Turbine Talk

Windustry's State Fair 2016 Newsletter

- Spotlight on a few of our State Fair partners: RES, United Wind, and Sempra US Gas & Power -

- Volunteer with us at the Minnesota State Fair! -

- Thank you to all of our State Fair partners! -

Spotlight on RES: A Returning Partner

With us again this year, we are very excited to be partnering with Renewable Energy Systems (RES), a global leader in wind energy development. RES has 200 MW of wind energy built in Minnesota and several more wind projects installed in 16 other states.

In their own words:

RES has been the trusted energy advisor to clients around the world since 1982. Our presence in the Americas began in 1997, when we developed and constructed our first utility-scale wind project. Today RES provides safe, reliable, and economic integrated energy solutions for the centralized bulk power and distributed customer-sited markets.

The company employs more than 500 full-time professionals, has over 8,000 megawatts of utility-scale renewable energy and energy storage projects, and has constructed more than 1,000 miles of transmission lines throughout the US and Canada. RES’ corporate office in the US is located in Broomfield, CO, with regional offices located in Austin TX; Minneapolis, MN; Old Saybrook, CT; and Sacramento and San Francisco, CA.

RES has developed and/or built over 10 GW of renewable energy capacity worldwide; has an asset management portfolio exceeding 2 GW; and is active in a range of renewable technologies, including onshore wind, solar, energy storage, and transmission.

For more information, visit www.res-group.com.

RES Pleasant Valley Project (Minnesota)

Spotlight on United Wind: New Model for Small Wind Comes to MN

Brooklyn, New York, is the last place that comes to mind when someone mentions wind turbines, but that may be changing. United Wind, a Brooklyn-based company committed to easing the transition from conventional energy sources to renewables, is now providing customers with affordable wind energy options.

United Wind was formed in 2013 following the merger of two pre-existing companies working in the distributed wind industry, Wind Analytics and Talco Electronics, providing wind quotes and operations expertise, respectively. United Wind is helping to bring a similar attitude and development to the small wind industry.

United Wind’s platform is making the transition to wind as simple as possible. “We focus on keeping it simple, so that customers can more easily understand the complexities of the process,” explained Guy Brooks, Director of Sales at United Wind. The company’s model includes a twenty-year lease on a small-scale turbine and guarantees that clients will be paying less money than they would otherwise pay to the electric company. United Wind installs, monitors, and maintains their wind turbines and is capable of detecting a glitch or hiccup in the system often before the client is even aware of a problem.

Also unique to United Wind is the informative angle that they take. “We teach our clients about anything from transmission line technology to how to read their electric bill,” says Joe Yurcisin, Vice President of Business Development at United Wind. Each United Wind-client relationship begins with an hour-long walk around the property, during which a United Wind representative offers property-specific consultation.

When potential clients initially reach out to United Wind with the intent of acquiring wind on their property, United Wind always asks, “Why wind?” Clients typically report how they are attracted by the net-metering option offered by the electric utility, which allows for clients to send excess electricity generated on their property to the grid as well as to pull electricity from the grid on days when the wind is not generating an abundance of electricity. Others are quick to point to the sustainability of wind energy and the expansion of renewables resulting from technological advances, decreased manufacturing costs, and social pressure to participate in a community-wide shift away from more environmentally harmful, traditional forms of energy. “Together, with our clients, we are building a network of advocates around the country,” says Brooks.

Now with three years of experience and excitement for wind on the rise across the nation, United Wind has plans to extend their reach beyond New York and Kansas. They are in the process of opening an office in Denver, CO, and will begin operating in Minnesota this coming fall. All of this is done with the intention of making it possible for Americans to more easily and cheaply access wind energy. “We want to positively change the world and help the environment,” remarks Yurcisin.

This year, we are fortunate to have a United Wind representatives present at our State Fair exhibit! One of their representatives is available each day for questions and more information on small- and medium-wind projects in Minnesota. Stop by to learn more!

For more information, visit www.unitedwind.com.

Volunteer with Windustry at the MN State Fair!

There is still time to help out at the Fair! Volunteers are supporting Windustry in our efforts to share information pertaining to wind energy, particularly community wind, through our interactive booth in the Eco Experience building. It is easy and fun, and all volunteers receive free State Fair entry and a 2016 Windustry State Fair t-shirt!

If you would like to participate as a volunteer or if you have any questions regarding the opportunity, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator Jake at [email protected]. If you would like sign up directly, please fill out the sign-up form. We look forward to welcoming you to the Windustry team and invite all to stop by our exhibit in the Eco Experience building!

Two of our 2016 State Fair volunteers #StickWindHere

A young visitor tests his siting skills at the Wind Farm activity

Spotlight on Sempra: Now Harvesting Wind in MN

Earlier this month, Windustry Executive Director Lisa Daniels and Summer Intern Rishab Turakhia attended a Sempra blade signing event in Sauk Centre, Minnesota, where they had the chance to meet with Steve Schooff, Director of Communications and Marketing at Sempra. This was a community event to welcome Sempra's first wind project in our state.

In their own words:

Sempra US Gas & Power is a leading developer of renewable energy and natural gas solutions in markets throughout the US with a focus on zero- and low-emission fuels. Together with its affiliates and joint-venture partners, the company owns and operates more than 2,500 megawatts (MW) of generating capacity fueled by the sun and the wind that generate power for nearly 600,000 homes and businesses.

With nearly 2,300 MW of jointly-owned solar and wind generation in operation or under construction and a development pipeline that exceeds 600 MW, Sempra US Gas & Power ranks among the most successful renewable developers in the country. The company operates two of the largest photovoltaic solar facilities in the US and continues to develop these multi-phase solar installations in Arizona and Nevada. Sempra US Gas & Power also operates a jointly-owned wind farm in Hawaii, which includes an innovative battery unit that helps to regulate and sustain power to the grid during variable wind conditions. Additionally, the company has a 78-MW wind project under construction in Minnesota and recently announced another 100-MW wind project in Michigan.

Sempra US Gas & Power also operates more than 42 billion cubic feet of natural gas storage in Alabama and Mississippi and owns an integral pipeline that enables natural gas to be transported to major markets in the Midwest, Northeast, and Southeast. These assets help make this clean, reliable fuel available to more consumers across the country.

Sempra US Gas & Power is a subsidiary of Sempra Energy, a San Diego-based Fortune 500 energy services holding company with 2015 revenues of $10 billion. The Sempra Energy companies' 17,000 employees serve more than 32 million consumers worldwide.

For more information, visit www.SempraUSGP.com.

Thank You to All of Our 2016 State Fair Partners!

Presenting Partners
Renewable Energy Systems (RES)
United Wind

Spotlight Partners
Consulting Engineers Group (CEG)
Sempra US Gas & Power

Sustaining Partner
Geronimo Energy

Allied Partners
3M
ATS Wind Energy Services
Blattner Energy
EDF Renewable Energy
EDP Renewables
Vestas
Wind on the Wires

Additional Funding & Exhibit Assistance
KidWind Project
REcharge Labs
WINDExchange (US Department of Energy)
Iowa Lakes Electric Cooperative
Basin Electric Power Cooperative
Midwest Wind Energy Center

To read more about this year's Wind Energy Center at the Minnesota State Fair and to see our full list of partners, visit our website.

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See you at the Fair!