The Great Lakes Zephyr - Wind Energy & Hydrogen Journal

SMALL WIND E-NEWSLETTER

January 2005

Issue No. 14, December 30, 2004

Editor: Larry Sherwood, Interstate Renewable Energy Council

The current Small Wind Newsletter is also available on the web at http://www.irecusa.org/smallwindenergy/e-newsletter.html. If you have trouble with links in this e-mail message, try the web version of the newsletter.

Article summaries and links follow the Table of Contents.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

NEWS
(1) COLORADO Hog Farm Installs Wind Turbine
(2) Berkeley Lab Releases Report on State Markets
(3) VIRGINIA County Adopts Small Wind Zoning Ordinance
(4) OREGON Solicitation includes Small Wind
(5) NABCEP Moves Ahead on Small Wind Task Analysis
(6) NEW YORK Wind Incentive Rules Revised
(7) PENNSYLVANIA Awards Energy Harvest Grants
(8) WISCONSIN Wind Site Evaluation Tools
(9) NORTH CAROLINA Small Wind Initiative Update
(10) TEXAS Alternative Energy Institute Posts Wind Map
(11) 2005 Small Wind State Stakeholders Meeting Scheduled
(12) Northwest Agriculture and Energy Leaders to Convene in Montana
(13) Upcoming Small Wind Events

INTERCONNECTION AND NET METERING
(14) PENNSYLVANIA - PUC Initiates Interconnection Proceeding
(15) IDAHO - PUC Resolves Issues Disputed by Idaho Power, Small-Power Producers
(16) MICHIGAN - PSC Approves Utilities' Interconnection Standards
(17) FERC Extends Filing Deadline in Small-Generator Interconnection Proceeding

INCENTIVES
(18) CALIFORNIA Emerging Renewables Program
(19) OHIO Distributed Energy Resource Grants

RESOURCES
(20) CANADA Clean Energy Project Analysis Software

LINKS TO SMALL WIND IN THE NEWS
(21) Fond du Lac (WI) Reporter
(22) Fond du Lac (WI) Reporter
(23) Arizona Republic
(24) Havre (MT) Daily News

PRODUCTS
(25) U. S. Department of Energy Awards Southwest Windpower

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

NEWS

(1) COLORADO Hog Farm Installs Wind Turbine
The Colorado Governor’s Office of Energy Management and Conservation recently constructed a 65 kW wind turbine at Colorado Pork near Lamar in southeast Colorado. Colorado Pork is a concentrated animal feeding operation with 6,300 sows. The wind turbine complements a combined heat and power system using biogas produced from hog waste. Full article.

(2) Berkeley Lab Releases Report on State Markets
Berkeley Lab, in collaboration with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, has released a report, Evaluating State Markets for Residential Wind Systems: Results from an Economic and Policy Analysis Tool. Full article.

(3) VIRGINIA County Adopts Small Wind Zoning Ordinance
In October 2004, the Rockingham County Board of Supervisors approved a zoning ordinance for small wind energy systems, the first of its kind in Virginia. Students at James Madison University drafted the original ordinance with guidance from members of the Virginia Wind Energy Collaborative and assistance from members of Rockingham County's planning board. Full article.

(4) OREGON Solicitation includes Small Wind
Through the Open Solicitation Program, the Energy Trust of Oregon is interested in innovative demonstrations of small-scale wind. Full article.

(5) NABCEP Moves Ahead on Small Wind Task Analysis
The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners has announced the creation of a working group to begin describing the job of a “Small Wind” installer. Full article.

(6) NEW YORK Wind Incentive Rules Revised
New York State Energy Research and Development Administration recently issued some clarifying revisions to its wind incentives. The basic incentives remain unchanged. Full article.

(7) PENNSYLVANIA Awards Energy Harvest Grants
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection recently awarded 34 grants totaling $5 million for the second round of the annual Pennsylvania Energy Harvest initiative. The grants will leverage more than $13 million in private funds to promote advanced energy technologies proven to generate jobs, improve air quality, preserve land, protect watersheds and enhance energy security. Included are 4 grants for small wind systems. Full article.

(8) WISCONSIN Wind Site Evaluation Tools
Wisconsin’s Focus on Energy program recently released new Wind Turbine Output estimator software. Full article.

(9) NORTH CAROLINA Small Wind Initiative Update
The North Carolina Small Wind Initiative, committed to increasing wind power in the Southern Appalachian region, experienced an eventful first six months of operation. Thus far, the Small Wind Initiative has conducted a number programs including: a direct mailing campaign, four small wind workshops, six small scale turbine installations, and a variety of presentations. Full article.

(10) TEXAS Alternative Energy Institute Posts Wind Map
The Alternative Energy Institute at West Texas A&M University has posted online its detailed wind power map for Texas. Full article.

(11) 2005 Small Wind State Stakeholders Meeting Scheduled
The 3rd Annual Small Wind State Stakeholders Meeting will be Sunday, May 15 immediately prior to Windpower 05. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory plans to host the meeting at the National Wind Technology Center with shuttle service from the conference hotel in downtown Denver. Watch for further details.

(12) Northwest Agriculture and Energy Leaders to Convene in Montana
People from Montana, the Pacific Northwest and elsewhere will gather to learn from national and regional experts how to make renewable energy sources like wind, biofuels and solar energy a profitable new crop at the Harvesting Clean Energy conference January 20-21, 2005, in Great Falls, Montana. Full article.

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

INTERCONNECTION AND NET METERING

Check the Interstate Renewable Energy Council’s Connecting to the Grid web site for the latest interconnection news.

(14) PENNSYLVANIA - PUC Initiates Interconnection Proceeding
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) has initiated an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANOPR) concerning interconnection standards and procedures for small generators, and has issued a request for comments on these standard and procedures. After receiving and considering comment submissions, the PUC will issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR). Full article.

(15) IDAHO - PUC Resolves Issues Disputed by Idaho Power, Small-Power Producers
The Idaho Public Utilities Commission issued an order (Case No. IPC-E-04-8) on November 22, 2004, defining the parameters of contracts between Idaho Power and developers of small-power wind and geothermal projects. Full article.

(16) MICHIGAN - PSC Approves Utilities' Interconnection Standards
The Michigan Public Service Commission (PSC) has approved interconnection rules filed by the state's regulated utilities. The proposed rules filed by Xcel, AEP and a coalition of other utilities operating in the state were received by the PSC in March 2004 and approved in August 2004. Full article.

(17) FERC Extends Filing Deadline in Small-Generator Interconnection Proceeding
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has extended the deadline to February 18, 2005, for comments on the Commission's development of standardized interconnection agreements and procedures for small generators. Full article.

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" from the drop-down menu.

(18) CALIFORNIA Emerging Renewables Program
Changes to the Emerging Renewables Program were proposed in the November 19, 2004 Draft Fourth Edition Guidebook. These changes include a decrease in incentive amounts of $0.20 for each technology and the addition of a pilot performance-based incentive program. The changes, once finalized will take effect January 1, 2005. Full article.

(19) OHIO Distributed Energy Resource Grants
The Ohio Office of Energy Efficiency is offering grants to cover a portion of the costs of eligible distributed energy resources (DER) projects located in the service territories of the state's five investor-owned electric distribution companies -- American Electric Power (Columbus and Southern Power and Ohio Power); CINergy(Cincinnati Gas and Electric); Dayton Power and Light; First Energy (Cleveland Electric Illuminating, Ohio Edison, Toledo Edison); and Monongahela Power (Allegheny Power). This round of grants, supported by the Ohio Energy Loan Fund, is available only to end-users of DER projects that include, but are not limited to, industrial heat recovery, combined heat and power, landfill or biomass methane for electric generation, solar-electric and wind. Full article.

RESOURCES

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

(20) CANADA Clean Energy Project Analysis Software
The Government of Canada's RETScreen International Clean Energy Project Analysis Software is a unique decision support tool provided free-of-charge and can be used world-wide to evaluate the energy production, life-cycle costs and greenhouse gas emission reductions for various types of energy efficient and renewable energy technologies. Full article.

LINKS TO SMALL WIND IN THE NEWS

(21) Fond du Lac (WI) Reporter, December 17, 2004, Waupun school sees benefits of turbine. Proposed wind turbine will supplement solar panel to power pumps for school pond. Full article.

(22) Fond du Lac (WI) Reporter, December 17, 2004, Waupun eyeing ordinance governing wind turbines. In response to proposal for small wind turbine at school and wind farm proposals, City of Waupun considers wind turbine ordinance. Full article.

(23) Arizona Republic, December 18, 2004, Wildlife refuse in Md. finds clean power blowin’ in the wind. Case study of installation at wildlife refuge. Full article.

(24) Havre (MT) Daily News, December 23, 2004, Co-op is testing the power of wind. Hill County Electric Co-op is testing wind at its office in Havre, MT. Full article.

PRODUCTS

(25) U. S. Department of Energy Awards Southwest Windpower
The United States Department of Energy (DOE) issued Southwest Windpower, along with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the “Outstanding Research and Development Partnership” award. Southwest Windpower was chosen from a field of over forty industry and university partners currently involved in the DOE Wind Energy Program portfolio of research and development activities. Full article.

ABOUT THE SMALL WIND NEWSLETTER

The Small Wind Newsletter is published electronically every other 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 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.