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June 8, 2012

 

Opening
DWEA Installer of the Month      
Honoring Gary Harcourt of Great Rock Windpower


The Installer of the Month awards are given to members of the distributed wind industry that have done exemplary work to advance the industry. The award highlights individuals that go above and beyond to not only support their business, but the entire distributed wind industry by removing barriers in their region and promoting opportunities for other colleagues to succeed.


Colleagues around the industry nominated Gary Harcourt of Great Rock Windpower in Vineyard Haven, MA as one of DWEA's first Installers of the Month. Gary is a five year veteran of the industry and his company, Great Rock Windpower, serves the unique market of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. Martha's Vineyard is located off the coast of Cape Cod along the Atlantic seaboard. They install primarily Endurance machines and have over 50 installs in the US, Canada and the UK.


Gary found himself in the distributed wind industry after spending 25 years as a woodworker and cabinet maker. The tough economy meant that he had to supplement his income. Naturally, he tapped into his enthusiasm for wind power and alternative energy, but it's also as a tribute to his brother Glen. Glen passed away in 2006 and this led to researching wind resource in Martha's Vineyard. Roy Butler of Four Winds Renewable Energy mentored the first installation and according to Gary he was inspired and hooked for life!

 

After 13 installations and hard work with NIMBY groups, Harcourt emphasizes the need for more public education. And for the industry and his business, he would like to have farms with a semi-pass on zoning for installs.

 

 When asked about advice for new or fellow installers, Gary said, "The position that's worked for us with zoning boards, and is truly authentic, is that we have never advertised our services. We are providing a service for people that want wind energy. We're not pushing turbines. If you think it's the right thing to do, then we will do it for you.   Education is really important."

 

Harcourt's final words of wisdom are to maintain a level of passion and commitment. He says, "it's also important to take on the role of a teacher. Not only do we need to educate the public about distributed wind but we need to get young people excited about wind energy and get them involved. I find that a climb up a tower is a great way to get young people excited about wind. I also have trained quite a few new climbers (about 20) in tower safety and rescue including my wife, son and daughter."

 

Thank you, Gary, for you leadership, passion and commitment. The distributed wind industry is better because you are in it! 

 

For more about Gary and his business, visit:

www.greatrockwindpower.com 

 

 
Installation of the Month 

Town Of Hempstead Department of  

Conservation and Waterways

 

 

 

Aegis Wind, a community scale wind turbine installer located in Waitsfield, VT was the EPC for the installation of a Northern Power NP100, a 100kW wind turbine for the Town Of Hempstead Department of Conservation and Waterways, located in Long Island, NY. This wind turbine powers the town's hydrogen fueling station which provides fuel for their fleet of hydrogen powered vehicles. Installed in December of 2011, the turbine has generated over 120,000 kilowatts hour of power to date.  

 

Aegis Wind, a spin-off of Alteris Renewables, has installed 14, 100kW wind turbines throughout the North East. They are leading the way for community scale wind energy and are one of the most experience wind integrators in the Northeast.

The integration of wind power into the already diverse onsite renewable portfolio at the Hempstead site has culminated in the creation of a system model that not only is making a real and positive contribution to the environment and to the stability of the local utility grid but is also an amazing teaching environment where students can come to see what a zero emissions future looks like.

 


Let's Hear from You... 

Have a story or idea for an upcoming newsletter? Submit your thoughts to [email protected]


Upcoming
Events
 

DWEA Membership meeting
June 14th 10-noon  

Steven's Point, WI

 
 
SideNavWho Cares About Installers?    

 

DWEA cares about climbers!

One of the issues that concern all of us in the wind industry is the safety and well-being of tower climbers and the ground crew workers below. Nothing is more important than living to climb another day! Unfortunately, some installers have been seriously injured and killed for lack of proper safety practices. The numbers are very low, but anything above zero is cause for concern in this business.

 

DWEA members were invited and encouraged to attend a series of two webinars regarding a Best Practices in Small Wind: Tower Climbing Safety document created by a number of industry experts and currently housed at http://smallwindconference.com. This has been a work in progress for nearly a year, and thanks to the DWEA webinars, some excellent feedback has been received and incorporated into the most recent version (4).

 

Climbing towers is not for the faint of heart, and it's certainly not for those who don't respect or follow appropriate safety guidelines. DWEA recognizes the importance of keeping wind energy workers in safe hands, in providing installers with the tools they need to do their job well, and with providing educational opportunities around such vital topics.  

 

Look for upcoming versions of the document and complimentary webinars for more chances to help keep wind energy workers safe "up there."

 

If you have any questions regarding the document or associated webinars, contact Jenny Heinzen, co-chair of the DWEA Education Committee at [email protected] 

  


       
SideNaviCommittee Corner  

 

Permitting & Zoning Committee  

   DWEA would like to acknowledge in gratitude, Lisa DiFrancisco of North Coast Energy Systems for her two year long leadership role on the Permitting & Zoning Committee.  

 

Through her leadership, this committee has created a number of fact sheets, the DWEA model zoning ordinance, and spearheaded the beginning of a zoning mentoring program.

 

Thank you, Lisa, for your commitment, vision and passion for all that you do for the distributed wind industry!

 

If you are interested in participating in this committee, contact [email protected]

 

 

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