Gail Kinsey Hill, Portland Oregonian
Projects to power a few thousand homes are springing up in the Columbia River Gorge
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When alternative-energy enthusiasts ponder the potential of wind generation, they generally envision huge, 100-turbine projects capable of producing power for tens of thousands of homes.

But there's a new, more modest player on the block. It's called community wind, and if pent-up interest is any indication, it's destined for a small but determined place on the Northwest's energy grid.

Loosely defined, community wind projects involve fewer than 10 turbines and direct ownership by the farmers, ranchers and others who might live in the breezy, rural reaches that make for prime wind-turbine territory.

Generally, such small-scale endeavors are shunned by large developers, who want lots of turbines, windier wind and high-voltage transmission connections to population centers. In that light, they will help round out the national foray into wind.

Several community wind farms, years in the making, are poised to make their debut in Oregon, right alongside the big corporate enterprises that already lay claim to some of the choicest spots in the blustery Columbia River Gorge. Many more are in the works.

Wind power, downsized

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