Windustry in the news

Windustry — Mon, 12 May 2008 10:19:32 -0500

It must be the time of year to think about wind leases, because they've been coming up in the media a lot lately. Last Friday a piece was published in the Worthington (MN) Daily Globe about landowners who have been approached in SW Minnesota by a wind development company.

The article does a good job of conveying that while leasing your land to a developer can be a great economic opportunity, you have to go in with your eyes open and be vigilant about understanding a contract before you sign it.

The article also just happens to quote Windustry board member David Benson!

You can read it online here (free registration required): http://www.dglobe.com/articles/index.cfm?id=11437

--Marin

"Broadening Wind Energy Ownership by Changing Federal Incentives" from the New Rules Project

Marin — Mon, 05 May 2008 11:15:29 -0500

This April 2008 report from the New Rules Project discusses how simple changes to the federal production tax credit (PTC) and SEC registration process for cooperatives could significantly reduce barriers to community ownership of wind.

Download the report from the New Rules website here: http://www.newrules.org/de/ptc-wind-ownership.pdf

Greetings from Community Wind Energy 2008

Windustry — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 17:17:02 -0500

We just wrapped up the second day of Community Wind Energy 2008 in Albany, New York. The conference has been a great success, with people from 36 states, 4 other countries, and all parts of the community wind world in attendance.

Tomorrow we head to Jiminy Peak in Massachusetts to learn about their community wind project.

Just a reminder to all attendees that proceedings will be made available shortly. Watch our website for updates.

Here are some photos from the past two days:

In the exhibit hall.

Windustry's Erin Dietrich with Minnesota State Senator Ellen Anderson.

Lisa Daniels giving opening remarks in the Convention Hall.

Charles Newcomb, Lisa Daniels and lunch speaker Ann Bancroft.

A breakout session.

A certificate commemorating the RECs supplied by Native Energy to offset the conference's carbon emissions.

--Marin

New Tool in the Toobox!

Marin — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 09:25:27 -0500

We're pleased to announce the addition of a new tool in the Community Wind Toolbox: a chapter all about Power Purchase Agreements.

Click here to go to the report.

"Wind Energy Guide for County Commissioners" from NACO

Marin — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 12:22:17 -0600

This guide from the National Association of Counties was released in November, 2006. According to the NACO website, "this publication is designed to provide county commissioners, planners,
and other local county government officials with a practical overview
of information required to successfully implement commercial wind
energy projects in their county."

Click here to download the guide from the NACO website.

Wind Energy Siting Handbook from AWEA

Marin — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 15:24:29 -0600

According to the AWEA website, "The Wind Energy Siting Handbook was developed by the AWEA Siting Committee to inform wind energy developers and other interested parties about environmental siting issues relevant to land-based commercial-scale wind energy project development in the United States.

"This handbook has been designed to provide technical information and useful tools based on the industry’s collective experience in siting wind energy projects and assessing potential impacts."

Click here to go to the AWEA website to download this 178-page document.

2XtM Snowkiting Expedition Sets Off Across North Dakota

Windustry — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 09:29:54 -0600

The 2XtM (To Cross the Moon) snowkiting expedition is setting off across North Dakota today. The expedition is using their adventure to bring awareness of the state's amazing wind resource to the communities that stand to benefit from ND wind development.

You can learn more about the expedition on their website (www.2xtm.com), which features news updates, a blog, and a map to track their progress.

You can also learn more about how you can encourage community wind in North Dakota on our website at http://www.windustry.org/northdakota.

--Marin

New Report from ILSR: "Minnesota Feed-In Tariff Could Lower Cost, Boost Renewables and Expand Local Ownership"

Marin — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 11:41:05 -0600

This January 2008 policy brief from the New Rules Project of ILSR highlights how several European countries, and more recently the Canadian province of Ontario, have adopted a simple yet powerful strategy to expand renewable energy and benefit local economies. It is called a feed-in tariff: a mandated, long-term premium price for renewable energy paid by the local electric utility to energy producers. Evidence shows that a feed-in tariff achieves greater results at a lower cost than do other strategies like tax incentives or renewable electricity standards.

Click here to go to the New Rules Project website and download a copy of the report.