In Minnesota, one wind turbine stopped producing only electricity and started making something else using nothing but wind, water, and the air around it
A Minnesotan wind turbine shows that wind energy can produce more than just electricity.
Various global industries are racing to decarbonize their operations, but many have historically struggled to do so.
The agricultural sector is among those actively working toward clean alternatives.
The University of Minnesota’s West Central Research and Outreach Center (WCROC) uses the electricity at an on-site chemical plant.
Beyond climate targets, volatile international markets are also a primary driver of the sector’s shift.
Will a facility in Minnesota prove that agriculture can save money while going green?
How fossil fuels have been feeding the world
Global food production has relied on one chemical reaction for over a century.
This is known as the Haber-Bosch process, and it was invented in the early 1900s. The key is to create synthetic ammonia fertilizer by combining atmospheric nitrogen with natural gas or coal.
This process is extremely heat-intensive and accounts for up to 2% of total global greenhouse gas emissions.
While it is highly unsustainable, it has doubled the Earth’s food-carrying capacity and still feeds almost 50% of the population.
Experts predict that the population will peak at 10.3 billion by the mid-2080s.
Beyond producing enough food to feed all these people, other factors also impact the world’s food security.
Synthetic fertilizer is traditionally created in chemical plants that require continuous, high-volume power. This is why producers remain reliant on fossil fuel-powered grids.
Furthermore, the process relies on complex international supply chains, which raises import costs and carbon footprints.
From an environmental goal to a critical economic buffer
U.S. agriculture accounts for roughly 10% of national greenhouse gas emissions, but these emissions are notoriously hard to lower.
However, decarbonization has become fundamental, as climate change continues to threaten food security worldwide.
The warmer temperatures have shifted atmospheric patterns.
Weather has become more extreme and more difficult to predict, resulting in major crop losses and lower yields.
For American farmers, decarbonizing fertilizer is now more than a green initiative – it is a matter of financial survival.
A significant portion of synthetic fertilizer is imported into the U.S.
This leaves farmers vulnerable to geopolitical tensions, global supply chain shocks, and volatile price increases.
Furthermore, many buyers, consumer brands, and federal export standards now demand low carbon-intensity scores.
Those who fail to lower carbon footprints risk losing access to premium markets.
West Central Research and Outreach Center is addressing these challenges by changing the way wind energy is used.
A wind turbine that can reshape American agriculture
A large-scale 1.65-MW wind turbine in Morris, Minnesota, has shown that it produces more than clean power.
The University of Minnesota’s West Central Research and Outreach Center (WCROC) uses the electricity at an on-site chemical plant.
The plant is controlled by complex systems designed by the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.
This way, the wind turbine’s fluctuating output continues to produce liquid green ammonia.
Creating more sustainable fertilizer using wind, water, and air
The wind turbine’s electricity powers the operation, offsetting fossil fuels in the manufacturing process.
Electrolyzers are located on-site. They use wind energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen gas.
Additionally, nitrogen gas is directly harnessed from the atmosphere using an air-separation unit.
Hydrogen and nitrogen are combined under pressure, resulting in carbon-free ammonia fertilizer.
Approximately one metric ton of green ammonia is produced by the pilot plant daily.
The fertilizer is stored on-site and transferred into local farm nurse tanks.
Minnesota farmers can finally achieve resilience.
Historically, nearly $1 billion was spent annually on carbon-heavy, imported synthetic fertilizer.
Using a wind turbine to create zero-carbon fertilizer locally protects farmers, national food security, and the climate.
The Morris plant proves that decarbonizing the agricultural sector is no longer a pipe dream. American farmers can regain economic control while securing national food supply more sustainably.
