Media Advisory Update: 150-foot tall wind turbine to be installed at future Great River Energy headquarters in Maple Grove

What: 150-foot-tall wind turbine with a nameplate rating of 225 kilowatts will be installed at the electric cooperative’s future headquarters, currently under construction near the Arbor Lakes Shopping Center in Maple Grove. The turbine will be visible from Interstates 94 and 694.

Where: Great River Energy headquarters building (under construction) at 12300 Elm Creek Boulevard, Maple Grove, near the Arbor Lakes Shopping Center. Please access the site at the west entry by Olive Garden. Access to the remainder of the site will be restricted as it is a live construction site.

When: The turbine tower and nacelle (with the gear box and generator) are expected to be erected this afternoon/early evening, Tuesday, November 6, 2007. The rotor assembly (with the three turbine blades) is scheduled to be lifted and installed tomorrow morning, Wednesday, November 7, 2007, starting at approximately 7:30 a.m. (This part of the installation would make the better photo opportunity.) Please keep in mind that windy conditions are making it difficult to determine an exact schedule for the turbine installation. Great River Energy will also be taping b-roll, which will be available Wednesday afternoon.

On-site Media Contact: Therese LaCanne at 612-804-4532; Randy Fordice at 612-865-1366

Interview opportunities: Executives and representatives available to discuss the wind turbine and other sustainable features include Gary Connett, director of environmental stewardship and member services Great River Energy; Mike Finley, director of business operations, Great River Energy; Doug Perkins, Perkins+Will, project architect.

More about the building: Great River Energy is pursuing a LEED-platinum rating for the building, which would make it the most energy efficient building in Minnesota and the Upper Midwest, and one of less than 35 such buildings in the world.

In addition to the wind turbine, some of the building’s other sustainable features include:
-Reduce energy used in lighting through energy-efficient lighting, multiple atriums, daylight sensors and motions sensors that will both reduce artificial lighting and the need for air conditioning to cool the building from excessive heat generated from lighting.
-The concrete structural frame will contain nearly 60 percent fly ash, the product created when coal is burned to generate electricity. Fly ash will also be used in carpet padding. The fly ash comes from the company’s Coal Creek Station in North Dakota. Using fly ash reduces the amount of new concrete needed (thus reducing the amount of energy to produce and transport cement); additionally, using fly ash in construction reduces landfill waste, where fly ash is generally disposed of.
-The building will have a number of other sustainable landscape features such as rain gardens, native plants and vegetation.
-Rainwater will be captured and used for on-site irrigation and flushing toilets.
-Geothermal heating and cooling system with under-floor displacement ventilation will result in low-energy design for the HVAC system and better indoor air quality. The geothermal system will be buried under the adjacent Arbor Lake.

Additional information on the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program can be found at the U.S. Green Building Council web site at www.usgbc.org.

Note: The turbine is being installed prior to winter which will limit outdoor construction activities; the turbine will be curtailed (prevented from turning) until the building is occupied in April 2008.

Great River Energy, Elk River, is Minnesota’s second largest electric wholesale supplier, providing electricity to 28 distribution cooperatives that, in turn, serve more than 620,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Great River Energy is a not-for-profit cooperative owned by its members. For more information about Great River Energy, visit: www.GreatRiverEnergy.com.