Bob Will welcomed over 1,000 visitors to a wind-swept knoll on his Somerset, Pennsylvania dairy farm in 2001 to celebrate the six sleek new wind turbines on his and his neighbors' property. At the time of the dedication event, the Somerset project and its 10-turbine sister project in Mill Run, Pennsylvania, made up the largest wind farm east of the Mississippi River.

A Community Resource
Joining Bob that day were school children, members of the community, local government officials, and the team of developers, power purchasers, funders, and state regulators that helped bring this facility to fruition. Only a few hundred yards from the Pennsylvania Turnpike, about one hour east of Pittsburgh, thousands of motorists see these wind turbines every day.

Voluntary Purchases Critical for Success
The voluntary market for wind energy helped this development. Some of Community Energy's first wind energy customers, and, at the time, the largest in the country, were on hand to partake in the festivities. The University of Pennsylvania, Penn State University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Giant Eagle celebrated their historic commitments that day.

Jim Lampl, the Giant Eagle conservation director for the Pittsburgh-based regional supermarket chain said, "We support many local environmental initiatives, and we're happy to join other progressive community leaders... in support of locally-generated wind energy. The Giant Eagle wind purchase will help the clean air effort, and it is our hope that this will encourage others to support alternative energy sources."

Location: Somerset, Somerset County, Pennsylvania; Mill Run, Fayette County, Pennsylvania
Owner: FPL Energy
Power Purchaser: Exelon Power Team
Turbines: 16 GE 1.5 MW wind turbines
Commercial Operation: 2001
Electricity Production: Equivalent to the annual consumption of over 6,300 typical homes
Carbon Offset: Over 84 million pounds/year