Dakota Plains Energy
PO Box 737 , Aberdeen, South Dakota, United States

The only South Dakota-based utility-scale wind farm developer, Dakota Plains Energy, is headquartered in Aberdeen with a satellite office in Nisswa, MN. Dakota Plains Energy values its long-standing relationships with South Dakota communities and offers an understanding and respect of rural and small town sensibilities combined with expertise in rural energy project management.   A major goal of Dakota Plains Energy is “Revitalizing Rural America” through wind energy and other renewable energy methods in the Midwest communities we serve. A reduction in local school closures and a reversal of the relocation of South Dakota’s finest young adults will result in further growth and rejuvenation of our rural communities.

1031 Exchanges and Sale-Leasebacks

Many business owners own not only the business but also the real estate used by their business. Over time, the real estate may enjoy a significant appreciation in value while the debt on the property decreases from years of paying down the mortgage. This often represents a large chunk of the business owner (taxpayer’s) net worth. Oftentimes astute business people come to the realization they have concentrated too much of their net worth and face significant exposure if that one property falls in value.  As a business owner grows older and is considering retirement, they may want to diversify their assets (and mitigate their risk exposure) by selling the real estate, but still have their business stay on as a tenant with a long-term lease. The advantage to this business owner/taxpayer is that they can 1031 exchange their hard-earned equity into a more safe and diversified portfolio of like-kind properties in local or different geographic areas and in different business segments such as Retail, Multi-family, Industrial or Office.  Consider doing a 1031 with the real estate, then selling the business. If the taxpayer is considering selling their business, the buyer would not have to purchase the real estate, and could acquire the business with a lower down payment as they would not have to qualify for a real estate loan. This buyer of the business would also have the certainty of assuming a long-term fixed lease and continue to run the business where it has been located.  As a general rule, when you are selling real estate, you want to receive all of your cash upfront so you can invest all of this equity through a 1031 into your new replacement properties. Business owners often find that selling to a strong non-related cash buyer is often more desirable then attempting to sell both the business and its real estate to a single buyer. In today’s market we see many potential buyers are already stretching their finances in purchasing the business.  We often see seller-back financing in order to get the top-dollar amount for the business. It is very common to see the seller get their proceeds over an extended period of time, which is fine for the business sale, but not for a 1031 transaction. If you are looking to defer all of of your gains from the real estate sale, it is often better to split the sale of the business from its real estate, thus maximizing the seller’s financial returns while deferring taxation through a 1031 Exchange.

Our Mission: To harvest the power of the plains through wind and solar development for all income levels. 

Our Vision: Our vision is to help create a sustainable South Dakota through renewable energy resources: through both wind and solar energy.

Why Choose Us: 

The only South Dakota-based utility-scale wind farm developer, Dakota Plains Energy, DPE, is headquartered in Aberdeen with a satellite office in Nisswa, MN. Dakota Plains Energy values its long-standing relationships with South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa communities, and offers an understanding and respect of rural and small town sensibilities combined with expertise in rural energy project management. We will help envision, develop, finance and advise on energy renewable projects.  A major goal of Dakota Plains Energy is “Revitalizing Rural America” through wind and solar energy, and other renewable energy methods in the Midwest communities we serve. A reduction in local school closures and a reversal of the relocation of the Great Plains’ finest young adults will result in further growth and rejuvenation of our rural communities.

What is Solar Energy and what is the future: 

“Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago”–Warren Buffet  Mission Project: Bringing solar energy to people across the Midwest, through developing and envisioning: independent energy to everyone.  Dakota Plains Energy is developing, building, and helping finance Solar Energy projects in the Midwest.

Wind Energy

Today, nearly 1,000 utility-scale wind projects – representing over 68,000 megawatts – are installed across 39 states and Puerto Rico. There are over 560 wind manufacturing facilities spread across 43 states; more U.S. wind power capacity was under construction at the end of 2014 than at the end of any other year. Over 12,700MW of new wind energy capacity was under construction across 98 projects. During 2014, at least 6,000MW started physical construction.  A record number of power purchase agreements (PPAs) were signed in 2013 and 2014. At least 87 PPAs for over 11,300MW were initiated by utilities and corporate purchasers, of which approximately 5,000MW have not yet started construction.  **There were 48,000 turbines operating in the U.S. at the end of 2014 at a total investment exceeding $120 billion.  South Dakota, the fifth windiest state, has the capacity to generate over 117,000 megawatts of wind power according to the National Renewable Energy Lab of the U.S. Dept. of Energy. This would translate to approximately $1 trillion of investment in wind generation facilities in the state. As of the end of 2014, South Dakota was generating 803 megawatts, barely a one-half percent of its capacity.

We offer financing options for any size project, from home rooftops to municipal projects, to large utility –scale projects. Our financing options include:

• Solar Power Purchase Agreements
• Solar Leasing
• Solar Home Equity Loans
• PACE Municipal Financing
• REAP Grants or Loan Guarantees
• Tax Equity Investors