placement offering, which is typical in the renewable energy industry, this intrastate public offering will allow us to offer investment opportunities to a greater number of people. All investors must be Minnesota residents and meet investor suitability requirements…"
- Mark Lucas, Vice President/Project Lead, National Wind: "Shared ownership is an important part of High Country Energy's community-based development model…Ownership can provide more benefits than the standard turbine lease arrangements offered by traditional wind farm developers."