It’s a tiny investment for a global oil and natural gas company, but one that nevertheless reflects big changes underway in U.S. energy markets:

The Norwegian producer Statoil announced this week that it would provide $3 million to a Brooklyn-based company that installs small wind turbines on farms and other rural properties in the U.S.

For Statoil, the investment in United Wind is the first from a new $200 million venture capital account set up to support “attractive and ambitious companies in renewable energy,” ones that could help Statoil expand its own clean-energy push. (Read more)