The Time Is Now: A Vision For U.S. Renewable Energy (cross-post) . . .

[OneBlueSky]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2231757

[XemaSab]

1. There's a huge amount of large scale renewable energy

in the works, and big engineering firms are planning for reduced reliance on oil and gas in the next ten years.

The winds of change are blowin'.

[4dsc]

2. Where???

What they don't use someone else will!!

[XemaSab]

3. California

:bounce:

[eppur_se_muova]

4. and Pennsylvania!

http://www.awea.org/newsroom/releases/Power_for_the_People_PA_060606.html

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 06, 2006
Contact:
Thom Wallace ( 703) 835-5793
Christine Real de Azua [phone]


POWER FOR THE PEOPLE: GOV. RENDELL AFFIRMS
PENNSYLVANIA'S ROLE AS A HOME WIND ENERGY LEADER

AWEA emphasizes small and renewable energy systems and policy can solve energy
security concerns

Pittsburgh, Pa. - Governor Rendell affirmed Monday that small wind turbines for
homes, towns, and small business are a growing possibility in the state of Pennsylvania.
Rendell emphasized the importance of small wind energy policy at the opening of the
American Wind Energy Association’s (AWEA) WINDPOWER 2006
Conference & Exhibition at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh,
Pa.

"Pennsylvania is blazing a new trail by making strategic investments in small wind
energy systems to help us meet the clean energy needs of our residents and our
economy," Governor Edward G. Rendell said. "Our small-scale wind project brings
turbines off the mountain tops and into communities. By placing these windmills in
areas where more people can see them, Pennsylvanians get to experience alternative
energy as a part of their daily lives."

The small wind energy systems that make residential power a reality are on display
Monday – Wednesday this week at WINDPOWER 2006. The WINDPOWER
2006 Exhibition is open to the public Tuesday from 4 p.m. – 6 p.m., and
participants and visitors can explore systems large enough to power whole
communities and all the way down to the small turbines which power individual homes.

“Small wind energy systems (less than 100 kilowatts, kW, in size) are becoming
more integrated into our communities to provide power for our homes and rural
areas,” said Randall Swisher, AWEA Executive Director. “These small
and discrete systems put power in the hands of people and can contribute to relieving
energy security concerns at the residential level.”

In April, Gov. Rendell set the stage for small wind’s arrival in Pittsburgh by
bringing renewable energy funding back to life after years of inactivity. The
Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority (PEDA) recently awarded a $193,000
grant to Southwest Windpower, an exhibitor at WINDPOWER 2006, to place 15 small,
advanced-technology wind turbines in highly visible locations across the state.

“Pennsylvania is a great example of a state working to create a positive climate
for small wind systems,” said Andy Kruse, AWEA member and Co-Founder of
Southwest Windpower, “We have also seen progress at the federal level and
look forward to seeing continued focus on small wind technology.”

U.S. Senator Kent Conrad (D – North Dakota) recently introduced legislation to
create a 30% Federal Tax credit for small wind systems on par with incentives for solar
and fuels cells. This legislation, while still in its early stages, will begin a move at the
national level to supporting small wind energy systems for homes and communities.

Small Wind Industry Background

Modern small wind energy systems (up to 100 kW) are redefining the small wind
turbine as an icon of energy independence and self-reliance throughout the world. The
global small wind industry is helping to power the world with green and renewable
energy by powering homes, villages, farms, and businesses worldwide.

During the last fifteen years the Small Wind Turbine industry has begun to experience
rapid growth. As outlined in AWEA’s 2005 Global Small Wind Market Study
annual sales for the small wind industry jumped from $1 million/year in 1991 to just
under $16 million annually in 2004. Projections from the study put annual sales in
2010 at just over $26 million dollars. More recent projections don’t show any
signs that the industry will slow. Based on information provided to AWEA by small
wind companies in 2006, the association estimates the leading U.S. small wind turbine
suppliers are projecting an average annual growth rate of 32% for the U.S.
grid-connected market through 2020.

Recently small wind energy systems have broken into the mainstream, with Walmart
placing a Bergey 50-kW system at an experimental energy-efficient store in Texas and
ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” TV placing a
Southwest Windpower system as part of home remodelings. With rapid growth and
increased acceptance by home owners, industry leaders anticipate a greater
penetration into the residential market in the months and years to come.

Exhibit Open To The Public

On June 6 th from 4-6 p.m. WINDPOWER 2006 will open its exhibit floor to the
general public. The cost for exploring the exhibit hall will be $5 per person. More than
half a dozen companies will be available at AWEA’s Small Wind Pavilion, and a
representative from Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection
will be on hand to answer questions home owners may have about state incentives and
grant programs.

To learn more about AWEA and small wind energy systems, visit
http://www.awea.org/smallwind.html

Small Wind Energy System Media Availability

Small Wind Industry members are available for interviews through out WINDPOWER
2006 Conference and Exhibition upon request. AWEA’s Small Wind Energy
Pavilion features a half dozen companies on the exhibit floor.

Location:
David L. Lawrence Convention Center
1000 Fort Duquesne Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA


Public Opening: Tuesday June 6th, 4-6pm will be a good time to interview
Pennsylvania citizens and business community members interested in small wind
energy systems.

Local / Western PA Small Wind System Owners

Lutherlyn Camp and Terra Dei Homestead
Heath Gamache
[phone] , Butler Country
5 kW Synergy System

On the camp grounds of this environmental education center is the Terra Dei
Homestead and a 5kW Synergy Small Wind Turbine that provides power to the
homestead Lutherlyn is a year around ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America.

Programs, which include education on the small wind turbine, encourage students to
consider the environmental implications of their lifestyles and explore everyday
solutions to ecological problems. Energy efficiency as well as renewable energy
systems are used as tools to teach Christian based schools about stewardship. Public
school students are not given a faith based environmental education. Customized,
hands-on programs include alternative energy sources, energy efficiency, integrated
pest management, and organic gardening. Terra Dei is the first straw bale house built in
Pennsylvania and features a myriad of conservation technologies.

Heath Gamache is also working with Appalachian Wind Systems to develop a low wind
speed small wind system manufacturing company based out of Western PA.

Other Contacts of Interest

Pine Township
Contact: Jane Silvester [phone] X 121
50 kW Bergey small wind energy system.

McKeever Environmental Learning Center (Mercer Co.)
Contact: Fran Bires [phone]
10 kW Bergey small wind energy system.

Kurt Knaus, Press Secretary
PA Department of Environmental Protection
717-787-1323

AWEA, formed in 1974, is the national trade association of the U.S. wind energy industry. The association's membership
includes turbine manufacturers, wind project developers, utilities, academicians, and interested individuals. More
information on wind energy is available at the AWEA web site: www.awea.org.

[eppur_se_muova]

5. and Texas!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 25, 2006
Contact:
Kathy Belyeu [phone]
Christine Real de Azua [phone]


AWEA QUARTERLY MARKET REPORT:
TEXAS OVERTAKES CALIFORNIA AS TOP WIND ENERGY STATE

Record year for new wind still forecast for 2006

As the U.S. wind energy industry stayed on pace for another record year, Texas for the first time supplanted
historic leader California as the top state in cumulative wind power capacity, according to the American Wind
Energy Association’s (AWEA) Second Quarter Market Report.

The report also shows that U.S. developers brought online a capacity total of 822 megawatts (MW) in the first half
of the year. With the strong growth, the U.S.’s cumulative wind power capacity surged to 9,971
MW—within close striking distance of the 10-gigawatt (10,000-MW) milestone. (For a listing of projects
completed and under construction, see below.)

Texas ’s cumulative total now stands at 2,370 MW of capacity—enough to power over 600,000
average American homes—followed by California’s 2,323 MW. Texas edged ahead of California by
adding a total of 375 MW, about half of the total amount installed in the country since the beginning of the year.

It’s a historic moment. California has led the nation in installed wind capacity uninterruptedly for nearly
25 years, ever since the first wind farms were built there in late 1981, and at one time the Golden State was host to
more than 80 percent of the wind capacity in the entire world. However, energy and electricity prices tanked
during the global oil glut of the 1980s, putting California’s wind power boom on hold.

But Texas by no means has been the lone state busy developing wind power projects. In fact, while Texas took the
capacity crown from the perennial state leader, development activity in California has not exactly been dormant,
with PPM Energy’s (PPM) 150-MW Shiloh Wind Project in Solano County and the Sacramento Municipal
Utility District’s 24-MW project near Rio Vista coming online earlier in the year.

Developers continue their steady advance in project activity while the industry confronts a series of inevitable
challenges, one being the interplay between wind turbines and military radar. At AWEA’s annual
conference, the WINDPOWER 2006 Conference & Exhibition in June, industry players gathered for a siting panel
on military issues, an event that brought together stakeholders from all sides of the radar issue. At the session Lt.
Col. William Crowe, chief of airspace for the U.S. Air Force, offered to serve as a point of contact for the industry
as the various parties work through the challenges and concerns.

Meanwhile, the industry forges ahead, despite delays in some projects due to radar issues. AWEA forecasts that
the industry remains on track to install more than 3,000 MW of new wind capacity, which would decisively
eclipse the previous record of 2,431 MW set in 2005. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)
estimates that slightly less than 10,000 MW of new natural gas plants will be brought online in 2006, and that less
than 400 MW of new coal- and oil-fired generating plants will be added, making wind power second only to
natural gas in new capacity and new power generation for the second year in a row.

With this robust climate serving as a backdrop, wind energy leaders are thinking both short- and long-term. At
WINDPOWER 2006, AWEA, the U.S. Department of Energy, and National Renewable Energy Laboratory
committed to develop an action plan focused on providing up to 20% of the nation's electricity from clean,
renewable wind energy, the potential of which was highlighted in the Advanced Energy Initiative released by
President George W. Bush in February. The process will solicit input from key stakeholders including
environmental groups, utilities, policy planners, investors, educators, communities, and others, with the action
plan being unveiled at the WINDPOWER 2007 Conference & Exhibition in Los Angeles, Calif., June 3-6, 2007.

To reach the 20% benchmark and for the strong industry growth to continue even in the short term, the federal
production tax credit, which expires at the end of 2007, needs to be extended in a timely fashion before it expires;
furthermore, a long-term extension is needed to allow wind energy businesses to operate and invest in a stable
environment and to further reduce costs. Added transmission capacity will also be needed to ship large amounts
of power from windy areas to market.

“Wind energy works, for America’s economy, environment, and energy security,”
commented AWEA Executive Director Randall Swisher. “Continuing the federal commitment to this clean
energy source will keep us on the road to a sustainable energy future.”

Wind Power Projects Completed to Date in 2006 – 822 MW

State
Project
Name
Location
Capacity
(MW)
Developer
Power Purchaser
Turbine
Manufac.
# of
WTs
Rating
(kW)
Alaska
Kotzebue
Wind
Project
Kotzebue
.066
Kotzebue Electric
Association
Kotzebue Electric
Association
Vestas
1
66
Alaska
Kotzebue
Wind
Project
Kotzebue
0.15
Kotzebue Electric
Association
Kotzebue Electric
Association
Integrity
Wind
Systems
3
50
California
Shiloh Wind
Project
Solano
County
150
enXco, PPM
Energy
PG&E - 75 MW,
Modesto Irrigation
District - 50 MW,
City of Palo Alto
Utilities - 25 MW
GE
Energy
100
1500
California
Solano IIA
Rio Vista
24
SMUD
SMUD
Vestas
8
3000
Colorado
Spring
Canyon
Energy
Center
Logan
County
60
Invenergy Wind
Xcel Energy
GE
Energy
40
1500
Hawaii
Hawi
Renewable
Upolo
Point,
island of
Hawaii
10.56
enXco
Hawaiian Electric
Light Co.
Vestas
16
660
Hawaii
Kaheawa
Wind
Project
western
slope of
Maui
30
UPC Wind
Management &
Makani Nui
Associates
Maui Electric Co.
GE
Energy
20
1500
Massachusetts
Hull Wind II
Hull
1.8
Hull Municipal
Hull Municipal
Vestas
1
1800
Massachusetts

Buzzards
Bay
0.66
Massachusetts
Maritime
Academy
Massachusetts
Maritime Academy
Vestas
1
660
Minnesota
Wolf Wind
Farm
Nobles
County
6.25
Landowner
developed
Central Minnesota
Municipal Power
Agency
Suzlon
5
1250
Minnesota
Minnesota
Wind Share
Lake
Wilson
5.4
Project
Resources Corp.
Xcel Energy
Suzlon
3
1800
Montana
Horseshoe
Bend
Horseshoe
Bend
9
Exergy
Idaho Power
GE
Energy
6
1500
New York
2005 Maple
Ridge wind
farm,
(completion)
Lewis
County
61.05
PPM Energy &
Horizon Wind
Energy
NYSERDA/market
Vestas
37
1650
New York
Maple Ridge
wind farm,
phase I a
Lewis
County
33
PPM Energy &
Horizon Wind
Energy
NYSERDA/market
Vestas
20
1650
North Dakota
Wilton Wind
Farm
(completion)
Burleigh
County
18
FPL Energy
Basin Electric
GE
Energy
12
1500
North Dakota
Velva Wind
Farm
Velva
11.88
Global Renewable
Energy
Partners/Acciona
Energia
Xcel Energy
Vestas
18
660
Ohio
Great Lakes
Science
Center
Cleveland
0.225
Leadership
Cleveland and
Sustainable
Cleveland
Great Lakes
Science Center
Vestas
1
225
Pennsylvania
Bear Creek
Wind Farm
Luzerne
County
24
Community
Energy Inc./

Global Wind
Harvest/

CH Energy Group
PPL Energy
Gamesa
12
2000


Rhode Island
Portsmouth
Abbey
School
Wind
Turbine
Portsmouth
0.66
Portsmouth
Abbey School
Portsmouth
Abbey School
Vestas
1
660
Texas
Horse
Hollow
expansion
Taylor
County
3
FPL Energy
GE Energy
2
1500
Texas
Horse
Hollow III
Taylor
County
223.5
FPL Energy
GE Energy
149
1500
Texas
Horse
Hollow II
Taylor
County
64.4
FPL Energy
Siemens
28
2300
Texas
Red Canyon
Wind
Energy
Borden,
Garza and
Scurry
Counties
84
FPL Energy
various
GE Energy
56
1500



Wind Power Projects Currently Under Construction
(not a comprehensive list)*

State
Project
Name
Location
Capacity
(MW)
Developer
Power
Purchaser
Turbine
Manufac.
# of
WTs
Rating
(kW)
Illinois
Twin
Groves I
McLean
County
198
Horizon Wind
Energy


120
1650
Kansas
Spearville
Wind
Energy
Facility
near
Dodge City
100.5
enXco
Kansas City
Power & Light
GE
Energy
67
1500
Michigan
Noble
Thumb
Wind Park
Huron
County
48
Noble
Environmental
Power
Consumers
Energy
GE
Energy
32
1500
Maine
Mars Hill
Aroostook
county
42
Evergreen
Windpower
(subsidiary of
UPC Wind
Partners)

GE
Energy
28
1500
Massachusetts
Town of
Orleans
Wind
Project
Town of
Orleans
3.3


Vestas
2
1650
Minnesota
St. Olaf
Wind
Project
Northfield
1.65

St. Olaf College
Vestas
1
1650
Minnesota
East Ridge
Wind Farm
Lincoln
County
10
Edison Mission
Group
Northern
States Power
Suzlon
8
1250
Minnesota
Bingham
Lake Wind
Farm
Bingham
Lake
15
Edison Mission
Group
Alliant Energy
Suzlon
12
1250
Missouri
Bluegrass
Ridge
Project
Gentry
County in
northwest
Missouri
33.6
Wind Capital
Group
Associated
Electric
Cooperative
Suzlon
16
2100
New York
Maple
Ridge wind
farm, phase
II
Lewis
County
90.75
PPM Energy &
Horizon Wind
Energy
NYSERDA/

market
Vestas
75
1650
Oregon
Leaning
Juniper
near
Arlington,
Gilliam
County
100.5
PPM Energy

GE
Energy
67
1500


Texas
Forest
Creek
Glasscock
and
Sterling
Counties,
near
Abilene
125
Airtricity/RGI
TXU
Wholesale
Siemens
54
2300
Texas
JD Wind IV
panhandle
79.8
John Deere
Credit/Distributed
Wind Systems
Suzlon
38
2100
Texas
Lone Star
Wind
Project
200
Horizon Wind
Energy
Washington
Big Horn
Wind Power
Project
near
Bickleton,
Klickitat
County
199.5
PPM Energy
Modesto-Santa
Clara-Redding
Public Power
Agency
(M-S-R)
GE
Energy
133
1500
Washington
Wild Horse
Wind Power
Project
Whisky
Dick
Mountain,
Kittitas
County
228.6
Horizon/Puget
Sound Energy
Puget Sound
Energy
Vestas
127
1800


* The cumulative total capacity should be considered provisional; moreover, the listing of projects under
construction should be considered only a sampling of such projects around the country and is not intended to be
comprehensive. For more information about existing wind farms and those under construction, go to
AWEA’s project database at http://www.awea.org/projects. Please send any project information to Kathy
Belyeu at [e-mail].



AWEA, formed in 1974, is the national trade association of the U.S. wind energy industry. The association's membership includes turbine manufacturers,
wind project developers, utilities, academicians, and interested individuals. More information on wind energy is available at the AWEA web site:
www.awea.org.