This section focuses on project management and planning, two elements that are essential to a successful 2-50 MW community wind project. Topics covered in this section include putting together a reliable project team and understanding risks and ways to mitigate them. The section also provides resources for creating a realistic project plan and timeline, as well as tips from experienced community wind developers.
This report from the Union of Concerned Scientists was originally published in the Harvest the Wind Handbook from Windustry. According to the UCS web site, "This report is intended to guide prospective wind farm developers through the process of site assessment. It provides practical information on how to develop reliable estimates of the wind resource and electricity production at a given site. This includes information on how to measure wind speeds and direction; how to qualify your land’s potential for wind projects; how certain variables affect wind production costs and return on investment; what information is typically needed by banks and investors to finance a project; and where to look for additional information. While our examples are based on Minnesota, the principles discussed can be applied to any state, particularly other parts of the Midwest."
This web site features state wind maps of Oregon, Montana, Washington, Wyoming, Idaho and selected portions of California, Nevada and Utah.
Produced by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and their National Wind Technology Center. (Note that this is older information.)
This web page from the Wind Powering America program provides links to wind resource maps for nearly every state.
Assessing your wind resource is a critical piece of planning a wind project. Click on the link at the bottom of this page to view a presentation given by Wes Slaymaker for a Wisconsin Focus on Energy Seminar in February 2005.
CAUTION: This is a very large (4.5 MB) file and may be slow to download!
Permitting of Wind Energy Facilities
2002: The National Wind Coordinating Committee.
Community Energy Guidebook
2006: Ontario Sustainable Energy Association
The Ontario First Nation Guide to Wind Power Development
2005: SGA Energy Ltd., Pembina Institute for Appropriate Development and, Gale Force Energy Ltd.
Wind Energy Toolkit
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, Power Naturally Program
Includes a legal guidebook for landowners, a section on lease agreements, and a sample annotated lease agreement.
