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Native American Anemometer Loan Program

Photo of an anemometer, before it is raised, in Bay Mills, Michigan

Here you will find anemometer loan applications for tribes. Wind Powering America's Native American anemometer loan program is part of an effort to promote the installation of wind turbines on Native American lands. Wind Powering America's program allows Native American tribes to borrow anemometers and the equipment needed for installation so that they may measure the wind resource on tribal lands. By significantly reducing the cost of quantifying the wind resource on tribal lands, Wind Powering America expects that more tribes will be encouraged to install wind turbines. The anemometer loan program is administered jointly by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the Western Area Power Administration as part of the U.S. Department of Energy's Wind Powering America initiative.

20-Meter Anemometer Loan

The 20-meter anemometer has been the standard loan offer since the program's inception. The 20-meter anemometer loan is free to the tribe, and anemometers are more accessible. Tribes that currently do not have their wind resource well characterized should apply for the 20-meter anemometer before pursuing the tall-tower anemometers.

Tall Tower (40- to 50-Meter) Anemometer Loan

As an add-on to the Native American anemometer loan program, Wind Powering America also loans 40-meter and 50-meter anemometer towers to Native American Tribes and Native Alaska Villages.

Applications are processed on a first-come, first-served basis. Due to the limited number of available tall-tower anemometers and the expense and effort required to properly site and install them, the lending criteria are much more stringent than for the 20-meter towers. Applicants must have a well-developed project concept. Also, applicants must be able to pay for installation and dismantling of the tower ($10,000 - $20,000). Details of the lending program and application instructions are in the files below.