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NEWS
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Interstate Turbine Advisory Council Releases Unified List of Small Wind Turbines
On May 1st, the Interstate Turbine Advisory Council (ITAC), a project of the Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA), released the first version of its Unified List of small wind turbines (turbines with a rotor swept area less than 200 square meters) eligible for state incentive program funding. The Unified List provides a collaborative and common list of turbines, a critical step in developing a robust distributed wind market. The List will be used by ITAC-member clean energy programs across the United States, who have pooled resources to efficiently review and evaluate turbines. Read on. Full AWEA Small Wind Market Report Released In June, AWEA released its full 2011 Small Wind Turbine Market Report. (Small Wind News reported on the summary of this report in the Spring issue. INSERT LINK.) The full report can now be downloaded as a PDF by clicking here. Topics covered in the 55-page report include market highlights, federal and state incentives, distinguishing product features, market developments and drivers, and industry perspectives. Small Wind Turbines Among Projects Supported by USDA Grants USDA selected for funding hundreds of projects nationwide that are focused on helping agricultural producers and rural small businesses reduce energy consumption and costs; use renewable energy technologies in their operation; and/or conduct feasibility studies for renewable energy projects. Funding is made available through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), which is authorized by the 2008 Farm Bill. Eight of the 430 announced projects involve small wind turbines, about 2% of the total. Read on. NABCEP Announces Suspension of Small Wind Installer Certification Exam The Board of Directors of the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) announces that it will suspend the administration of the Small Wind Installer Certification Examination after the September 22, 2012 exam cycle. Ezra Auerbach, NABCEP's Executive Director says; "The Board took this action because the consistently low volume of Small Wind Installer candidates simply did not justify continuing administering the examination." Read on. ALASKA: Turbines Power Remote Village Water Treatment Plant  Wind power now provides residents of an isolated Alaska village with renewable energy to run a water treatment facility, reducing the village's dependence on imported diesel fuel while maintaining crucial infrastructure. Southwest Windpower, in conjunction with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) and Anchorage-based Susitna Energy Systems installed three Skystream 3.7 wind turbines, which will power ANTHC's two-year-old state-of-the-art water plant. The wind turbines are projected to supply approximately 75 percent of the roughly 18,000 kWh consumed annually by the facility. In high wind conditions, excess energy produced by the wind turbines will be distributed amongst the village through a micro-grid. Read on.
Distributed Wind Energy Association Celebrates Two Year Anniversary The Distributed Wind Energy Association (DWEA) recently announced that over 100 new members have joined the organization since its founding in 2010. DWEA members represent a wide variety of industry leaders in the Distributed and Community Wind industry, from entry-level managers to CEOs, in the public and private sectors, and organizations of all sizes. A listing of all of the DWEA members can be found here. Read on. Eighth Annual Small Wind Conference a Huge Success! by Mick Sagrillo Once again, the Small Wind Conference has lived up to its reputation as the premier small wind event in the United States, with people attending from all across the United States, as well as Canada, Denmark, England, France, Italy, and Scotland. Read on. Upcoming Small Wind Events
For a full listing of upcoming wind energy events, click here.
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RESOURCES
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Cross Island Farms Case Study
NREL recently published a case study of a small wind installation at Cross Island Farm, a 102-acre certified organic farm on Wellesley Island in northern New York. The case study examines the steps involved in the two years it took to complete the installation, including siting, zoning, financing, and construction. System performance is examined, and the owners reflect on and share lessons learned through the process.
The full case study can be downloaded by clicking here.
DOE and NREL Publish Resource Map for Small Wind
The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Wind Program and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory recently published 30-meter height, high-resolution wind resource maps for the U.S., including all 50 states. The maps are a key piece to understanding a state's wind resource potential from a small wind project development and policy perspective and represent the first modern national map of the resource for small wind turbine deployment available to the public. The wind resource maps are now available on the DOE's Wind Powering America website for small (30-meter height), community (50 meters), utility-scale land-based (80 meters), and utility-scale offshore (90 meters) wind power assessments. Read on.
Introduction to Wind Energy - Online, self-paced course through University of Colorado, Boulder
The University of Colorado in Boulder offers a self-paced, online course of self-study on wind energy. Explore small wind electric systems suitable for homes, farms, and businesses. Topics include: basics of electricity; pros and cons of small wind energy systems; forces that generate winds and affect wind flows; types of wind; wind system options; ways to assess electrical demand in new and existing buildings; ways to determine the wind resources at a potential wind site; basics of wind turbine design; tower options; optimum tower height; balance of systems components; and economics of wind energy systems. Click here for more information.
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INTERCONNECTION AND NET METERING
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Check the Interstate Renewable Energy Council's Connecting to the Grid web site for the latest interconnection and net metering news.
HAWAII: PUC Directs Renewables-Related Initiative for Reliability Standards
Since September of 2011, the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission has been directing an interesting working group initiative that may help establish some technical precedents for high penetration PV. The Reliability Standards Working Group (RSWG) was formed by the Hawaii PUC, to find solutions to integrating high penetrations of renewable energy consistent with reliability and power quality standards. Read on.
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| INCENTIVES |
CALIFORNIA: Emerging Renewables Program Ends The California Emerging Renewables Program is closing, in a move that surprised many small wind advocates and customers. Following the passage of Senate Bill 1018 and pursuant to the Budget Act of 2012, the California Energy Commission is required to close out the award of incentives provided for small wind turbines and fuel cell technologies through the Emerging Renewables Program. A copy of Senate Bill 1018 is available here. For more information, read on. ARIZONA: Tax Credits Arizona's Solar Energy Credit is available to individual taxpayers who install a solar or wind energy device at the taxpayer's Arizona residence. The credit varies depending on the status of the taxpayer. The credit is claimed in the year of installation. If the amount of the credit exceeds a taxpayer's liability in a certain year, the unused portion of the credit may be carried forward for up to five years. Read on: Residential Non-residential (corporate) Non-residential (personal) WISCONSIN: Focus on Energy Renewable Energy Programs Available Focus on Energy announced new renewable energy programs, including a program for Wisconsin businesses that includes support for small wind projects. The residential program does not. Both renewable energy programs are in accordance with the Public Service Commission's order issued at the end of April, which stated guidelines for Focus on Energy's renewable energy programs. Read on. |
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SMALL WIND ENERGY IN THE NEWS
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These articles from around the U.S. give examples of how small wind is covered today, good or bad. CALIFORNIA: San Diego Commissioners propose changes for wind energy systems Ramona Sentinel, July 23, 2012 San Diego County Planning Commission wants to see some changes in zoning rules affecting wind energy systems. Commissioners voted 4-2 on July 20 to recommend changes that would affect, among other items, definitions and setback and height restrictions. Read on. NEW YORK: Alec Baldwin Turbine Puts Small Wind In Spotlight Earth Techling, July 20. 2012 The Alec Baldwin East Hampton wind turbine story might just be the best thing ever to happen to distributed wind power. Mike Bergey and the nearly three-dozen people who work at Bergey Windpower in Norman, Okla., can hope. "It would be nice if this led to more people learning about what distributed wind power really is, and getting more of a fact-based understanding of our technology and our industry," Bergey, the president of Bergey Windpower, said in a telephone interview this week. Read on. SOUTH DAKOTA: Producers look to tap wind, sun for power TriState Neighbor, July 2, 2012 Dennis Williams was having problems last week with a wind turbine in rural Garretson, S.D. The turbine, manufactured by a Portland, Ore., company, has been one of the best-performing turbines in the company's fleet of 1,200 as it sits atop a hill in the rolling grasslands west of Garretson. Although the owner, who didn't want to be identified, was missing out on a lot of energy production because of blustery conditions, Williams said it's an example of what can happen when farmers or rural residents install wind turbines on their properties: It sometimes might need maintenance. Read on. |
ABOUT THE SMALL WIND NEWSLETTER
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The Small Wind Newsletter is published electronically by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council. The Small Wind Web Site contains news, resources, and links.
Click here to subscribe. There is no fee for subscriptions.
If you have comments or news items, please send them to Larry Sherwood at Larry@irecusa.org .
Disclaimer: The Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) does not assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product or process that is referred to or linked to in this newsletter. Reference to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply IREC's endorsement or recommendation.
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