The IREC Interview: Tal Mamo of United Wind

 

Tal Mamo is co-founder of United Wind, where he is responsible for the development of new markets.  Tal has served on the Board of Directors of the Distributed Wind Energy Association (DWEA) since 2011. He also serves on the Board of the Small Wind Certification Council (SWWC). In this issue's IREC Interview, Tal gives our readers valuable information about the leasing model and how it can be applied to the small wind market, and shares his perspective on the potential for this approach for the industry. Read on.

 

OREGON: Tamástslikt Cultural Institute Installs Wind Turbine

The Tamástslikt Cultural Institute, a nonprofit located on the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Eastern Oregon, installed a new 50 kW Endurance E-3120 wind turbine in March 2014. The system is the first installation of its kind in Oregon and the only wind turbine on a reservation in the Pacific Northwest.

The turbine is the most recent effort by Tamástslikt to create a more sustainable, energy- efficient facility for tribal members and visitors. Over the last decade, these energy-saving efforts have reduced electricity and natural gas usage by 63 percent and 76 percent, respectively-saving nearly $750,000 in energy costs since 2004. Tamástslikt is making steady progress toward its goal to be a net zero facility. Read on. 

DOE Establishes Wind Regional Resource Centers

Commerce Department Awards Grant to DWEA to Develop SMART Wind Consortium

Group to craft technology Roadmap

To Test or Not to Test: That is the Question

By Clarkson University Blade Test Facility and the Center for Evaluation of Clean Energy Technologies  

To test or not to test: that is the question. Is it worthwhile to proactively perform third-party structural testing on wind turbine blades to deliver customers and investors qualified products, or better to perform minimal testing and risk failing to guarantee quality and customer satisfaction? The people at the Clarkson University Blade Test Facility and Center for Evaluation of Clean Energy Technologies (CECET) asked themselves this question recently and they believe the answer is clear. Wind turbine blades have the highest failure rate among all turbine structural and mechanical components. They concluded that certifiable third-party structural testing would inspire investor confidence, demonstrate product reliability, and enhance marketability to consumers; thereby maximizing market penetration for wind turbine manufacturers. Read on.

Once again, the Small Wind Conference lived up to its reputation as the premier small wind event in the United States, with people attending from 26 of the United States, as well as eight other countries. A total of 89 different businesses, manufacturers, organizations and institutions of higher learning participated in the conference.   

For a summary of the week's events, and many more photos, read on.

Energy Department Announces Distributed Wind Competitiveness Improvement Project Awards

The Energy Department and the Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory announced funding for projects led by Pika Energy, Northern Power Systems, Endurance Wind Power, and Urban Green Energy that will help drive down the cost of small and medium-sized wind energy systems. Through the second round of the Competitiveness Improvement Project (CIP), the teams will receive a total of $1.27 million between them. In support of the Energy Department's Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative, this funding aims to help U.S. manufacturers improve their turbine designs and manufacturing processes to reduce hardware costs, improve efficiency and eventually earn certification from accredited third-party certification bodies, which issue easy-to-understand labels showing a turbine has met performance and safety testing requirements set by the wind industry. Read on.