April 2017 Newsletter

Turbine Talk: Windustry's April 2017 Newsletter

Northern Minnesota Town Leading the Way on Wind-Solar Hybrid

Photo by: Gerry Machen / Creative Commons

The first Commercial U.S. integrated solar-wind hybrid project is set to go online in August of 2017 in Red Lake Falls, MN. Developer, Juhl Energy, has partnered with GE to produce the 4.6 MW community based project. This is a big step in the push for community level generation development in the face of push back from utilities across the state of Minnesota. The energy produced from this project will provide energy that is cheaper than energy produced from other sources in Otter Tail Power’s service territory in Northwest Minnesota. Innovative projects such as this one are leading the charge to a cheaper and cleaner energy source needed for the future. Learn more HERE.

Windustry Presents Community Wind Awards to those Blazing New Trails for Renewable Energy

Lisa Daniels with Malcolm Brown-Photo by Forrest Milder, 2017

Photo: Commissioner Gregg Sayre (now interim chair) presenting NY PSC Chair Audrey Zibelman with the Community Wind Innovator Award, March 2017.

Windustry and its Board of Directors along with a peer group of professionals who work in Community and Distributed Wind were pleased to present the 2017 Distinguished Service in Community Wind Award to Malcolm Brown and the Community Wind Innovator award to Audrey Zibelman, New York Public Service Commission Chair. Learn more HERE.

Upcoming Events

Paul Gipe Will Keynote the 13th Annual Small Wind Conference

World-renowned wind author and lecturer Paul Gipe of Bakersfield, California, is the keynote speaker for the Small Wind Conference at the Crowne Plaza Aire, April 10th and 11th.

“I can’t think of anyone else who is as well-travelled as Paul Gipe in terms of a global perspective on where small wind has been and where we can go in the future,” said Mick Sagrillo, one of five principal organizers of the conference. "He's seen a lot and done a lot," Sagrillo said of Gipe. "He brings a 40-year perspective." Gipe’s latest book, “Wind Energy for the Rest of Us,” is a comprehensive guide to both small and large wind turbines.

The conference is a gathering of installers, manufacturers, dealers, distributors, teachers and advocates for small and distributed wind turbines in North America and globally.

Click HERE to learn more!

This May 22-24 in Minneapolis, the Midwest Solar Expo conference and exhibition will bring together 450+ solar and clean energy leaders from across the country looking to expand or enter into the growing Midwest market. The Midwest Solar Expo offers attendees the latest market insights, technical training and networking opportunities.

Click HERE to learn more!

The National Environmental Justice Advisory Council Public Meeting

Public Comment Period: Tuesday, April 25, 2017 – 6:00 pm CT
Public Meeting: Wednesday, April 26, 2017 – 8:45 am – 5:30 pm CT and Thursday, April 27, 2017 – 8:35 am – 1:00 pm CT

The meeting discussion will focus on several topics including, but not limited to, environmental justice concerns of communities in Minneapolis, MN, and surrounding areas and proactive efforts of states to advance environmental justice.

Click HERE to learn more!

Positively Electric: Embracing Clean Electricity to Power more of our Economy

Wednesday, May 10, 2017 7:00-8:30 am CT

With Minnesota’s electricity mix becoming cleaner and less expensive – and oil and gas becoming dirtier, riskier and more costly – is it time to transition to a more electric economy? Fresh Energy thinks the answer is a resounding yes. We think it’s time to start putting electricity from the wind, the sun, and other local clean power sources into more of Minnesota’s economy. Hear from Stanford University’s Joseph Stagner about the university’s dramatic and award winning shift from fossil fuels to renewable electricity for Stanford’s entire Palo Alto campus, and Great River Energy’s Will Kaul on how they are already demonstrating the value of wind-powered electric cars and water heaters. Together, we will imagine a future where our buildings, transportation, and the vast majority of our economy is run entirely off of clean energy and discuss how to start getting there. You’ll be electrified by this forward-thinking conversation about what is possible!

Click HERE to learn more!

2017 Midwest Farm Energy Conference

June 13-14 in Morris, MN

Click HERE to learn more!

The Energy Fair

June 16-18 in Custer, WI

Click HERE to learn more!

The Energy Fair

September 9-10, 2017 with Solar Professional Pre-Fair Day onSeptember 8, 2017
Harriet Island Park, St. Paul, MN
Click HERE to learn more!

Minneapolis Cooperative Technical Assistance Program

Co-ops Feasibility Class
Click HERE to learn more!

What We Are Listening To:

The Energy Gang Podcast: Does Solar Need to Be More Like Cutco and Avon, Rather than Airbnb and Uber?

The energy gang discusses cutting edge innovation and analysis on developments in the clean energy sector. In this episode, the gang discusses the evolution of the solar industry after the failure of Sungevity, one of the largest residential solar companies in the U.S. as of 2014. The gang also discusses how Trump’s executive order will affect utilities and clean power across the country.

StarTalk Radio: The Future of Humanity with Elon Musk

In this episode of StarTalk, Neil deGrasse Tyson discusses the future with Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla Motors and SpaceX. They discuss vast topics ranging from Mars to sustainable production and consumption of energy. Questions on electric vehicles to artificial intelligence are discussed.