"It's inevitable, as the money really starts to flow into infrastructure programs, particularly green projects, there will be job growth here over the next year," says John Challenger, chief executive officer of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, a global outplacement company based in Chicago, in an article on "Now Hiring: Green-Collar Workers" in Business Week.
I first read media articles about this young man's determination to bring electricity to his family in Malawi with wind power over a year ago. I'm glad to see that the story has been written up in a book.
In my daily routine of tracking media articles on Community Wind, I occasionally find information like this article which instantly brightens my day.
It is amazing what a powerful blessing wind energy can be in a situation less encumbered with the demands and complexities of my life in Minnesota. I hope this story about wind turbines on an island off the coast of Pakistan brightens your day too.
Installing a large wind energy project is a major construction operation. The process can lead to major changes in typically quiet rural areas where most of these large projects are sited. Good preparation by local officials and advance information for residents about what to expect are two crucial elements which can enable the construction phase of a project to proceed more smoothly.
The State of Minnesota has a legislative mandate that utilities purchase or generate 25 percent of their electric power from renewable resources by 2025; and in the case of Xcel Energy, 30 percent by 2020. The majority of this new renewable energy is expected to come from wind energy, and a new study by Minnesota 2020 Fellow Nathan Paine outlines what some of the benefits of this expansion of wind power would mean for the state.
Each year, the Interstate Renewable Energy Council recognizes individuals and organizations that have implemented innovative projects during the past year that promote and accelerate the adoption of renewable energy technologies.
This year, IREC will present awards in the following six categories:
* K-12 educational initiatives
* Workforce development
* Colleges & university renewable initiatives
* Local government leadership
* State government leadership
* Non-profit leadership
As I was researching the transmission grid I came across GE campaign promoting the use of smart grid technology. While the site doesn't really elaborate on what smart grid technology actually entails or the billions of dollars and years it will take to get every home in the U.S. a smart meter and the software to monitor their own electricity usage, it does spark an inquiry: What if more people started using smart meters? What if we were able to add more wind turbine energy to the grid?
June 15, 2009 is Global Wind Day, an event designed to raise worldwide awareness of wind energy. The campaign builds on the success of the European Wind Day 2007 and 2008, in which over 20 countries participated with hundreds of public events.
On June 5, 2009 the Internal Revenue Service issued Notice 2009-52 which provides guidance on how a taxpayer can elect a 30% investment tax credit (ITC) in lieu of a production tax credit (PTC) for a qualified renewable energy facility. This election was created in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
Minnesota Public Radio reports that the Willmar Municipal Utility is almost finished constructing two 2MW wind turbines that will supply approximately 3% of the city's annual electricity need. The turbines are expected to be online by July and the utility hopes the project will come in under the $10 million budget.
