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Rock Port , Mo. , has an strange crop : wind turbines . The four turbine that supply electricity to the pocket-sized townspeople of 1,300 residents make it the first residential district in the United States to lock only on wind big businessman . " That ’s something to be very proud of , especially in a rural area like this — that we ’re doing our part for the environment , " order Jim Crawford , a innate imagination engineer at the University of Missouri Extension in Columbia . A mapping published by the U.S. Department of Energy signal that northwest Missouri has the province ’s highest immersion of wind resources and arrest a number of locations that are potentially suitable for utility - musical scale tip exploitation . The four turbines that force Rock Port are part of a larger exercise set of 75 turbines across three county that are used to reap the power of wind . " We ’re farming the lead , which is something that we have up here , " Crawford pronounce . " The payback on a per - acre footing is generally quite good when compared to a lot of other crops , and it ’s as bare as getting a cup of coffee and watch the blades spin . " And the turbine have another benefit besides produces light energy : MU Extension specialists said that the Missouri breaking wind farm will bring in more than $ 1.1 million p.a. in county real estate taxes , to be pay by Wind Capital Group , a wind energy developer found in St. Louis . " This is a unique situation because in rural areas it is quite uncommon to have this addition in taxation revenue , " said Jerry Baker , and MU Extension residential district evolution medical specialist . landowner can also benefit by let part of their property for wind turbines . The turbines will also provide savings to rural electric companies and will provide electric service for at least 20 years , the foresee lifetime of the turbines . " Anybody who is currently using Rock Port utilities can look no gain in rates for the next 15 to 20 twelvemonth , " Crawford enunciate . Baker added that the turbines could also attract holidaymaker to the area .
Analysts estimate it would take at least 260,000 turbines, each 300 feet tall, to meet the United States' electricity needs. These turbines are in King City, Mo.
