Nebraska farmer leases land for wind turbine, earns up to $12,500 a year against $600 from corn

The turbine sends electricity to a nearby power station, from where it is supplied to local customers. A farmer in Nebraska, United States, is earning additional income by leasing part of his agricultural land for a wind turbine. A wind energy company has leased his 160-acre property to install a wind turbine, but the turbine and its equipment take up only about one acre. The farmer can continue using the remaining 159 acres for agriculture.The financial difference is significant. According to the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), the company behind the project says a typical 30-year lease pays an average of $10,000 to $12,500 a year. In comparison, even a highly productive acre of corn might bring in around $600 annually. The figures were shared in a case study published by NRECA in July 2021.The wind turbine is part of a project in Cuming County, Nebraska, where a local electricity provider wanted to produce some of its own power instead of buying all its electricity from larger suppliers. The company, Bluestem Energy Solutions, installed the turbine in 2019 and sells the electricity it produces to Cuming County Public Power District (CCPPD), which serves h...