New Tool in the Toobox!
We're pleased to announce the addition of a new tool in the Community Wind Toolbox: a chapter all about Power Purchase Agreements.
We're pleased to announce the addition of a new tool in the Community Wind Toolbox: a chapter all about Power Purchase Agreements.
The spring 2008 CERTs Request for Proposals are now available! Are you looking for a source of funding to start a clean energy project in your county, community, or school? CERTs may be able to help!
The deadline for proposals is 4:30 pm April 18th, 2008; each CERT will meet before June 13th, 2008, to decide which projects to fund. Projects approved for funding must be completed by June 1, 2009.
To view the press release, visit:
http://www.cleanenergyresourceteams.org/pdf/2008_RFP_press_release.pdf
To view the Request for Proposal, visit:
http://www.cleanenergyresourceteams.org/pdf/CERTs_RFP_4-18-08.pdf
To view projects that were funded in winter of 2007, visit:
http://www.cleanenergyresourceteams.org/pdf/2008_RFP_release.pdf
Article by: H.J. CUMMINS , Star Tribune
January 15, 2008
A legislator's plan to encourage small, local energy projects in Minnesota borrows from Germany's experience.
A Northfield legislator wants Minnesota to take a more European approach to renewable energy.
Rep. David Bly, DFL-Northfield, is expected to announce Thursday that he'll sponsor a bill to encourage local ownership of small energy projects. The measure would be a counterpoint to other tax incentives, including a federal production tax credit, that typically benefit large, corporate investors.
The proposed model, known as "feed-in tariffs," has worked in countries such as Germany, increasing both renewable-energy capacity and the role of small owners. Other states looking at feed-in tariffs include Michigan and California, although no state yet has such a program.
The proposal raises two issues likely to surface along with other renewable energy bills expected in the 2008 legislative session: What are the relative roles of government and the free market, and if clean energy costs more, who should pay that cost?....
Click here to read the article
With the Energy Bill being signed this week void of a national Renewable Energy Standard, many Americans are wondering how other policy can help support renewable energy development in rural America. One answer is the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP, previously called Section 9006 of the Farm Bill), which provides grants and loan guarantees to farmers, ranchers and rural, small businesses for renewable energy development and energy efficiency improvements.
Among the renewable energy provisions found in the Senate version of the farm bill is $260 million over five years for the Rural Energy for America Program. The 2002 Farm Bill, and REAP within it, is set to expire this year, but the House-Senate conference committee working on the bill hopes to extend the bill through March 15th, 2008 in order to provide continuous funding for the programs covered in the 2002 bill until agreements can be reached and passed.
Click here to read a more in depth update from the 25x'25 coalition.
The Minnesota Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs), via the University of Minnesota Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships (U of MN Regional Partnerships) and Southwest Regional Development Commission (SRDC), seek to provide limited financial assistance for energy efficiency and/or renewable energy projects requiring technical assistance.
Project funding can support technical assistance services (i.e., labor costs), such as consultant, design professional, installer or student labor, for projects in one of the following six Minnesota CERT regions: Central, Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, Southwest and West Central.
The primary objectives of this funding project are to:
Funding for these projects is provided through: (1) the Minnesota Department of Commerce, (2) the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, and (3) the Blandin Foundation.
To be eligible for consideration for funding, each applicant must:
Deadline
Proposals MUST BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY BY 4:30 PM,
NOVEMBER 16th, 2007, to the contacts listed in the Attachment.
Selections will be made by each regional CERT by December 21st, 2007.
Award notification will be made by January 4th, 2008.
Projects must be completed, and final reports submitted, by December 31st, 2008.
Funds up to the grant amount will be reimbursed for eligible expenses upon project completion.
See the attached PDF for more information.
Join Windustry in Albany, NY for the premier national conference bringing agriculture and wind energy together to advance opportunities for locally-owned clean energy production and rural economic development. We will share experiences and information to harness the growing momentum for new models, new policies and new projects.
Click here to go to the official conference web page!
What to expect at Community Wind Energy 2008:
Who will attend?
Rural landowners, elected officials, farmers, ranchers, business leaders, tribal representatives, economic development professionals, lenders, bankers, city planners, and community leaders will be in attendance.
For more information, contact Windustry:
Click the link below to download a printable version of this flyer.
Click here to sign up for our email list if you'd like to receive updates as they're available!
New Law Passed to Advance Community Energy Projects
Next Generation Energy Act Helps MN Farmers and Small Businesses Build Renewable Energy Projects
St. Paul, MN – (5/25/07) Today Governor Tim Pawlenty signed the Next Generation Energy Act (SF145), which includes critical provisions that will help rural communities build wind farms, biomass power plants and other renewable energy facilities.
The legislature passed the bill on Sunday with strong bipartisan support.
This community-based energy development (C-BED) legislation helps rural communities plan, build and own renewable energy facilities themselves, thereby keeping energy dollars in local economies. A number of studies have shown that local ownership of wind farms at least triples local financial benefits relative to ownership of wind facilities by large outside companies (see references, below). “This legislation keeps Minnesota at the cutting edge of community wind energy development nationwide,” said Lisa Daniels, Executive Director of Windustry. She added, “Currently, Minnesotans own more wind power projects than residents of other states.” Thirty percent (275 MW out of 895 MW) of Minnesota’s wind energy capacity is community-based.
Andrew Falk, a wind developer near Benson Minnesota said, “First, we must thank State Representative Aaron Peterson for his incredible work and leadership on this important issue. Communities want to take an active role in meeting the energy needs of the 21st century with locally owned renewable energy resources. This piece of legislation assists the utilities and the regulatory agencies in comprehending the value of community-based energy development (C-BED) projects. A key provision in the bill prevents wind energy development companies from buying wind rights from landowners and then not developing them within a reasonable time. “All over the country, wind energy is hot so large companies are buying up wind rights before the competition drives up prices,” noted Daniels. “The law protects landowners in this exploding market by requiring developers to finish building projects within seven years or renegotiate their deals with landowners.”
The legislation also makes it easier for local governments to own wind energy projects, and it allows counties, rather than just the state government, to permit projects as large as 25 MW. “These changes in law will help cities, counties, school districts and other local agencies develop, own and benefit from wind farms,” said David Benson, Nobles County Commissioner. He added, “Local ownership of wind projects helps ensure that a broader spectrum of Minnesotans benefit financially from renewable energy and it also helps make rural communities more energy independent.” “Farmers all over the state want to earn more hard dollars from wind farms,” added Daniels, “but, our current regulatory and tax system makes entry into this new business opportunity needlessly cumbersome. This new law removes some barriers and will help us deal with future ones.”
The legislation includes provisions that:
For information about the economic benefits of community wind relative to other development, go to:
http://www.windustry.org/community/default.htm#Why%20Community%20Wind
For the text of and other information about the Next Generation Energy Act, SF 145, go to:
http://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/revisor/pages/search_status/status_detail.php?b=Senate&f=sf145&s
sn=0&y=2007
Windustry is a non-profit organization working to increase wind energy opportunities for rural landowners and communities by providing technical support and creating tools for analysis.
** Media Contact: Lisa Daniels 612-870-3462 **
NEW ENERGY: A fresh look at how the Midwest is creating a green energy economy
Windustry has partnered with Twin Cities Public Television and Erika Johnson to tell the story of how wind, biofuels, and other renewable energy technologies are contributing to the region’s energy security, economic sustainability, and integrity of our natural resources.
NEW ENERGY premiered on Sunday, January 7, 2007 on MN TPT Channel 17, and since then it has appeared on:
WDSE in Duluth/Superior
KWCM Pioneer Public Television in Appleton, MN
South Dakota Public Broadcasting
Lakeland Public Television
Prairie Public Television
WTVP in Central Illinois
Milwaukee Public Television in Milwaukee, WI
Contact Windustry if you are a television station interested in showing NEW ENERGY on your station.
DVD Copies Now Available
Contact Windustry
NOTE: NEW ENERGY is configured to be played on a DVD player, and should also start automatically on most computers. If you have trouble playing the program on your computer, make sure your computer has a DVD drive. Start your video player (such as Windows Media Player), and open the DVD through the video player. Please contact Windustry if you have any questions.
About the Program
The Message: Renewable energy technology is more than just good for the environment. Making the choice for renewable energy is an investment that is revitalizing rural areas around our region.
The Midwest is leading the nation’s transition to a cleaner, safer, more stable, and more secure energy system. We will explore the pros and cons of renewable energy and expose common myths surrounding wind, ethanol, energy efficiency, and hydrogen.
The Cast: NEW ENERGY highlights the success of individuals and companies that are pioneering renewable energy in the Midwest today.
The Sponsors: NEW ENERGY was made possible by a partnership with Windustry, Twin Cities Public Television, Erika Johnson, and a host of local sponsors who are working hard to continue the growth of renewable energy today.
AgStar Financial Services, ACA
American Sustainable Energy Council
Basin Electric Power Cooperative
Carleton College
Center for Energy and the Environment
Concordia Language Village
DAK Renewable Energy, Inc.
DMI Industries
enXco
ePower Synergies
Erika Johnson
GarMar Foundation
Great River Energy
Midwest Minnesota Community Development Corporation
Minnesota Corn Growers Association
Minnesota Department of Commerce
Minnesota Power
Moorhead Public Service
North Dakota Department of Commerce
North Dakota Farmer's Union
REHAU Inc.
Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency
Southwest Initiative Foundation
Twin Cities Public Television
WindLogics Inc.
Windustry
Xcel Energy
"Major US Utility Facilitates Citizen Wind Power," Windpower Monthly, May 2006, Vol. 22, No. 5, pp. 29-30. "In an American twist to the European model of community scale wind power development, huge Midwest utility Xcel Energy is facilitating the birth of a broad popular movement in local ownership of small scale wind projects." Windustry executive director Lisa Daniels contributed to this article on the impact of C-BED (Community-Based Energy Development) on wind energy projects in Minnesota.