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NEWS
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NEW YORK: Seventh Generation Family Farm Offsets 85% of Its Energy Costs with Wind Turbine
 Founded in 1835 by Nathaniel Richmond, Richmond Farms Dairy LLC, is a 220-cow dairy farm operated by Chuck and John Richmond, the 6th and 7th generations of the Richmond family to work the farm. Today, the Richmond Farm is an award-winning dairy farm, situated on 650 acres of land used to grow both corn and hay to feed their cattle. John Richmond wanted a solution that would not only protect him from escalating electricity prices, but one that would allow him to ensure the long term sustainability of his farm. Read on. What Happened to Southwest Wind Power? Southwest Windpower abruptly closed their doors for business on February 20, 2013. The largest manufacturer of small wind turbines in the United States surprised employees, customers, dealers and competitors alike. Without more information, it is impossible to be sure of the reason for the closure. Certainly, the U.S. small wind market has weakened in the last few years. It is a fact that government policies and incentives have been inconsistent, undermining the value of the programs designated to help grow the renewables market. Read on. The IREC Interview: Small Wind Expert Brent Summerville Brent Summerville is Technical Director of the Small Wind Certification Council. He is a licensed professional engineer with a BS in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University and a Masters in Appropriate Technology from Appalachian State University (ASU). He started his career testing small wind turbines while serving as the manager of the ASU Small Wind Research & Demonstration Site  on Beech Mountain. You've been involved with Small Wind for a while now. Tell us how you first got involved and what drew you into the field. The day I graduated from the Mechanical Engineering program at North Carolina State, I picked up a copy of Home Power magazine at a friend's house and I was immediately hooked on renewable energy. Soon after, I had a 'take your bedroom off the grid' system that traveled with me. Read on. IREC Seeks Nominees for Best of 2013 for New National i-Awards Innovation, Ingenuity, Inspiration in Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency The Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) is reaching out across the U.S. for nominations to recognize the nation's Best of 2013 - Innovation, Ingenuity, Inspiration in renewable energy and energy efficiency. The prestigious awards will be presented during IREC's October meeting, on the floor of Solar Power International in Chicago, with more than 10,000 expected participants. Read on. ILLINOIS: Wind for Schools Selects Six Districts for 2013-14 Partners The Illinois Wind for Schools (ILWFS) program has selected the schools that will participate during the 2013-14 school year. Through an application process, six school districts were selected as 2013-2014 ILWFS partner schools, including: - Freeport School District #145, Stephenson County;
- Collinsville Community Unit School District #10, Madison County;
- Jasper County Community School District #1, Jasper County;
- Champaign Community Unit School District #4, Champaign County;
- Prairieview-Odgen Community Consolidation School District #197, Champaign County; and
- Webber Township High School District #204, Jefferson County. Read on.
IREC Announces Organizational Changes IREC announced recently that it is no longer a membership organization. The IREC Board of Directors decided that a non-membership model better positions the organization to accomplish its goal of expanding consumer access to clean energy by generating information and objective analysis grounded in best practices and standards. Read on.
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EVENTS
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DWEA Small and Community Wind Conference and Exhibition
June 11 - 13, 2013 in Rochester, NY
AWEA and DWEA partner again for the 2013 Small & Community WINDPOWER Conference & Exhibition. The primary goal of the Conference & Exhibition is to unite wind industry leaders with economic development groups, municipalities and consumers eager to play a bigger role in the use and expansion of distributed and community wind. Learn the latest on national renewable energy legislation, technology costs, zoning requirements, utility interconnection, tax revenues and investment opportunities from small and community wind industry experts. For more information, or to register, click here.
Small Wind Conference 2013
June 17 - 20 in Stevens Point, Wisconsin
The 9th Annual Small Wind Conference recently released its agenda. Complete information and a link to registration for all events is available on the event website. The agenda will be engaging to installers, manufacturers, dealers, distributors, site assessors, public entities, educators and advocates. Organizers see this one-of-a-kind event as the tip of the spear for small wind expansion across the planet and will be welcoming manufacturers from Asia, Europe, Canada and the U.S. to the 9th Annual Small Wind Conference. Read on.
Upcoming Small Wind Events
For a full listing of upcoming wind energy events, click here.
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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.
IREC Releases Update to Model Interconnection Procedures The Interstate Renewable Energy Council, Inc. (IREC) released an update of its highly influential Model Interconnection Procedures. IREC first developed Model Interconnection Procedures in 2005 in an effort to capture emerging best practices in this vital area. Several important evolutions in best practices are synthesized into the 2013 Model Interconnection Procedures, last updated in 2009. Read on. NEW YORK Amends Interconnection Procedures On March 15, the NY Public Service Commission issued an order to revise the state's Standardized Interconnection Requirements (SIR) in dockets 12-E-0393 thru 0398. In its decision the Commission incorporated some changes to the SIR that simplify and expedite the interconnection application and review process. For example, applications for inverter-based systems sized between 25 kW and 300 kW are now generally eligible for the expedited review process as long as the system is certified and tested in accordance with UL 1741 and the utility approves the project accordingly. The order also increases the upper limit for such systems to 300 kW, from the previous 200 kW. Additionally, the Commission increased the eligibility for expedited review for all residential DG systems (both inverter and non-inverter based) from the current upper limit of 25 kW to 50 kW.
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| INCENTIVES |
New Incentives reported by the Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy (DSIRE), a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility, and selected federal incentives that promote renewable energy. To access state-by-state incentives and policies that promote wind energy technologies, click here and select "wind (all)" or "wind (small)" from the drop-down menu. DSIRE is an ongoing project of the North Carolina Solar Center and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council.
USDA - Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) Grants and Loans REAP promotes energy efficiency and renewable energy for agricultural producers and rural small businesses through the use of (1) grants and loan guarantees for energy efficiency improvements and renewable energy systems, and (2) grants for energy audits and renewable energy development assistance. The deadline for grant applications under the most recent solicitation is May 31, 2013. The deadline to apply for loan guarantees under the most recent solicitation is July 15, 2013. Read on. IOWA - Alternative Energy Revolving Loan Fund The Alternate Energy Revolving Loan Program (AERLP) provides loan funds to individuals and organizations that seek to build renewable energy production facilities in Iowa. Eligible renewable energy technologies include solar, biomass, wind and small hydro. Successful applicants will receive a single, low-interest loan that consists of a combination of AERLP funds and matching lender-provided funds. The AERLP 50% of the total loan at 0% interest, up to a maximum of $1 million. The remainder of the loan is provided by a lender at market rate. The maximum loan term allowed for the AERLP funds is 20 years. 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. NEW YORK: Lyme Passes "Small Wind" Zoning Law Watertown Daily Times, April 13, 2013 After a lengthy, final debate over restrictions on private wind turbines, the Lyme Town Council adopted Wednesday night new zoning regulations for "small wind" and other renewable energy development. The vote was 3-2, with Supervisor Scott G. Aubertine and Councilman Donald R. Bourquin opposing. "Just go ahead and vote on it. The whole thing is useless," said Councilman Bourquin after advocating several times for reduced setbacks to no avail. Read on. Small Wind Capacity to Double Over Next 5 Years GreenBuildings.com, April 12, 2013 A new study from Pike Research estimates that the number of annual small wind installations in the world will double by 2018. According to the study, this will amount to 172 megawatts of capacity installed per year in 2018, compared to the 86 megawatts installed in 2013. The estimated capacity installed in 2018 is equivalent to $3.3 billion in revenues, the research group predicts. This signals a potential new business or career opportunity for both small wind manufacturers and installers. Read on. Xzeres Corp. Gets $6.5 million to Expand Small Wind Turbine Business EcoSeed.org, April 10, 2013 Small wind turbine company Xzeres Corp. has obtained a new $6.5 million credit facility to support its 2013 near term and strategic growth objectives. Xzeres designs, manufactures and markets wind turbines with capacities of 2.5 and 10 kilowatts for the commercial, light industrial and residential markets. Read on. VERMONT: Big Wind Roils Vermont, But Small Wind Advances Earth Techling, March 23, 2013 Vermont is roiling with controversy over big wind as the state legislature considers a bill that would make wind projects with turbines over 500 kilowatts in size subject to review at the town level, something renewable energy advocates think could jeopardize the state's goal of 90 percent renewables by 2050. Community wind, however, seems to be humming along. A new project has popped up at a dairy farm already famous for using cow manure to create power, and another project, installed in 2011, has received a nod of approval from the U.S. Energy Department. Read on. |
ABOUT THE SMALL WIND NEWSLETTER
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The Small Wind Newsletter is published electronically by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council.
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.
FAIR USE NOTICE
This newsletter may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of energy, economic, scientific, and related issues, etc.
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