DUBLIN, Ohio - Green Mountain Energy Company (http://www.greenmountain.com ), the nation's largest and fastest growing residential provider of cleaner electricity, has selected a site in central Ohio where a tower is being erected to study wind. The company will determine whether winds there are suitable for generating pollution-free, commercial electricity with giant wind turbines.

The site is on Morrow County Road 37 in North Bloomfield Township, four miles west of the Mid Ohio Race Track. It is 15 miles southwest of Mansfield and about 45 miles northeast of Columbus.

Green Mountain Energy Company already operates a 10.4-megawatt wind farm in Garrett, Pa., about 95 miles east of the Ohio River. Each of the eight wind turbines there is 200 feet in height -- about as tall as a 20-story building. If the testing announced today reveals positive results, Green Mountain Energy Company's Midwest region president, Paul Markovich, said similar turbines could be built in central Ohio.

"We are committed to bringing pollution-free, wind-generated electricity to Ohio," said Markovich. "We will find out -- once and for all -- whether commercial wind power is feasible here."

The 160 feet high testing tower supports instruments which measure wind speed, direction and frequency. Data will be gathered for several months and analyzed by Springhouse Energy Systems, Inc., a Washington, Pa., wind energy consulting firm with more than 20 years of experience.

"When the tests are finished, we will study the data and decide if a commercial wind farm -- in the 10-megawatt class -- is practical," said Markovich. "If it is, we will know where to build it."

Even if no wind turbines are built in Ohio, Green Mountain Energy Company remains committed to bringing cleaner, wind-generated electricity from surrounding states to Ohio. The company also is constructing a 25-kilowatt solar electricity array at Lake Farmpark in Kirtland, east of Cleveland.

About Green Mountain Energy Company:

Green Mountain Energy(SM) electricity is the leading brand of cleaner electricity in the states where Green Mountain Energy Company (http://www.greenmountain.com ) does business. The company provides less-polluting electricity generated from sources including wind, solar, water, geothermal, biomass and cleaner burning natural gas. Nearly half a million customers in seven states: Ohio, Oregon, California, Texas, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania have chosen Green Mountain Energy(SM) electricity. The Austin, Texas-based company was founded in September 1997 to "change the way power is made."

Green Mountain Energy Company

Green Mountain Energy Company

Founded in 1997 to change the way power is made, Green Mountain Energy Company (www.greenmountain.com) offers residential, business, institutional and governmental customers the choice to support cleaner electricity generated from sources such as wind, solar, water, geothermal, biomass and natural gas. Due to Green Mountain Energy Company's efforts, almost 600,000 customers nationwide are purchasing electricity that is significantly less polluting than typical system power. The company is based in Austin, Texas.

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