U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), in a recent meeting with a group of wind industry members and other RPS (renewable portfolio standard) advocates, made clear that the House is likely to vote on an RPS the week of July 30.

Speaker Pelosi has underscored the importance of passing an RPS so that the nation can move forward on addressing global warming. It is expected that the RPS will be the most high-profile floor amendment to broader energy legislation expected to move forward this summer. The issue will arise in the form of an amendment offered by Reps. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Todd Platts (R-Pa.), sponsors of the leading House RPS bill, H.R. 969.

As part of its outreach surrounding RPS advocacy, AWEA will be placing advertisements in the Washington Post and the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call and running strategically placed television advertisements in Washington, D.C., as well as other media markets around the nation that are home to key swing voters in the House. AWEA urges its members to contact their Members of Congress and call on them to support RPS legislation. For more information go to http://capwiz.com/windenergy/issues/alert/?alertid=9544071&type=CO .

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In a much-anticipated decision following intense efforts by the wind industry, the Public Utility Commission of Texas selected eight “competitive renewable energy zones” (CREZ) for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) territory, directing ERCOT to develop transmission plans for wind capacity in the range of between 10,000 MW and 25,000 MW.

The decision’s implications are hard to overstate: For reference, as of March 31, 11,699 MW in capacity were installed in the entire U.S. The ruling is particularly important because it decides the amount of capacity that can go in the zones. The verdict: wind is limited only by the amount that can be placed onto the ERCOT system.

CREZ designation allows for areas with significant renewable energy resources to be connected to the transmission grid through transmission lines that will be planned by ERCOT and paid for by all consumers across the Texas grid. The ruling was immediately hailed by wind energy advocates as a landmark and even historic decision. “Santa paid a visit to Texas today, and left a CREZ in just about every stocking,” said Mike Sloan, managing consultant of the Wind Coalition in a note to his membership.

“It is, frankly, an astonishing testament to the wind resources available in our state to have aggregate expressions of interest in constructing 24,511 MW of wind generation before the commission,” wrote Chairman Paul Hudson in a July 20 memo prior to deliberation on the issue.

While the ruling is the biggest milestone in the CREZ process, further regulatory details still need to be worked out. CREZs are viewed as a model for other regions to solve the “chicken-or-the-egg” transmission dilemma in which wind power developers are reluctant to build projects in areas that have strong wind resources but lack transmission, while transmission developers do not want to put in lines to such wind-rich areas without any generation facilities present. Colorado recently initiated a process that will also ultimately establish renewable energy zones for transmission planning purposes.

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LM Glasfiber announced plans to open a new wind turbine blade production facility in Little Rock, Ark.—a plant that will employ over 1,000 people within five years. The facility is scheduled to begin operations in the first quarter of 2008.

“We are very pleased to announce our new facility in Little Rock,” said CEO Roland M. Sundén. “The Little Rock plant is key to enabling us to serve our growing portfolio of customers in North America. The facility will help secure our customers’ long-term blade supply, thereby enabling their ambitious growth strategies while also increasing the robustness and visibility of LM Glasfiber’s North American sales.”

The Little Rock plant will be LM Glasfiber’s third North American production facility, effectively doubling the capacity of the existing factories in Grand Forks, N.D., and Gaspé, Quebec. This latest capacity expansion reflects an overall strong market demand coupled with optimism for continued stability in the U.S. market, the company said.

“We couldn’t be happier with the location,” said Sundén. “Not only is the site ideally located to serve some of the central U.S. demand for wind development, but Arkansas was able to accommodate our aggressive ramp-up schedule . . . . The site itself offers excellent logistical options, whether by road, rail, air, or marine. And when we considered the kind of amenities that are conducive for LM Glasfiber to attract and retain the people and talent we need, Little Rock was a natural choice for us.”

Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe (D) applauded the good news for his state. “LM Glasfiber adds another industry-leading company to Arkansas, and specifically to Little Rock,” he said. “Not only does LM Glasfiber offer a global presence, but it will supply skilled and technical jobs to our citizens. LM Glasfiber also elevates Arkansas’s presence among the growing state and national interest in the renewable energy industry. This development is another step forward for our state’s economy in today’s global marketplace.”

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PacifiCorp subsidiary Rocky Mountain Power (RMP) is proposing to use part of a restored surface coal mine as the site for a new 99-MW wind project it plans to build in the coming year.

The company requested a certificate of public convenience and necessity from the Wyoming Public Service Commission July 3 as part of its efforts to move the project forward. The utility plans to locate 66 General Electric 1.5-MW wind turbines in an area where more than 40 years of surface coal mining took place. The U.S. Department of Energy lists Wyoming as one of the best states for wind power development in the nation, based on wind frequency and dependability.

"We are pleased to announce plans for a new Wyoming wind energy facility that will benefit customers by adding new cost-effective renewable energy to our electrical system, as part of a comprehensive strategy to achieve a more balanced mix of resources used to generate electricity," said RMP President Richard Walje.

Located approximately 12 miles north of Glenrock, in Converse County, Wyo., the former Dave Johnston Coal Mine operated from 1958 to 2000, supplying the primary source of fuel for the company’s nearby Dave Johnston Power Plant. Full-scale final reclamation efforts to restore the nearly nine-mile stretch of land used for mining began in 1999, and reclamation work was completed in late 2005. Providing long-term grazing land and habitat for livestock and wildlife was a central part of the award-winning reclamation, which was recognized for excellence by both the state of Wyoming and the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Surface Mining.

The company plans to begin construction as soon as all necessary permits and approvals are in place and hopes to be able to complete the project by October 2008. The project will provide significant tax revenue to state, county and local jurisdictions, RMP said.

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Puget Sound Energy (PSE) moved another step closer to meeting its long-range renewable-energy goals by securing a 20-year purchase of wind power.

Under a contract signed with PPM Energy, PSE is acquiring 50 MW of power output from the Klondike III Wind Project being built near Wasco in north-central Oregon.

"This contract gives our customers more clean, renewable power, and it comes at a very competitive price," said Kimberly Harris, executive vice president and chief resource officer for PSE. "Our Klondike agreement, together with the 380-MW output of our own Hopkins Ridge and Wild Horse wind farms, takes us a considerable way down the path toward our renewable energy goals."

PSE set a voluntary goal in 2003 of meeting 10% of its customers' power needs by 2013 with renewable resources. Washington voters last fall approved a new law requiring the state's largest utilities to secure 15% of their power supply from renewable sources by 2020.

With the additional wind power obtained under the Klondike III contract, PSE will have more than 5% of its power supply coming from renewable resources. By 2020, the utility intends to have about 1,400 MW of renewable power in its portfolio.

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Iowa public power utility Waverly Light and Power purchased two AWE54-900 kW wind turbines from Americas Wind Energy, Inc., in a $3.4-million investment.

The 900-kW turbines are scheduled to be in operation by summer 2008 and together will provide over 4 million kWh of electricity for the community, said Waverly Light and Power. The units will be located on local farmland as well as a 70-acre site purchased by the utility east of Waverly.

“We searched to find extremely durable units featuring direct-drive technology new to this country,” said Glenn Cannon, general manager of Waverly Light and Power. “We’re excited about pioneering this technology in the Midwest and the United States.”

The modest utility has 5,000 meters on its system. Its board has set a goal of getting 20% of its electricity from renewables by 2020. “We’re advancing toward our goal,” Cannon told Wind Energy Weekly. The 70-acre site was purchased, he said, with the intent of adding more turbines in the future. The farm site, meanwhile, will be leased by the utility from the local farmer while it continues to produce crops. “It’s still going to remain farmland,” said Cannon.

Cannon is a past president of the American Public Power Association and has been a leading voice for renewable energy within the municipal utility sector.

 

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AWEA Western Regional Representative Ron Lehr and Craig Cox, executive director for AWEA regional partner Interwest Energy Alliance, are among those appointed by Colorado Governor Bill Ritter (D) to the state’s Renewable Resource Generation Development Area Task Force.

In addition, eight other members of the task force were designated or appointed by Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald and House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, and one member was designated by Energy Office Director Tom Plant.

The panel will produce maps detailing the opportunities for renewable energy development in Colorado. The maps and supporting materials will be delivered to the governor’s office and the General Assembly by Dec. 31. The governor’s energy office will provide staffing services to the task force.

“We are thrilled to have AWEA’s Western Representative Ron Lehr and Craig Cox from our regional partner Interwest Energy Alliance appointed to this task force,” said AWEA Policy Director Rob Gramlich. “This is a critical step to conduct proactive transmission planning to connect the best wind locations to the grid.”

The first meeting of the task force is scheduled for Aug 6. For additional information about the task force, contact Morey Wolfson, utilities program manager in the governor’s energy office, email morey.wolfson@state.co.us .

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Study: U.S. Dominates in Small Wind Sales

AWEA’s newly released 2007 Small Wind Turbine Global Market Study finds that U.S. manufacturers continue to dominate the world market share of small-turbine sales globally.

According to the study, roughly half of all U.S. manufacturers’ sales are made overseas, with jobs remaining within U.S. borders. Approximately 7,000 Americans, meanwhile, purchased small wind turbines last year for their homes, farms, or small businesses, showing increasing demand for on-grid residential-scale systems.

Demand for small wind, defined as systems having 100 kW in capacity and less, is being driven by concerns about global warming, volatile and rising costs of fossil fuel energy, energy security, and the desire or need for local and independent power. While demand is high and the industry is growing, the AWEA study indicates that the high purchase price of a small wind system is the single largest market barrier. A residential-scale turbine can cost $10,000 to $55,000 installed, which is simply out of reach for many consumers.

“The industry remains strong, but without a federal investment tax credit to help consumers buy these systems, small wind could be hard pressed to keep up with the solar industry,” said Ron Stimmel, AWEA’s small-wind advocate. “Small wind remains the only renewable energy technology without a federal-level tax credit.”

A 30% federal-level tax credit would allow the industry to tap a far larger segment of the market. Production volumes would then increase, and costs would in turn come down even further.

Though technological advancements play an important role, the study confirmed that state and federal policy are the main drivers of the small wind market. Policies such as state rebate programs, net metering, fair zoning and grid-interconnection rules, and streamlined permitting processes are all critical for sustaining and growing the market.

The study is now available online at www.awea.org/smallwind or http://www.awea.org/smallwind/documents/AWEASmallWindMarketStudy2007.pdf .

 

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