Wind Royalties and Lease Payments in Minnesota

Wind projects by county in Minnesota

Lincoln County, Mower County and Jackson County have the most recorded wind capacity in Minnesota, with 1,018.9 MW, 608 MW and 601.8 MW.^[1]

Wind projects in Minnesota came online between 1998 and 2023.^[1]

Source: U.S. Wind Turbine Database (USGS, ACP, LBNL), version 9.1, released September 28, 2026. Data compiled November 3, 2026.

How wind leases pay

In royalty arrangements, the developer pays the landowner a percentage of the revenue received from the electricity produced by the turbines.^[2] In a flat or fixed-fee arrangement, the developer pays a fixed fee per turbine, per unit of land or per megawatt of installed capacity on a monthly or yearly basis.^[2] Wind power leases generally have terms of 20 to 40 years, often with an option to extend, while a typical utility-scale wind power project has a useful life of 20 years.^[2]

What you sell and what you keep

What Buckhead buys depends on the deal, and Buckhead tells the seller up front which interest it is offering to buy — for example, the payments for the rest of the current lease term, a term easement, or a longer-term interest. A wind lease rents land for a term of years, and wind power leases generally have terms of 20 to 40 years, often with an option for extending the lease.^[2] Under a wind lease, the landowner typically keeps the right to continue to grow crops, raise cattle or otherwise use the land outside the project.^[2]

Frequently asked questions

Related pages

Selling Wind Royalties and Wind Lease Payments

Solar Lease Payments and Royalties in Minnesota

Sources

[1] U.S. Wind Turbine Database (version 9.1, released September 28, 2026) — U.S. Geological Survey, American Clean Power Association and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (accessed November 1, 2026)

[2] New York Wind Energy Guide for Local Decision Makers: Land Agreements — New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) (accessed November 1, 2026)