September 2008 Small Wind Newsletter

Issue No. 33, August 27, 2008

Welcome to the September 2008 issue of the Small Wind Newsletter. See details on subscribing at the end of the newsletter.

Larry Sherwood and Jane Pulaski

Editors

NEWS

(1) ALASKA Village Electric Coop Installs Turbines

Earlier this summer, the Alaska Village Electric Cooperative installed four turbines in the remote village diesel systems in Mekoryuk and Savoonga, Alaska. Read on.

(2) NORTH CAROLINA Model Wind Ordinance

The Model Wind Ordinance for Wind Energy Facilities in North Carolina is intended to provide assistance to communities designing a local wind ordinance. Read on.

(3) MINNESOTA Model Wind Ordinance

Interest and development of wind energy has increased in Minnesota, both in the volume and geographically. During the 1990’s, several counties adopted wind ordinances to address local wind development. Recently, a model wind ordinance and companion document was developed and approved by the Minnesota Association of County Planning and Zoning Officials. Read on.

(4) Small Wind Certification Council Seeks Technical Director

The Small Wind Certification Council seeks a Technical Director to manage the technical review of certification applications from small wind turbine manufacturers. The Technical Director will be responsible for developing the policies and procedures manufacturers will follow to gain certification. Read on.

(5) Independent Turbine Testing at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s National Wind Technology Center has begun testing small wind turbines under its Independent Testing project. The purpose of the testing project is to support the US Department of Energy goal of reducing barriers to wind energy expansion, stabilizing the market, and expanding the number of small wind turbine systems installed in the U.S. Read on.

(6) CALIFORNIA – San Francisco Issues Wind Energy Directive

Adding to its suite of renewable energy technologies for the San Francisco, Mayor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order to all departments to fast-track more renewable energy projects; this time, it’s for small wind. Read on.

(7) NEW YORK – KidWind Sponsors Wind Masters Training for Teachers

The KidWind Project, a team of teachers, engineers and scientists committed to promoting the elegance of wind power through affordable tools and training programs, sponsored Wind Masters Training from July 7-11, 2008 in Morrisville, NY, an intensive training for a diverse group of accomplished teachers from all over New York State. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) funded the training. Read on.

(8) NREL to Host Meeting on Small Wind Testing


The National Renewable Energy Laboratory will host a meeting on small wind testing at the National Wind Technology Center in Boulder, Colorado. The meeting is targeted to people who want to develop small wind test centers in North America and will be held on September 11-12, 2008. Read on.

(9) OREGON – Rural Wind Power Workshops

The Northwest Sustainable Energy for Economic Development and partners have scheduled a workshop in four Oregon locations for rural landowners interested in learning how to harness the power of wind. Read on.

(10) CALIFORNIA Small Wind Workshop

On October 29th, the California Wind Energy Collaborative (CWEC) is conducting a Small Wind Energy Workshop to address the issues and hurdles facing small wind energy in California. The workshop will gather information from industry professionals in order to develop a document that outlines the issues and recommends solutions so that small wind can succeed in California. Read on.

(11) Upcoming Wind Events

For a full listing of upcoming wind energy events, click here.

INTERCONNECTION AND NET METERING

Check the Interstate Renewable Energy Council, Inc.’s Connecting to the Grid web site for the latest interconnection and net metering news.

(12) OREGON – PUC Grants Net Metering Rights to Third-Party Owners

On July 31, 2008, the Oregon Public Utilities Commission issued an order granting net metering rights to third party owners of small distributed generators which are located on utility customer premises and are eligible for net metering (primarily renewables). Read on.

(13) NEW YORK Enacts New Net Metering Bill

On August 8, 2008 Governor David Paterson signed legislation (S8481 / A11582), which provides net metering for wind systems as follows: residential up to 25 kW; farms up to 500 kW; and, non-residential up to 2 MW. 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.

(14) COLORADO – Local Small Wind Rebate Programs

The Colorado Governor’s Energy Office (GEO) provided matching grants to three electric cooperatives and one municipal electric utility to provide rebates for small wind to their local businesses and residents. In general, an incentive may not exceed 50% of the installed system cost. Read on.

(15) INDIANA – Alternative Power and Energy Grant Program

Under Indiana’s Alternative Power and Energy (APE) Grant Program, non-profit, public, and commercial entities may be eligible to receive a matching fund grant to support the purchase and installation of small wind systems and other renewables. Grant applications are due by September 19, 2008, and eligible systems must be installed after that date to receive the grant. Wind power systems may receive funding of $2.50 per Watt (Direct Current) of installed capacity for the first 10 kilowatts of rated capacity. Read on.

(16) HAWAII – Farm and Aquaculture Sustainable Projects Loan

In July 2008 Hawaii enacted legislation, which created a loan program for agriculture and aquaculture renewable energy projects. Farmers and Aquaculturists may receive loans for projects involving photovoltaic (PV) energy, hydroelectric power, wind power generation, methane generation, bio-diesel and ethanol production. Loans may provide up to 85% of the project cost (up to a maximum of $1,500,000) for a term of up to forty years. These renewable energy loans fall into class “H” which carries a 1% interest rate. Read on.

SMALL WIND IN THE NEWS

These articles from around the U.S. give examples of how small wind is covered today‚ good or bad.

(17) ILLINOIS: Wind turbine stands tall in East Lynn

Commercial-News (Danville, IL), August 9, 2008

Standing taller than any building in East Lynn, the 120-foot wind turbine at the small town’s north end resembles a large fan ready to send houses flying with a strong burst. Read on.

(18) MASSACHUSETTS – City to back building of turbines, set rules

Boston Herald, August 25, 2008

Boston planners are rewriting the city’s zoning code to allow wind turbines in certain areas. Read on.

(19) NEW YORK – Architects and Engineers Express Doubt About Bloomberg’s Windmill Proposal

New York Times, August 21, 2008

Interviews with architects, engineers and energy experts on Wednesday suggest that Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s proposal to place wind turbines atop the city’s skyscrapers and bridges, as well as off the coastline of Queens and Brooklyn, would be complicated and expensive and barely begin to meet the growth in demand for electricity that is expected in the coming years. Read on.

ABOUT THE SMALL WIND ENERGY NEWSLETTER

The Small Wind Newsletter is published electronically by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council, Inc.. The Small Wind Web Site contains news, resources, and links.

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Disclaimer: The Interstate Renewable Energy Council, Inc. (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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