I know all of you out there are probably getting sick of hearing about wind energy and other alternatives that can replace fossil fuels. But you need to listen just a little more.

Wind energy has the potential to put a lot of Americans back to work, reducing our dependence on foreign countries and reducing our tax burdens. So here we go with just a little more.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory, an agency of the U.S. government, has been doing a lot of research and testing in the area of wind energy, its potential and cost. According to the Lab, the U.S. currently has the potential to generate 25 million kilowatts of electricity per year using the wind. That is about enough energy to power 7 million average American homes for a year.

They suggest as much as 20 percent of all our energy needs could be met using wind energy. So much for potential.

Cost? It still costs more to produce electricity from wind than from coal, but as wind usage spreads, the cost should drop. While as environmental demands increase the cost of using coal should rise. At some point, wind energy should become cheaper than coal energy.

The company True Wind Solutions just released a new set of maps showing the average wind speed at 50 meters for most states in the U.S. The highest rating in Indiana is Class 3, which is the second highest. Those high areas seem to center around Lafayette. However, one large area is found along the Cass-Howard County line and into Howard County.

It seems someone else has noticed the potential of wind energy. The other evening the Kokomo Tribune carried an article about how Northwestern High School was investigating the use of wind power. The high school is in that high wind speed area in Howard County. It is also near a major 345kV power line that could carry excess electricity to other areas.

Over a period of time, a series of wind turbines at the high school site might lower the cost of operating the school and actually return money that could be used to lower taxes.

Currently the county government is sponsoring a study of wind potential in Cass County. Hopefully, the Logansport Economic Development Foundation’s Skip Kuker and the commissioners will have the results soon.

We wouldn’t want to waste taxpayers’ money on untested technology. But this is tested. The National Wind Technology Center has tested several small systems that might be placed in Cass County.

The first of these is the Abundant Renewable Energy’s ARE 442. It produces 10kW using three blades at a hub height of 30.9 meters. The diameter of the rotors is only 7.2 meters. This setup was tested from June 9, 2008 until Nov. 3, 2009. During that time it produced 11,350 kWH during 3240 hours of production. The electricity it produces is at 410 volts AC.

The second of these is the Entegrity Wind Systems’ EW 50. It produces 50kW using 3 blades at a hub height of 30 meters. The diameter of the rotors is 15 meters. It was tested during the period April 1, 2009 through Nov. 1, 2009. It produced 10,087 kWH of electricity while being used for 766 hours.

The third of these is the Mariah Power turbine. Unlike the others, it doesn’t look like airplane propellers mounted on a post. It looks more like a cage spinning around a center post. It has a total height of 9.1 meters and is only 1.2 meters in diameter. It was tested during the period May 5, 2008 to Jan. 14, 2009. It was found to produce 108 kWH of electricity while being operated for 831 hours.

Their conclusion is that “Wind is a clean, inexhaustible, indigenous energy resource that can generate enough electricity to power millions of homes and businesses.”

The point is that good systems are out there that will produce electrical energy at low wind speeds successfully. Germany is already not only a large producer of alternate energies, but a huge producer of the equipment to harness these energies.

We don’t want to get left behind, do we? Cass County should be in the forefront of using wind energy.

That is what I think. What do you think?

• Gordon Southern is a columnist for the Pharos-Tribune. He can be reached through the newspaper at ptnews@pharostribune.com.