The Great Lakes Zephyr - Wind Energy & Hydrogen Journal

October 2003 Small Wind Newsletter
Issue No. 5, September 29, 2003

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

The current Small Wind Newsletter is also available on the web at http://www.irecusa.org/articles/static/1/1064879840_1051597774.html. 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) California Handbook on Permitting Small Wind Turbines
(2) New Jersey Rebate Program Prompts Small Wind Installation near Coast
(3) New York Financial Assistance for Communities to Facilitate Wind Power Projects
(4) New York Market Development Support for PV and Wind Systems
(5) New England Renewable Energy Owners Reap Green Tag Payments
(6) U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Releases Wind Turbine Guidance
(7) Small Wind Grants from USDA
(8) New York Small Wind System Installation Workshop - October 20 - 24, 2003
(9) Upcoming Small Wind Events

INTERCONNECTION AND NET METERING
(10) IREC Interconnection Project Releases Model Net Metering and DG Interconnection Rules
(11) Ohio PUC Adds DG Hookup Info to Web Site

INCENTIVES
(12) Maine Renewable Resources Matching Program

RESOURCES
(13) Pennsylvania Announces Small Wind Consumer's Guide

LINKS TO SMALL WIND IN THE NEWS
(14) Fairfield (IA) Ledger
(15) Register (Yarmouth, MA)
(16) Pittsburgh Business Times
(17) Salt Lake City Tribune
(18) KPVI-TV (Pocatello, ID)
(19) KBCI-TV (Boise, ID)
(20) Hampton (NY) Independents
(21) Caledonian-Record (St. Johnsbury, VT)
(22) Record-Courier (Douglas County, NV)

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

NEWS

(1) California Handbook on Permitting Small Wind Turbines
The American Wind Energy Association and the California Energy Commission have released Permitting Small Wind Turbines: Learning from the California Experience, the most comprehensive guide to date for small wind turbine owners and local officials seeking to understand and improve permitting regulations affecting small wind energy systems. Full article.

(2) New Jersey Rebate Program Prompts Small Wind Installation near Coast
A rebate program that covers 60 percent of the installation costs of a small wind turbine prompted Cathy Sims to investigate powering her home with renewable energy. The Sims residence sits on two and half acres of land in the township of Wall, which is about five minutes from the New Jersey coast in a Class 3 wind resource area. Permitting the machine took some unusual twists. Full article.

(3) New York Financial Assistance for Communities to Facilitate Wind Power Projects
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), as administrator of the New York Energy $martSM program, offers an opportunity for communities to actively plan for and develop viable prospects for new wind power generating facilities in New York State. The goal of this program is to support activities at the local town or county level that would help communities prepare for the orderly and efficient development of wind power generating facilities in the participating communities. Full article.

(4) New York Market Development Support for PV and Wind Systems
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) requests proposals for financial support for end-use or customer-owned photovoltaic (PV) and wind market development and implementation activities. This solicitation is intended to compliment other NYSERDA programs that are designed to facilitate sustainable markets and market infrastructures for PV and wind. Full article.

(5) New England Renewable Energy Owners Reap Green Tag Payments
Green Tag payments are available in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The payment is a one-time $100 per kilowatt of capacity for solar photovoltaics and $50 per kilowatt of capacity for wind. That means that a 5kW residential solar system could earn $500, a 20kW wind system could earn $1,000, and a 30kW commercial solar system could earn $3,000. Full article.

(6) U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Releases Wind Turbine Guidance
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently published in the Federal Register voluntary interim guidelines to help energy companies avoid and minimize wildlife impacts from wind turbines. Full article.

(7) Small Wind Grants from USDA
The Small Wind E-Newsletter previously reported in the September issue that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced grant awards to 113 applicants for renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvement in 24 states totaling $21,207,233. As reported by the American Wind Energy Association, here are details on some of the small wind grants. Full article.

(8) New York Small Wind System Installation Workshop - October 20 - 24, 2003
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) will sponsor a five-day training workshop on the installation of a 10 kW Bergey Excel-S wind turbine in Troy, NY on October 20 - 24, 2003. The workshop encompasses an actual turbine installation from foundation construction to utility interconnection and includes supervised tilt-up of a turbine on an 80-ft guyed lattice tower. Prior installation experience is not required for workshop enrollment.
Full article.

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

INTERCONNECTION

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

(10) IREC Interconnection Project Releases Model Net Metering and DG Interconnection Rules
The Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) has released two new model rules for use as guidance for policymakers considering net metering or interconnection policies in their states. Full article.

(11) Ohio PUC Adds DG Hookup Info to Web Site
The Ohio Public Utilities Commission has recently added a new section to its Consumer Information Index on its website. The new section titled, Distributed Generation: How To Get Interconnected to Your Local Electric Utility Company's System, suggests a number of reasons consumers might be looking to self-generate. 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. To access state-by-state incentives and policies that promote wind energy technologies, click here and select "wind" from the drop-down menu.

(12) Maine Renewable Resources Matching Program
The Renewable Resources Matching Fund (RRMF), created by Maine's Public Benefits Fund supports renewable resource research & development and community demonstration projects using renewable energy technologies. The RRMF currently contains over $70,000 and is administered by the Maine Technology Institute (MTI). The first request for proposals was issued in 2003. Proposals are accepted on a rolling basis. Full article.

RESOURCES

Click here for archived articles and links to Small Wind Resources.


(13) Pennsylvania Announces Small Wind Consumer's Guide
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary Kathleen A. McGinty announced that an informational guide is available to consumers who may be considering installing small wind energy systems at their home or small business. Small Wind Electric Systems - A Pennsylvania Consumer's Guide answers basic questions on wind energy generation and can help someone decide if wind energy will work for them. Full article.

LINKS TO SMALL WIND IN THE NEWS

(14) Fairfield (IA) Ledger, August 26, 2003, USDA grant will help fund wind turbines. Full article.

(15) Register (Yarmouth, MA), September 4, 2003, Yarmouth landfill wind turbine issue back. Full article.

(16) Pittsburgh Business Times, September 5, 2003, State offers online wind energy guide. Full article.

(17) Salt Lake City Tribune, September 8, 2003. Grants help Idaho study wind energy. Full article.

(18) KPVI-TV (Pocatello, ID), September 8, 2003, Two wind energy projects approved for federal funding. Full article.

(19) KBCI-TV (Boise, ID), September 8, 2003, Idaho wind energy projects get financial jolt from Ag Department. Full article.

(20) Hampton (NY) Independents, September 10, 2003, Is the answer blowing in the wind? Full article.

(21) Caledonian-Record (St. Johnsbury, VT), September 19, 2003, Pols weigh in on wind power. Full article.

(22) Record-Courier (Douglas County, NV), September 19, 2003, Harnessing the sun: home draws comfort from earth and sky. 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.