TradeWind Energy Reaches Two Major Milestones: Ten Years And One Gigawatt

LENEXA, Kan., Oct. 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- TradeWind Energy, Inc., one of the largest independent wind and solar project development companies in the United States, has reached a significant power generation milestone as it celebrates the company's 10th year in business. With the installation of the 91^st wind turbine at the Buffalo Dunes Wind Project, TradeWind Energy is now responsible for the successful development of wind projects totaling one gigawatt of electrical generation capacity, representing $1.7 billion invested in projects in the states of Oklahoma and Kansas.

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131008/CL93849 )

To put this accomplishment into perspective, one gigawatt of wind projects will produce enough electricity to power 330,000 average American homes annually, which is enough to power all the households in a city about the size of Oklahoma City.

The installation of TradeWind's 91^st wind turbine was completed on October 7, 2013, at the Buffalo Dunes Wind Project southwest of Garden City, Kan. Buffalo Dunes is located in Haskell, Grant and Finney counties in Kansas. Clean, low-cost electricity generated from the Buffalo Dunes site is being delivered to the customers of Alabama Power Company, a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Southern Company.

"We couldn't be more proud of reaching this important milestone for our company," said TradeWind co-founder and CEO Rob Freeman. "It is a testament to the investment we have made in people and to the hard work and extraordinary abilities of the entire TradeWind team. We are most grateful to our partner Enel Green Power, and the landowners, communities and local elected officials who have demonstrated their support time and again for TradeWind, and also our customers who have invested in this low-cost source of renewable energy. Our entire TradeWind team is inspired to keep working hard toward our second gigawatt of renewable energy."

Freeman and the company's two other co-founders came from divergent backgrounds--a corporate attorney turned entrepreneur, a technology entrepreneur and a drummer turned civil engineer--but all shared a deep passion for the promise and potential of renewable energy. They built the business from the ground up, and today TradeWind is considered one of the most experienced development teams in the country.

TradeWind was a finalist this year for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year award, and the company was honored recently with the Kansas Governor's Energy Achievement Award. TradeWind also received the national Outstanding Commercial Achievement Award by the American Wind Energy Association.

"I'm extremely proud of our ability to deliver solutions that help control volatile and rising energy costs while addressing the challenge of energy security and environmental sustainability," said Matt Gilhousen, co-founder and chief development officer. "I'm most proud, however, of our project siting track record throughout our 10-year history. We firmly set a policy of only developing sites that have a very low environmental impact to existing land and eco-systems, and we always seek to partner with the local communities where we develop our projects."

What do the next ten years hold for TradeWind Energy?

"You can count on more innovation," says Geoff Coventry, co-founder and chief operating officer. "From day one, our vision has been one of building a more sustainable energy future for our children and future generations. We believe the next 10 years will bring exciting innovations and restructurings throughout the electric power industry which will be good for consumers, businesses, and the environment."

ABOUT TRADEWIND ENERGY

Headquartered in Lenexa, KS, TradeWind Energy, Inc. is one of the largest independent wind and solar project development companies in the U.S. Founded in 2003, the company has earned a reputation for its innovation in the market, its highly skilled and passionate team, and for its respect for the people and communities where it develops projects.

TradeWind takes great pride in its demonstrated ability to deliver low-cost wind and solar energy to diverse markets while maintaining an uncompromising commitment to long-term project quality. The company is actively developing about 3,000 MW of wind and solar energy projects in multiple states across the U.S. For more information, visit www.tradewindenergy.com.

Contact:
Laurie Roberts
816-931-8900
[email protected]

SOURCE TradeWind Energy, Inc.