Wind turbines from the Kingdom Community Wind project on Lowell Mountain seen from Route 100 looking east from Lowell on Saturday, September 26, 2020. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger
For a time, Vermont was building wind.
Projects like Deerfield, Kingdom Community Wind, Sheffield, and Georgia Mountain brought renewable, in-state energy online, powering tens of thousands of homes and helping diversify our electricity mix. At one point, wind was poised to play a much larger role in Vermont’s clean energy future.
But over a decade ago, that momentum stalled. No new utility-scale wind projects have been built since. So what happened?
In today’s episode of Democracy Dispatch, Peter Sterling of Renewable Energy Vermont joins to unpack the full story – from Vermont’s early leadership in wind to the backlash that reshaped the conversation, and the policy decisions that followed.
We also dig into what this means for Vermonters right now. As energy costs skyrocket due to the War with Iran, and the region remains heavily reliant on natural gas, wind has the potential to lower electricity prices and improve grid reliability. Is there a path to restarting wind development here?
Lastly, a couple of events in the coming week. This Saturday, April 11, is the Vermont Changemakers Summit, bringing together folks from across the state who are working on some of the biggest issues facing Vermont, from housing and land use to climate and community resilience. It’s happening at Harwood Union High School in Duxbury. It’s a chance to hear from leaders, share ideas, and connect with others doing this work. And you can even come to a workshop that I am co-leading with Logan Snow from Planned Parenthood of Northern New England: Ethical Communications: Crafting a Humane, Accessible, and Compelling Message. Hope to see you there. Register here.
For those in the Rutland region, next Monday, April 13, we will be joining other organizations to host the first candidate forum of the 2026 election season. Come meet the three Democratic candidates for the primary election for Lieutenant Governor at 6:00pm at the Vermont Farmers Food Center. More info and registration can be found here.