November 2008 Small Wind Newsletter
Issue No. 34, October 30, 2008
Welcome to the November 2008 issue of the Small Wind Newsletter. See details on subscribing at the end of the newsletter.
Editor
NEWS
(1) New Federal Investment Tax Credit
On October 3, 2008, the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, H.R. 1424, was enacted into law and includes a new federal-level investment tax credit to help consumers purchase small wind turbines for home, farm, or business use. Owners of small wind systems with 100 kilowatts (kW) of capacity and less can receive a credit for 30% of the total installed cost of the system, not to exceed $4,000. The credit will be available for equipment installed through December 31, 2016. For turbines used for homes, the credit is additionally limited to the lesser of $4,000 or $500 per kW of rated capacity.
Read on for Residential details.
(2) NREL Hosts Small Wind Testing Workshop
In September, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) hosted a Small Wind Testing Workshop. Over 50 people attended the workshop including representatives of existing and proposed test centers. Read on.
(3) Small Wind and the National Electrical Code
Robert Preus of Abundant Renewable Energy and Rob Wills of WindMonitoring.com have been appointed to the National Electrical Code, Code Making Panel #4. They also co-chair a working group developing a small wind article for the NEC. Read on.
(4) WISCONSIN: Program to Help Customers Obtain Site Assessments
Focus on Energy, Wisconsin’s energy efficiency and renewable energy initiative, recently won an award for their Renewable Energy Site Assessment Service, created in partnership with the Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA). The Ste Assessment Service meets a critical need to simplify the process and to provide unbiased, third party information to customers to help them make informed choices and facilitate appropriately sized and sited renewable energy systems. Read on.
(5) NORTH CAROLINA: Waterfront Community Installs Turbine
Cedar Shores, an upscale waterfront development on North Carolina’s Albemarle Sound installed a Mariah Power Windspire. Read on.
(6) MICHIGAN: Model Ordinance for Wind Energy Systems
The Michigan Energy Office issued sample zoning language for wind energy systems in 2008 based on wind energy development guidelines released in 2005. The guidelines are designed to serve as tools for local governments that wish to amend their zoning ordinance to address wind energy systems. The guidance recommends separate requirements for small, on-site use oriented systems and large systems designed for commercial power production. Read on.
(7) MONTANA: Harvesting Clean Energy Conference
The Northwest Harvesting Clean Energy Conference will be held in Billings, Montana on January 25-27 of 2009. The Conference is the Northwest’s premiere gathering to advance rural economic development through clean energy production. Harvesting Clean Energy is designed for Northwest farmers and agriculture leaders, tribes, rural utilities and economic development officials, lenders, elected officials and public agencies, as well as energy developers and consultants. Read on.
(8) Upcoming Wind Events
For a full listing of upcoming wind energy events, click here.
INTERCONNECTION AND NET METERING
Check the Interstate Renewable Energy Council’s Connecting to the Grid web site for the latest interconnection and net metering news.
(9) States Graded on Interconnection and Net Metering Policies
The Network for New Energy Choices has issued its 2008 report cards grading the states’ policies for allowing homeowners and small business owners who generate renewable energy to connect to the grid and receive credit for the electricity they produce. Read on.
(10) DELAWARE: PSC Issues Final Net Metering Order
The Delaware PSC, on September 2, 2008 issued a final order of net metering rules. These rules increased the net-metering capacity limit for non-residential facilities to 2 MW for Delmarva Power and Light, 500 kW for Delaware Electric Coop (DEC), and 500 kW for municipal utilities. The rules also allow all net-metering customers to carry over excess energy credits monthly, for up to a year, at which point all unused credits will be forfeited to utilities. Read on.
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 (residential)‚ from the drop-down menu.
(11) NEVADA: RenewableGenerations Rebate Program
NV Energy (formerly Sierra Pacific Power and Nevada Power) administers the RenewableGenerations Rebate Program for photovoltaic (PV) systems and small wind and hydroelectric systems on behalf of the Nevada Task Force on Energy Conservation and Renewable Energy. Rebates are now available for small wind systems on residences, small businesses, agricultural sites, schools and public buildings. Rebates are $1.50 – $3.00 per watt. Read on.
(12) NEW JERSEY: Property Tax Exemption for Renewable Energy Systems
In October 2008, New Jersey enacted legislation exempting renewable energy systems used to meet on-site electricity, heating, cooling, or general energy needs from local property taxes. The exemption may be claimed for all qualified systems installed on residential, commercial, industrial, or mixed use buildings as accessory uses. Read on.
RESOURCES
(13) In the Public Interest: How and Why to Permit for Small Wind Systems
A new AWEA guidebook aims to help state and local governments create laws that allow for the safe, effective, and affordable installation of small wind turbines. Prohibitive rules, or even the absence of any rules, governing the installation of small wind turbines are a major barrier for the industry and consumers. This guide therefore focuses on education, precedent, and lessons learned from decades of experience and tens of thousands of installations. Download the guidebook.
(14) Taking the Red Tape Out of Green Power
A Network for New Energy Choices report provides seven sets of recommendations for overcoming these hurdles to widespread deployment of distributed renewable energy, focusing on the most common technologies – solar photovoltaics (PV) and small wind turbines. Download the report.
SMALL WIND IN THE NEWS
These articles from around the U.S. give examples of how small wind is covered today‚ good or bad.
(15) ARIZONA: Flagstaff is fast-tracking a wind turbine proposal
Fox11-TV (Flagstaff, Arizona) October 20, 2008
City officials are fast-tracking a proposal that would allow nearly 100-foot-high wind turbines on lots as small as a half-acre in areas zoned for commercial or industrial use. Read on.
(16) SOUTH DAKOTA: Wind turbines power new homes
Sioux City Journal (Sioux City, Iowa) October 21, 2008
Several houses near Rapid City, South Dakota are getting their electrical power from 30-foot-tall wind turbines. Read on.
(17) IOWA: Schools’ wind turbines power learning
USA TODAY October 21, 2008
As part of the Wind for Schools program, a pair of wind turbines in Spirit Lake, Iowa, transform the gusts blowing over the lakes and ridges surrounding this northern Iowa town into power that provides about half of the school district’s electrical needs. Read on.
(18) MASSACHUSETTS: Turbine dispute in Bourne heads to court
Cape Cod Times (Bourne, Massachusetts) October 20, 2008
A Bourne couple will take their quest to build the town’s first residential, free-standing wind turbine to the courts. The town’s planning board ruled it had safety concerns about the turbines and the tower was too high. Although the couple received a building permit to start the project last fall, the planning board argued that the permit should never have been issued, citing a clerical error by the zoning board of appeals. Read on.
(19) MONTANA: Fairfield taps into alternative energy through Wind for Schools program
Great Falls Tribune (Great Falls, Montana) October 17, 2008
A wind turbine installed Thursday at Fairfield High School will produce power for the school while helping students learn about wind and alternative energy sources. Gov. Brian Schweitzer looked on as engineers finished putting together the 1.8 kilowatt unit Thursday. Read on.
(20) COLORADO: Wind turbine near Granby seen as step toward energy independence
Sky-Hi Daily News (Granby, Colorado) October 15, 2008
As the nation talks about energy in the windblast of this year’s presidential election, an example of a homespun solution emerges atop a hill on former Orr Ranch property near Granby, Colorado. The pole rises 35 feet toward an autumn blue sky. Soon, it will have a wind turbine attached with three six-foot blades —the first wind turbine erected in Grand County in roughly 30 years. Read on.
(21) MAINE: Kittery celebrates new wind turbine
SeacoastOnline.com October 15, 2008 6:00 AM
When it comes to energy, wind might carry the town of Kittery, Maine, to new heights. Local and state officials gathered at the town’s solid waste facility for a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new 150-foot-tall, 50-kilowatt wind turbine. The town was able to construct the windmill in difficult economic times thanks, in part, to a $50,000 grant from the Maine Public Utility Commission’s Voluntary Renewable Resources Fund. Read on.
(22) DELAWARE: Homeowners may be allowed to install their own turbines
Bethany Beach Wave, Delaware October 14, 2008
There’s a new wind blowing in Ocean City, where resort officials enthusiastically gave the go-ahead to draft an ordinance letting homeowners install electricity-generating wind turbines on their property. Read on.
(23) MASSACHUSETTS: Wind turbine dealer must reimburse customers
SouthCoastToday.com Oct 9, 2008
Former state Rep. Mark Howland has agreed to pay $488,000 in restitution for not delivering wind turbines to some customers and failing to install others properly. Read on.
ABOUT THE SMALL WIND ENERGY NEWSLETTER
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.
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.
We believe this constitutes a “fair use” of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material in the newsletter is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information click here. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this newsletter for purposes of your own that go beyond “fair use,” you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
