The Great Lakes Zephyr - Wind Energy & Hydrogen Journal

September 2003 Small Wind Newsletter
Issue No. 4, August 27, 2003

Editor: Larry Sherwood Larry@irecusa.org), Interstate Renewable Energy Council

The current Small Wind Newsletter is also available on the web. Click here. If you have trouble with links in this e-mail message, try the web version of the newsletter.

Article summaries follow the Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

NEWS
(1) Massachusetts Launches Community Wind Collaborative
(2) Washington – Chelan PUD Adds Second Wind Turbine
(3) Federal Agencies Award Renewable Energy Grants
(4) Vermont – Microgrid Power Network to Address Rick of Power Outages
(5) California – Energy Co-op Symposium Scheduled for September
(6) Wyoming – Roping the Wind Conference Report
(7) Upcoming Small Wind Events

INTERCONNECTION AND NET METERING
(8) FERC Issues Rules on Generator Interconnection Standards

INCENTIVES
(9) Hawaii Energy Tax Credits

LINKS TO SMALL WIND IN THE NEWS
(10) Stevens Point Journal (WI)
(11) Times-Standard (Eureka, CA)

RESOURCES
(12) Software – Calculating Small Wind Economics Using the Clean Power Estimator
(13) Small Turbine Test Data Released by NREL

ABOUT THE SMALL WIND NEWSLETTER
Includes information on how to subscribe and unsubscribe.

NEWS

(1) Massachusetts Launches Community Wind Collaborative
The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC), the state’s development agency for renewable energy and the innovation economy, is launching a new $4 million initiative through its Renewable Energy Trust. The Community Wind Collaborative will help Massachusetts communities evaluate, design, construct, and operate smaller wind projects (4.5 MW or less) to both reduce energy costs and contribute to a cleaner environment for Massachusetts citizens. Full article.

(2) Washington – Chelan PUD Adds Second Wind Turbine
The second home wind turbine in the Chelan County (Washington) Public Utility District (PUD) went up in May, crowning a successful partnership between the PUD’s green power program and a newly formed wind cooperative that’s helping pare down turbine installation costs for homeowners. Don and Bev Grim hosted a barbeque at their home in Peshastin to show off their new 10-kilowatt Bergey turbine, which brought a state representative and county commissioners out for a look. All power produced by the Grims' wind system is fed into the PUD's grid. Full article.

(3) Federal Agencies Award Renewable Energy Grants
In separate announcements, the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced renewable energy and energy efficiency grants totaling over $38 million. Some of the awards will support small wind development. Full article.

(4) Vermont – MicroGrid Power Network to Address Risk of Power Outages
Northern Power Systems recently announced that it will engineer, build, and operate a custom-designed, utility-connected energy generation, storage and distribution network within the area known as Mad River Park in Waitsfield, Vermont. This first-of-its-kind MicroGrid® power network will operate in parallel with the bulk utility generation and distribution system and will provide dramatically increased power quality and reliability to residences and businesses (including Northern's newly constructed headquarters facility) located in the park. Full article.

(5) California - Energy Co-op Symposium Scheduled for September
Golden State Power Cooperative is hosting an Energy Co-op Symposium in Hollywood, CA, on September 29th and 30th. This conference is designed for community leaders who have an interest in electricity and related energy issues and who want to know what they can do locally to reduce energy bills for homeowners, businesses and government facilities. Full article.

(6) Wyoming – Roping the Wind Conference Report
Wyoming's first statewide renewable energy conference on August 21 and 22 was a great success. Full article.

(7) Upcoming Small Wind Events
Listing of upcoming small wind events.

INTERCONNECTION

Headlines from the Interstate Renewable Energy Council’s Connecting to the Grid web site.

(8) FERC Issues Rules on Generator Interconnection Standards
On July 24, 2003, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a rule on standardized interconnection procedures and agreements for large generators, and a notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR) for standardized interconnection of small generators. These rules follow the division of the FERC’s original advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANOPR) on generator interconnection standards into a NOPR for the large generators and a second ANOPR for small generators. Full article.

INCENTIVES

New Incentives reported by DSIRE. The Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy (DSIRE) is a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility, and selected federal incentives that promote renewable energy. Select wind from the drop down menu and all wind incentives will appear.

(9) Hawaii Energy Tax Credits
Originally enacted in 1990, the Hawaii Energy Tax Credits allow individuals or corporations to claim an income tax credit of 20% of the cost of equipment and installation of a wind system and 35% of the cost of equipment and installation of a solar thermal or photovoltaic system. In 2003, the tax credits were revised and extended to the end of 2007. The revised credits apply to renewable energy technology systems installed and placed in service after June 30, 2003 and now include a cap of $250,000 on the amount of credit allowed for commercial property. http://www.dsireusa.org/library/includes/GenericIncentive.cfm?Incentive_Code=HI01F¤tpageid=3

LINKS TO SMALL WIND IN THE NEWS

(10) Stevens Point Journal (WI), August 22, 2003, Advocates tout benefits of alternative energy sources. Full article.

(11) Times-Standard (Eureka, CA), August 19, 2003, Tilting up a turbine – Each turn of the blade subtracts from PG&E's bill. Full article.

RESOURCES

(12) Software - Calculating Small Wind Economics Using the Clean Power Estimator
The Clean Power Estimator calculates the economics of clean energy systems. Versions of the Estimator, which include Small Wind, are available in New York and California. Full article.

(13) Small Wind Turbine Test Data Released by NREL
The National Wind Test Center at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has released small wind turbine test data performed under DOE's Field Verification Project. This project has two aspects. The first was to run a suite of International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) tests for each of the turbines involved with this program. And the second aspect was to collect longer-term field data on small wind turbines sited across the US. These longer-term field tests are ongoing and data collection and reporting are continuing at a slow pace. Full article.

ABOUT THE SMALL WIND NEWSLETTER

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

To subscribe, go to http://www.irecusa.org/smallwindenergy/newslettersub.html, fill in the subscription form, and then click on subscribe. There is no fee for subscriptions. If you wish to unsubscribe, fill in your e-mail address and click on unsubscribe.

If you have comments or news items, please send them to Larry Sherwood at Larry@irecusa.org.