Nebraska Rides The Wind

I am a student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where I work part-time as a videographer. I'm originally from Lynchburg, VA, but moved to Lincoln as a high schooler. I also work for a foundation in Omaha, funded by the Warren Buffett family, designed to assist underprivileged youth in pursuing their educational goals.

What originally got me interested in wind energy was its potential. A New York Times article ran in August about a small town in northern Nebraska called Ainsworth that had a giant wind farm a mile south of downtown. The people talked about how positive an impact the wind farm had on their town and talked about what it could do for other similar towns throughout the Midwest.

As I did a little more research, I discovered that the Midwest had one of the largest wind potentials in the world, and much of that resource remained untapped. I had to wonder: What about Ainsworth had allowed it to be so successful in its commitment to wind energy?

So that semester, for a class assignment, I had to make a ten minute documentary on a topic of my choice. I decided to drive out to Ainsworth and talk to a few people about wind energy. I tried to find out what it was that made Ainsworth a success, and what could be done to spread this success across the Midwest. In the end, I made four trips to Ainsworth. I talked to the mayor and its citizens, and I learned a lot. Its boosted the economy, helped with jobs, and served as a bit of a tourist attraction. What's most exciting is they seem to think it could really work elsewhere.

So I think the potential for wind energy is huge and the impact it could have on our country is important to look at. What my video hopes to accomplish is to give just a little glimpse of what the U.S. could be like, if we took closer look at what wind energy could do.