South Dakota cities near I-29 can spur economies

When the region learns from many decades of experience that taught Silicon Valley- from which the corridor cities can learn- how to create and maintain a “habitat” for innovation – a unique setting where entrepreneurs find easy access to

• scientific research
• rapid prototyping services
• intellectual property attorneysworkforce training programs
• venture funding and
• local governments that understand the relationship between time and money.

Business starts and failures during those decades have highlighted three factors that explain a lot about why companies tend to succeed in Silicon Valley- and by extension- in the I-29 corridor development

• industry clusters
• personal networks and
• an exceptional workforce.

How to Kick Silicon Valley’s Butt by Guy Kawasaki June 06, 2006), commented on what makes for a successful economic area by saying "Be logical. Make the challenge to create a Silicon Valley as easy as possible. Thus, a region should use it’s natural, God-given advantages. For example, aquaculture in Hawaii, security technology in Israel, alternative fuels in the Midwest, and solar power in the Sun Belt. There’s a reason why the best succeed with what they have because they know everything about the resource or asset."

Why Startups Condense in America, by Paul Graham, says "the recipe [for a Silicon Valley-like economic engine] is a great university near a town smart people like. A silicon valley has to be a mecca for the smart and the ambitious."

Mr. Graham offers tip for governments that want to encourage startups: read the stories of existing startups, and then try to simulate what would have happened in your county. When you hit something that would have killed Apple or Hewlett-Packard, prune it off. Startups are the kind of thing people don't plan, so you're more likely to get them where it's ok to make career decisions on the fly.

According to Rebecca Buckman in Venture Capital's New Green Machine (January 2, 2008), "In the first nine months of last year, U.S. venture investors poured $2.6 billion into clean tech, more than the $1.8 billion invested in all of 2006." This enthusiasm for "green" products and energy is a "glove in hand fit" with agri-energy technology, manufacturing, and production in the I-29 corrodor.

South Dakotans know agriculture; its farming and ranching families are problem solvers having great work ethics and electrical and mechanical aptitudes. Agri-energy production and manufacturing are as complementary to farming and ranching operations as computer software is to hardware.

Life and finding work in South Dakota- No. 2

Just before I went outside to shovel the “April showers” off the sidewalks, Dakota News Network reported a bit more about the I-29 technology corridor, mentioning “the South Dakota equivalent of California’s Silicon Valley.” The manufacturing and technology corridor development is to stretch from Yankton north to Aberdeen. In addition to the corridor, this eastern area of the state also has some of the best wind power of the nation- classes 4/5/6.

Whether wind development will be done to complement hydropower and power from the coal-fired Big Stone electricity plant has not been mentioned in the media, so one has to assume it hasn't been discussed by the ad hoc working group.

After shoveling and a bit of lunch I did a Google search which found about 291,000 URLs for “silicon valley economic development.” One defined the organization of development we now take for granted as “Silicon Valley” One of the pages had “An industry cluster is a symbiotic, living entity that grows best when nurtured in hothouses of like-minded companies.

"[These] leading clusters call Silicon Valley home
>> Semiconductors
>> Computer & Communications Hardware
>> Electronic Components
>> Software
>> Biomedical
>> Creative & Innovation and
>> Nano-Bio-Info Technology Convergence.”

For an I-29 technology corridor to flourish, it can use this as a proven business model and development structure. The development can adopt and modify the SV industry clusters concept with respect to our region's assets.

An overview of an industry cluster has this information
>> Industry name
>> Profile
>> Changes driving opportunities
>> Where the opportunities are
>> Major labor market trends
>> Silicon Valley Firms
>> Venture Capital Investments
>> Cluster Infrastructure and
>> Detailed Industry Components.

What industry or industries can we seed and grow much like Silicon Valley grew microelec-tronics, computers, and software? What need (actual or latent) can the I-29 technology corridor satisfy as SV meets needs?

This is food for action, not just thought in these times of triple-digit oil prices and $3 billion dollar farm bill programs. There has to be positive cash flow somewhere out there.

A focus on agri-energy in the I-29 corridor would be much like the focus on transistors and other electronic components that served as the foundation for Silicon Valley's successes. Both are regional "fits;" both are "spheres of economic activity" that satisfy needs. In SV's case the needs became "all things digital." I-29 can address energy availability in parallel with meeting needs for foods and fibers.

Life and finding work in South Dakota- No. 1

Yep, it's definitely spring in South Dakota. The snow is wetter. During the night of 10 April 08 nearly 6" of snow fell; people who owned four-wheel drive pickups and SUVs had one more reason to drive like maniacs, so they did. Robins, which I have seen around here for a week or so, must be wondering WTH is going on, where's the "global warming?"

With temperatures in the low-30s Farenheit, the streets and avenues of Watertown are deep with slush, the ruts of which keep a compact car like mine going that way when I need to turn this way. 'Tis not a problem if indeed you want to go "that way," but can be a struggle to get out of the slush rut. As you try to angle through the stuff the car slides somewhat in the direction it was initially going. The worst-case is sliding into an on-coming car or one parked at the curb; the car could slide into the curb or just get stuck. Lotta details to keep in mind whilst driving here.

Wagon trains heading west faced ruts and individual wagoneers struggled, too, when they wanted, say, to go to St. Loius rather than stay on the Oregon Trail. (Oh sure, that's a "reach" to compare a 21st century city-driver with 19th century pioneers since our situations are only marginally similar, but we both bumped and jolted across ruts to get where we want to be.

They wanted to start new lives "out West," and I need to start a new job, being unemployed now since the end of November 2007. I have applied for work at a number of companies here, in Sioux Falls, Aberdeen, and outside South Dakota. Even with all of the rejections and shaken (not stirred) self-confidence, I know I'm only hosed if I stop slinging applications and "beating the bushes" by writing "food for thought, if not action" letters. I am an information researcher / writer to support customer service and /or business development. I'm never without "something to do" with this as my "work title."

At this point I am skilled in researching information and have a talent for organizing the results of my research into written ... abstracts? summaries? tracts? screeds? missives? monologues? blatherings? Yeah, something like that.

"That" is what I do well (think I do well) and enjoy doing. The Watertown Regional Library is the best place on the planet; every library is the best place on the planet. I've been a patron at King County Library, Salt Lake County Library, Tucson Public Library, Murray Library, and others. In them I can find an answer to nearly every question and a solution to nearly every question. (Religious strife, political logic, clean coal, effective schools, and other oxymorons are in the "nearly" categories.)

Don't let what you don't have prevent doing what you can do." Lou Holtz.

Always follow your passion. Rush Limbaugh.

Keep on chasing that dream; even though you're right behind it, you might not find it. The band they named a city after, Boston.

Farm energy production is blossoming

A business opportunity in farm energy production is something I can't pass by. I will move most of my time from blogging to developing a business plan; even so, I will post twice each week- fully remembering what my Grandma Moen used to warn: "The road to hell is paved with good intentions!"- to spur wind development and its subsequent rural development.

As you know, farm energy production is harnessing renewable energy sources such as wind, oil seeds, solar, biomass, geothermal, and microhydro to reduce energy consumption and sell excess energy in the forms of electricity and biofuels.

Farm energy production is fostered by federal legislation and regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other agencies such as IRS.

Here in South Dakota, which has the nation's fourth-best annual wind power potential of 1,030 billion kWh and marginal to good agricultural land, farm energy production is a superb fit into daily agricultural practices.
____________________________

In late May, former Senators Bob Dole (R-KS) and Tom Daschle (D-SD) released New Markets for American Agriculture, a report by the 21st Century Agriculture Project, sponsored by the Bipartisan Policy Center. The report highlights investing in biofuels and wind farms to provide farmers and ranchers with new and diversified sources of income.

"Today, America's farmers and ranchers are facing an array of new challenges. ... Amidst these many challenges, lay many opportunities...."

"A strong agricultural sector is a pillar of America’s growing economy,
• providing a secure domestic food supply
• helping to reduce our dependence on foreign oil
• generating renewable energy
• increasing exports and
• providing needed income to rural communities."
____________________________

"Representatives Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD), Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) and Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) introduced major new clean energy development legislation for the next Farm Bill. Their bipartisan bill expands the size and scope of the already-successful Farm Bill Section 9006 clean energy program into a new "Rural Energy for America Program," or REAP. HR 2154 IH cited as the 'Rural Energy for America Act of 2007.'" Source.
____________________________

Information research, analysis, and writing are put to work developing visible knowledge for farm energy.

In the same vein of making knowledge visible, "roadmaps" can be developed and marketed to
• streamline application
• reduce paperwork
• ensure feasibility and achievability and
• clarify who is as well as what technologies are eligible for different programs.

Visible knowledge informs and guides potential participants to ensure compliance and strengthen the likelihood of successful outcomes. Ag business and rural small business people have severe time constraints and may not have ready access to the broad scope of information and expertise they need to take part in farm energy projects. Visible knowledge tackles those two problems.
____________________________

On March 8, 2007 - Montana's senior U.S. Senator Max Baucus introduced Senate bill 828: To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to require the Secretary of Agriculture to make cost-share payments for on-farm energy production under the environmental quality incentives program.

Cited as the "On-farm Energy Production Act of 2007."

SEC. 2. Environmental Quality Incentives Program.

(a) Purposes- Amends Section 1240 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa).

SEC. 1240J. On-Farm Energy Production.

(a) In General- In carrying out the program under this chapter, the Secretary shall promote on-farm energy production by providing cost-share payments to producers that produce energy on the farms of the producers, including--

(1) solar energy;
(2) wind energy; and
(3) renewable fuel (as that term is defined in section 211(o) of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7545(o)).

On-farm energy production amendment to the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).
____________________________

On-Farm Energy Conservation and Renewable Energy is in the March-April 2005 issue of the ATTRAnews newsletter.

• Solar-Powered Livestock Watering Systems
• Reaping What We Sow: A Long-Range View of Farm-Based Renewable
• Energy
• Biodiesel—A Primer
• ATTRA and NCAT Publications about On-Farm Energy Conservation and Renewable Energy
• The Realities of Wind Energy
• Resources for On-Farm Energy Conservation and Renewable Energy
• How Leaks and Worn Sprinkler Nozzles Cost You Money and
• ATTRA New and Updated Publications.
____________________________

A 24-hour summary of wind and temperature at Watertown, South Dakota.

'Til next time; Best Wind.

ATTRA and Farm energy

ATTRA

• is part of the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service is managed by the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) and is funded under a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Business-Cooperative Service.

• provides information and other technical assistance to farmers, ranchers, Extension agents, educators, and others involved in sustainable agriculture in the United States.

• services are available to farmers, ranchers, market gardeners, Extension agents, researchers, educators, farm organizations, and others involved in commercial agriculture.

Its "Farm Energy" sidebar link goes to a page listing publications, success stories, and additional links regarding "Renewable Energy" categories, which are discussed in the "Introduction"

• Biodiesel
• Ethanol
• Wind Energy
• Solar Energy
• Anaerobic Digesters and Other Biomass Options
• Energy Co-ops and Local Ownership and
• Funding Opportunities.

This post focuses on the "Wind Energy" link. Future posts will cover more farm energy topics in greater detail.

Renewable Energy Opportunities on the Farm

• can be read online or as a PDF (20-page)

• is not a technical guide for designing or installing renewable energy systems

• is an overview that provides information on wind, solar, and renewable fuel technologies, cost and savings, site planning, and financial incentives

• introduces three renewable energy resources that can be attractive and economically feasible for the farm: solar, wind, and renewable fuels.

Renewable energy can prevent the release of pollutants into the atmosphere and contribute significantly to local economies, creating jobs and keeping energy dollars in the local economy.

__________________________________

Small wind turbines-
--Skystream 3.7, Southwest Windpower USA, MSRP: $5,400, residential wind generator that hooks up to your your home, Rated Power not provided, Peak Power 2400 W, Output/Month 400 kW @ 20 mph (9.5 m/s).

--Whisper 500, Southwest Windpower USA, The 3000-watt rated turbine will deliver in excess of 500 KWH per month in a 12 mph (5.2 m/s), Rated Power 3000 Watts, Peak Power 3200 W @ 27 mph (12 m/s), Output/Month 538 kW @ 12 mph (5.3 m/s).

--BWC Excel & Excel-R, Bergey USA, well suited for large rural homes, remote villages and facilities, Rated Power not provided, Peak Power 10 kW @ 31 mph (13,8 m/s), Output/Month 1500 kW (XLSheet) @ 12.5 mph (5.6 m/s).

--Wind Turbine Industries Corporation's 20Kw Jacobs® Wind Turbine, Rated Wind Speed (mph) 26 mph, in 16 mph wind may yield 60,665 kWh annually, Complete System with 120 ft. tower- $56,100.00, Grid Intertie System option.

--Fuhrländer FL 30, Power Output: 30 kW, specifications are in PDF.

--Energy Maintenance Service, LLC, Remanufactured E15 35kW or 65kW (approx. $2 per output watt purchase price), proven track records of reliable performance. Small/community wind turbine.

Community wind turbine-

--Distributed Energy Systems (previously known as Northern Power Systems) NorthWind 100 wind turbine NorthWind 100 Wind Turbine brochure/specification is a PDF.

--Fuhrländer's FL 250 has proven in inland and coastal location that wind turbines of the medium class continue to be of commercial use. Designed for a life of 25 years.

129 items found for wind turbine on eBay (24 June).

Buffer Zone for Wind Turbines, "Extreme" Enzymes, and more good wind

Cape Wind Flies in Under the Radar

Hyannis, Massachusetts; [RenewableEnergyAccess.com]; June 21, 2007

The most recent Department of Defense (DOD) report analyzing the effects of offshore wind turbines on early warning radar missile defense systems is good news for Massachusetts' highly publicized Cape Wind project, which is scheduled to come online in 2010.

Issued by the Missile Defense Agency, the nine-page report recommends a 25-kilometer (km) wind turbine offset or buffer zone be established to "mitigate impact" on the PAVE PAWS early warning radar system at the Cape Cod Air Force Station (AFS).

The Cape Wind project in Nantucket Sound, with its 130 GE 3.6-megawatt XL wind turbines in Nantucket Sound, falls just outside this zone. In addition, the analysis shows the wind turbines in Hull, Massachusetts, are also beyond the recommended buffer.

The analysis by the DOD, however, is the third such report to be issued in recent years that has found the Cape Wind project would not negatively impact or be a concern to the PAVE PAWS radar system.

For wind turbines that lie within the 25 km offset zone, the report notes that further study would be required to assess the impact accounting for location within the radar's field of view and the relative height of the wind turbine and the radar's main beam.

Biomass & Nature's "Extreme" Enzymes

Sandia National Laboratory researchers looking to biology in earth's extreme environments
to help solve lignocellulosic ethanol puzzle

Livermore, California [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] June 15, 2007

Buried beneath a sulfurous cauldron in European seas lies a class of microorganisms known as "extremophiles," so named because of the extreme environmental conditions in which they live and thrive.

Almost as radical, perhaps, is the idea that these organisms and their associated enzymes could somehow unlock the key to a new transportation economy based on a renewable biofuel, lignocellulosic {Fibrous/woody plant (like mesquite) based} ethanol.

However the primary hurdle preventing lignocellulosic ethanol ... its efficient and cost-effective processing. "Extremophiles'" enzymes may get over that hurdle.

Blake Simmons, a chemical engineer and project lead at Sandia's Livermore, California, site, says More than a billion tons of biomass is estimated to be created each year in the timber and agricultural industries, as well as a variety of grasses and potential energy crops."

"Though we're probably decades away from that...." "Because lignocellulosic biomass is such a multifaceted material, we need to have a fundamental understanding of how it works ." {Plant cellulose is strong and highly resistant to rotting and decay. One commenter on the original report pointed out "While there may be millions of tons of lignocellulosic biomass on U.S. soil, collecting and moving it to processing plants may use more energy than is available from lignocellulosic ethanol." Available energy remains a hotly contested quality of ethanol, too.}

Senate Passes Thune Wind Energy Amendment

Washington, DC [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] June 21, 2007

The United States Senate passed U.S. Senator John Thune's energy transmission amendment to the energy bill, which would promote the development of energy transmission infrastructure, on June 19.

"This legislation is critical to promoting the development of wind energy in South Dakota and around the country. As the windiest state in the nation, {whoa, there, Senator! We are ranked fourth-best, according to the American Wind Energy Assoc.} South Dakota will greatly benefit from these provisions {as will the other 19 windy states on AWEA's Wind Energy: An Untapped Resource}.

Thune's amendment, #1609, would promote the creation of energy corridors that would facilitate the transference of wind energy generated in South Dakota to high-demand areas.

"We have the wind energy in South Dakota that the major power consumers in our nation need. The missing link is transmission infrastructure to deliver this power," Thune said.

Yesterday, the Senate Finance Committee voted in favor of energy tax credits, including the Production Tax Credit advanced by Senator Thune, which creates incentives for the development of wind energy. "Today's victories should be celebrated by everyone who wants to promote wind energy in South Dakota," Thune said.

The following guide will have information SDans can put to work in their farm and business energy projects as well as their home energy efficiency efforts.

Guide for Homeowners Considering Renewable Energy

Albany, New York [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] June 22, 2007

Citizens' Environmental Coalition has just completed a 100-page resource guide, The World at Home: A Household Guide to Building Green, by Laura McCarthy, which includes information for homeowners, renters, students and contractors looking for green building materials and strategies.

The guide describes problems with conventional building materials; toxic problems in existing homes and then covers greener possibilities and products for all the building steps from the foundation upward. It includes links to all its resources at the end of each section.
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A handful of low-yield South Dakota wind-

• 5 PM Jun 22, SSW at 7 mph
• 2 PM Jun 22, SSW at 8 mph
• 6 AM Jun 22, SE at 5 mph mist
• Midnight (4) Jun 22, E at 6 mph
• 6 PM Jun 21, ESE at 10 mph.

Do contact me if you want to buy any of this blog's content or would like to have other specific wind power-related content uncovered.

'Til next time. Best Wind.

Wind power is one piece of a farm's energy business

It has been proposed in the 2007 "Farm Bill" that the Secretary of USDA make competitive grants to eligible entities to provide rebates for

• farmers

• ranchers

• rural school districts and

• rural small businesses

to purchase renewable energy systems and make energy efficiency improvements. The final draft may include agricultural operations in non-rural areas (such as greenhouses) and schools.


for a range of modern renewable energy technologies like

• biofuels (which includes cellulosic ethanol)

• wind

• solar

• biomass

• biogas and

• energy efficiency.

Amidst these many challenges, lay many opportunities for determining the type of energy production that best fits your operation or situation (such as a community, school, or business).

As Congress produces the final draft of the 2007 "Farm Bill," it may eliminate the direct payment program and redirect funds into this program ... promoting new income-generating opportunities for farmers {and others} in markets such as biofuels, renewable electricity, carbon sequestration, and conservation.
____________________________

Other legislation pending in Congress deal specifically with wind power

The following links to blurbs about each proposal were at

• Contact your Governor, Senators andRepresentatives to urge them to support a national and/or state Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS). They "get the word" only when you as an individual send email, call or write them. Actions speak loudly. One definition of RPS.

• Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS) - Urge your Representative to cosponsor H.R. 969, a bill to create a national RPS

• Extend the Production Tax Credit (PTC) - Urge your Representative to cosponsor H.R.197

• Extend the Production Tax Credit (PTC) - Urge your Senators to extend the PTC

• Small Wind Investment Tax Credit - Urge your Senators to cosponsor S. 673 to create an investment tax credit for small wind systems and

• Small Wind Tax Credit - Tell your Representative cosponsor H.R. 1772, a bill to create an investment tax credit for small wind systems.
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The following 5-hour block was the only productive wind in 24 hours. Ouch.

• Noon Jun 20, SSW at 16 mph
• 11 AM Jun 20, SSW at 17 mph
• 10 AM Jun 20, SSW at 17 mph
• 9 AM Jun 20, SSW at 20 mph
• 8 AM Jun 20, SSW at 14 mph.

Do contact me if you want to buy any of this blog's content or would like to have other specific wind power-related content uncovered.

'Til next time. Best Wind.

A Piece of Work, Part I

You know when something is going to be lengthy or "soapboxish" when Roman numerals are used in a title. With that warning, off we go.

A recent wave of large wind turbine orders and project announcements spanning four states suggests that wind power will continue growing strong at least through 2007. That domestic demand for large wind turbines (LWTs) has created a two- to three-year backlog at the manufacturers of LWTs as new wind farms also sprout up throughout America.

Coteau Wind & Power is being developed to meet a dometstic demand for a large wind turbine it the 750 - 900 kW range that is expected to continue and actually accelerate. Price increases of crude oil, natural gas, and coal, and the spectre of nuclear power plants make wind a very appealing alternative power source for electricity generation.

In a 1999 study conducted by the World Energy Council (WEC) projected worldwide wind capacity of 13 gigawatts (GW) by 2000 (actual installed capacity was 13.6 GW by the end of 1999), increasing to 72 GW by 2010 and 180 GW by 2020.

• (1 gigawatt = 1,000 megawatts = 1,000,000 kilowatts; if you're paying 7 cents per kWh, 1 GWh = $70,000,000. "There's money in them thar breezes!")

Coteau Wind & Power will use these numbers as goals in order to be "in the right place at the right time" to profit from the surge in growth in wind turbine installations with a goal of manufacturing and delivering 4,040 turbines by 2020 in the Great and Upper Great Plains.

A faster pace of wind development comes at a crucial time for electricity producers; crude oil peaked at $78.00 per barrel in mid- July, 2006, as did the price of natural gas (NG) ( in dollars per million cubic feet). A main derivative of NG, agricultural nitrogen,
also shot up in price.

By June 2007, the price of crude oil had declined to $68.00 per barrel and Big Oil company executives commented that with the increased production of biofuels, there is much less urgency to expand crude oil refining capacity.

{Americans should expect higher food costs as more food grains are converted into ethanol rather than put in grocery stores as well as higher gasoline and other petrochemical product prices because of "less urgency to expand capacity."}

Even the highest-use fossil fuel for generating electricity- coal- indirectly became more expensive due to pollution-reduction equipment regulations, special-interest groups' objections, and train coal-car derailments.

Nor is hydro-electric power immune from price increases. For decades "hydro" has been a mainstay for rural electricifcation, providing thousands of megawatthours of inexpensive power from major U.S. rivers like the Missouri in the Upper Great Plains.

Extended drought or near-drought conditions in the watersheds of their rivers, compounded by higher average water consumption for water parks, lawns, U.S. Open greens watering, wild-fire fighting, and agricultural irrigation, will result in record-low water levels and subsequent decreased electricity production by water turbines in the rivers' dams. When supply decreases, spot-market electricity purchases lead to consumer rate increases.

Coteau Wind & Power will manufacture wind turbines that efficiently harvest electricity from wind power, a renewable resource that will never "dry up," can't be doled out by foreign governments, and doesn't poison the evironment with mercury, cadmium, and sulfuric acid.

Unlike the traditional fuels of electricity-generating plants, wind turbines are not constrained by

• global geopolitics
• an inability to safely dispose of nuclear or petroleum wastes
• heightened concerns about environmental damage
• almost complete concentration of generation capability in single sites
• labor and transportation disruptions
• increasingly limited water supplies and
• increasing "Not In My Back Yard" resistance stemming from concerns regarding

• land consumption
• aesthetics
• air, noise, traffic pollution and
• materials and time costs

in the construction of new traditional power plants.
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A handful of South Dakota wind-

• 8 PM Jun 18, W at 25 mph
• 5 PM Jun 18, W at 29 mph
• 10 AM Jun 18, WNW at 14 mph
• 3 AM Jun 18, SE at 6 mph
• 9 PM Jun 17, SSW at 22 mph.

Do contact me if you want to buy any of this blog's content or would like to have other specific wind power-related content uncovered.

'Til next time. Best Wind.

Economic Development Impacts of Wind Power

Assessing the Economic Development Impacts of Wind Power, FINAL REPORT; Prepared for National Wind Coordinating Committee; February 12, 2003; an 81-page PDF.

page ES-1

Introduction
Interest in wind power development as a means of expanding local economies is growing. It holds promise for providing a new source of short-term employment during construction of the facility and long-term employment from operating and maintaining the facility. It may add to the supply of electric power in the area and support some expansion of the local economy through the ripple effect of initial increases in jobs and income.

Despite a growing body of information about the local impacts — both positive and negative — of wind power, the economic impacts of existing wind power developments have not been analyzed in a consistent manner. This study uses three case studies {this abstract focuses on the Lake Benton study} to estimate the effects of wind power development on local economies. Both the effects of the construction and the annual operation and maintenance were studied.

Objectives
While there is a growing body of information about the local impacts of wind power, the economic impacts from existing wind power developments have not yet been documented and analyzed thoroughly and consistently.

The primary objective of this study is to provide examples of thorough and consistent analysis and documentation of economic impacts from wind power development.

page ES-2

Case Studies
The three case study areas are Lincoln County, Minnesota; Morrow and Umatilla counties, Oregon; and Culberson County, Texas. In Lincoln County, the project studied was Lake Benton I, placed in operation in 1998 with 107 MW.

To understand how an economy is affected by some external change, we develop a snapshot of the economy at a particular point in time. This snapshot shows us that some parts or “sectors” in the economy are linked to each other.

The extent to which exports {products sold outside the local area} are able to expand the local economy is greatly dependent on how much of the money received remains in the local economy. As money is received for exports, the local supplier then spends that money.

The household sector is linked to all economic sectors as it provides the labor and management needed by all sectors. Changes that affect the incomes of the household sector typically have significant impacts on a local economy compared to a change in the sales of other sectors.

page ES-3

Lake Benton I is the second wind power development in Lincoln County, the first being Buffalo Ridge (25 MW), just southeast of the town of Lake Benton. Lake Benton I consists of an array of 143 Zond 750 kW turbines located in several northwesterly strings from Lake Benton. Enron Wind {now GE Wind} brought the facility into production in August 1998, and the power is sold to Xcel Energy.

This study found that a total of about eight jobs and over $98,000 in personal income in the Lincoln County economy were supported by the construction phase of the project. While this study focused on Lincoln County impacts, additional jobs were also supported in neighboring counties. A total of about 31 jobs and over $909 thousand in personal income in the Lincoln County economy are supported annually by the operation and maintenance phase of the project.

The Lake Benton I wind power development resulted in the payment of $71,800 in total county property taxes in 1999, $611,200 in 2000, and $621,000 in 2001. Assuming that the project caused zero or only minor increases in government and school budgets, these tax payments have decreased the tax burden of other local taxpayers, as they pay less taxes than they otherwise would. This has a direct effect on household income, which is equal to the taxes paid by the project owner.

The Lake Benton I wind development includes lands that have been leased, as well as permanent easement purchases. Landowners receive a total net (after-tax) annual revenue of $501,125, which is a direct effect on household income.

page ES-5

Summary and Conclusions
Tables ES-1, ES-2 and ES-3 summarize the impacts of wind power development on

• employment
• income and
• taxes

for the three case study areas, during the initial construction phase, and the operation and maintenance phase.

Based upon our analysis of the three case study areas, we can draw the following conclusions about the economic impacts of wind power development in local areas

• in each of the case study areas, wind power development provided a modest to moderate source of new economic activity and new family wage jobs

• the leasing of land has an important economic effect on local areas, provided the income from leasing goes to local residents and adds to local household incomes

page ES-6

• tax effects, particularly property taxes that support local entities, were important in all cases

• the counties represented in the case studies had comparatively few economic sectors

• a major difference among the case study areas was the current rate of economic expansion.

--While wind power development was important to the economies of all case study areas, it was relatively more important to the counties in decline and


• the return on capital could be an important component of local annual income.

--In the three case studies, little or none of this income was received by local residents. Local ownership, where feasible, would retain more of this income in the local area and increase the size of the impact. No data was collected on sources of capital for this study, but little apparently came from the local area.

In recent years, there has been considerable interest in a value-added approach {mentioned at the 13 June post} to economic development in rural areas. This generally involves adding additional processing to an existing output or resource, which results in a more valuable product being exported from the area. Wind power development fits this approach by adding value to an existing resource. In this way, it can be a valuable means for adding to the economy.

page 3 - 4

Economic Links in Rural Economies
The more money spent within the local economy, the larger the local impact from the initial money received for the export. This round by round pattern of spending associated with export production is called the multiplier effect.

page 5

Identifying Construction Needs
To measure the effect that the construction of a wind power project has on a local economy, we need to identify the mix of things (inputs) that are necessary to construct a wind power project, and we need to do so in a way that allows us to relate this information to the picture we have of the economy.

page 6

Identifying Operation and Maintenance {O&M} Needs
A similar procedure is followed to estimate the effect of annual operation and maintenance activities on the local economy.

page 8

Local Interest in Wind Power Development
Residents and administrators of rural counties are generally supportive of new businesses locating in their county that will provide family wage jobs locally.

Landowner Revenues
Wind power developments can be a source of supplemental revenue for landowners in rural areas.

page 9

Job Creation
We are interested in the creation of new jobs because new jobs increase business and household income, which in turn creates more jobs which further increase business and household income, and so on. {"Direct" jobs are in the manufacturing, prospecting, planning, assessing, documenting, transporting, construction, installation, operation and maintenance work, where "hands-on" is routine. "Indirect" jobs are those in housing, retailing, hospitality, schools, barbershops and salons, banking/finance, suppliers, vendors, and all others that make "hands-on" possible.

Tax Effects
Taxes are a redistribution of benefits from wind power production to the federal, state, and local government jurisdictions in which the wind power production and sales occur.

pages 12 - 32
Economic Setting for Case Studies and Economic Effects on Case Study Economies
Lake Benton I (1998, 107 MW): The Economy of Lincoln County, Minnesota is promoted by the local tourism groups both as the “Little Europe” of Minnesota, and the “Windpower Capital of the United States.” The county is located in southwest Minnesota, bordered on the west by South Dakota. {Minnesota is ranked 9th in the nation for annual wind power potential; South Dakota is ranked 4th. Minnesota's "wind-friendly legislation and taxation spur its wind industry to outpace South Dakota's by a huge margin, 895 MW to 44 MW.}

In addition, a number of tables and charts are provided in these pages.
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A boring South Dakota day, mustering only four hours of "fair" (NREL) wind-

• 8 PM Jun 14, S at 15 mph
• 6 PM Jun 14, SSW at 16 mph
• 5 PM (21) Jun 14, S at 16 mph
• 4 PM Jun 14, SSW at 16 mph
• 10 PM Jun 13, Calm.

Do contact me if you want to buy any of this blog's content or would like to have other specific wind power-related content uncovered.

'Til next time. Best Wind.

Wind power and wind energy definitions #3

Before getting to the definitions, a proposed change in the 2007 "Farm Bill" and farm energy has to be mentioned so producers can think about their businesses.

In late May, the former Senators Bob Dole (R-KS) and Tom Daschle (D-SD) released "New Markets for American Agriculture", a report by the 21st Century Agriculture Project, sponsored by the Bipartisan Policy Center. The report highlights investing in biofuels and wind farms to provide farmers and ranchers with new and diversified sources of income. One mentioned changein farm energy projects was "... streamline the application process for smaller, standardized projects by reducing paperwork."

HR 2154 IH is cited as the "Rural Energy for America Act of 2007" as the amendment of Section 9006 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8106)
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Green credits/tags- These are but two of the units that are traded by wind farmers to organizations that want to reduce their pollution impact or that want to promote wind power development. Related term- green revenues.

Hub height- the height (40 - 320 feet and higher) at which the turbine rotor hub turns in the wind.

Interconnection- an electrical connection between one or more wind turbines and the power utility company's transmission line. If a wind turbine is built before an interconnection has been granted to the turbine operator, interconnection is not guaranteed. This predicament would be a "show stopper."

Each utility has its own requirements for an interconnection to prevent damaging the ability of the overall grid to distribute electricity. (Everything is connected to everything else.)

Large wind turbine- a wind turbine that typically generates 500 kW to 2 MW or more. Newspaper and television reports often focus on these turbines in corporate wind farming, but individual installations are also at school districts, colleges, and communities as well as off-shore. Examples are here.

Levelized- the present value of the total cost of building and operating a generating plant over its economic life, converted to equal annual payments. Costs are levelized in real dollars (i.e., adjusted to remove the impact of inflation).

Magnitudes of watt include-

• one watt, the amount of electric current in one ampere acting across a potential difference of one volt. Picture a 4W nightlight- not much ooomph.

• kilowatt (kW), 1,000 watts, the typical unit of measuring electrical power. One kW = 1.34 hp. A South Dakota home may use about 780 kWh per month.

• megawatt (MW), the increasingly common power output of large wind turbines. 1 MW = 1,000 kW = 1,340 hp.

Met tower- A "met tower" is a meteorological tower that collects wind speed and direction data at a number of heights on the tower. These towers are lightweight, guy-wire supported and have simple base plate and anchors for simplified erection. (One type is not guy-wired.) They are temporary structures that do not need a foundation. You may want to conduct a soil analysis to determine the soundness of the area in supporting a met tower and the associated guy wires.

The taller the meteorological tower, the better. Towers may be between 40 and 50 meters (132 and 165 feet) tall. Data is collected for up to 12 months and analyzed to give the site owners

• some sense of where the prevailing winds are
• what the diurnal wind speeds are and
• what the winter, summer and annual speeds are.

Since wind speeds vary from location to location, many lenders and investors tend to be skeptical of the general wind resource maps for site specific data verification. It is important to gather wind data from the location where a wind turbine will be sited.

Micro turbine- a wind turbine that typically generates less than 2 kW. The turbine is considered to be "silent," and can be attached to a home or work building {though this is not usually done}. An example is here.

Mid-size wind turbine- a wind turbine that typically generates from 10 - 500 kW. This power rating is often installed for community and ag operations wind power. An example is here.

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A handful of South Dakota wind (though not much yield)-

• 7 PM Jun 13, SSE at 10 mph light rain
• 4 PM Jun 13, S at 12 mph light rain
• 11 AM Jun 13, SSE at 10 mph light rain; mist
• 3 AM Jun 13, Calm
• 8 PM Jun 12, S at 18 mph.

Do contact me if you want to buy any of this blog's content or would like to have other specific wind power-related content uncovered.

'Til next time. Best Wind.

One example of a wind energy manual

All of the answers to questions about wind farming and all of the solutions to its problems can be made visible at your local library. Quality answers and solutions demand making time to look at and analyze information; only afterwards can knowledge come to mind.

The Wind Energy Manual was written by the Iowa Energy Center; its Table of Contents is linked to the Manual's 89 pages. This online manual is a publication of the Iowa Energy Center, © 2006.

The Wind Energy Manual was funded and compiled by the Iowa Energy Center. A portion of the contents were prepared by Bruce H. Bailey, AWS Truewind, LLC.

The Table of Contents is linked to various sections, such as

Wind Energy Overview
"Wind energy has become one of today's lower cost renewable energy technologies. Wind turbines are becoming a more common sight in Iowa, with a number of turbines and large wind farms in the northeast part of the state."

History of Wind Energy
"The first true windmill, a machine with vanes attached to an axis to produce circular motion, may have been built as early as 2000 B.C. in ancient Babylon. By the 10th century A.D., windmills with wind-catching surfaces as long as 16 feet and as high as 30 feet were grinding grain in the area now known as eastern Iran and Afghanistan. The western world discovered the windmill much later."

{At one time, wind turbines were "rocket science."}

Technology Overview
"This section defines some of the terms used to describe wind energy systems."

{Another thorough description is Wind Energy Technologies. How wind energy works and what to consider if you want to use wind power at home.}

{A third discussion is Wind Energy for Rural Economic Development, a 32-page presentation by NREL.}

Legal Issues
"Utility Interconnections {vary by state}, Zoning Ordinances, Building Codes and Land Use {vary by county and state}, and Liability and Insurance."

{Another thorough description is The Law of Wind.}

Appendix A has Conversion Tables for working meters per second (mps, m/s) as miles per hour (mph). {M/s is the typical unit used in the wind industry}.

A good online web calculator is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Meteorological Calculators {the Feds do these kinds of numbers right}. Scroll down to "Wind Speed Conversion" and put in the value {e.g. 15}, select the units of that value {e.g. m/s}, and click on the "Convert" button. On the right side is mph {33.55} and other units.

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Similar knowledge can be made visible for all "Ten Steps to Wind Farming," at the top right of this blog. "Food for action," yes?

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A handful of South Dakota wind-

7 PM Jun 11, S at 23 mph
3 PM Jun 11, S at 22 mph
Noon Jun 11, S 17 mph
5 AM Jun 11, SSE at 15 mph
11 PM Jun 10, ESE at 7 mph.

Do contact me if you want to buy any of this blog's content or would like to have other specific wind power-related content uncovered.

'Til next time. Best Wind.

Installing a wind turbine

All of these sites have photos and text that show and describe aspects of installing a wind turbine.

Seven photos about erecting a large wind turbine from the Danes' wind power site for kids.

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A wind turbine powers the Univeristy of Minnesota/Morris campus; the project is a key component of the campus' renewable-energy initiative. The 367-foot turbine towers above the plain at the Renewable Energy Research and Demonstration Center, part of the University's West Central Research and Outreach Center (WCROC) in Morris, Minnesota. The turbine, a Vestas 1.65 MW machine, supplies half the electricity for the campus and its 2,000 students.

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Home/office renewable energy, A case study- Small Wind turbine installation.

We live in Eastern Ontario, which doesn't have a great wind resource. After looking a long time for a suitable unit we bought an African Wind Power 3.6, so called because its blade span is 3.6 metres, or just under twelve feet.

September 2004
Pouring concrete for the footings. This is the central tower footing. Eight yards of concrete went into the five holes.

Late October
At right is the tower all rigged and ready to raise. No one involved had any real experience with serious towers like this, so it was a major learning process for everyone.

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Installing a Scirocco at the Woodstock Farm Show

Solacity was invited by Green Breeze Inc. to share their stand at the 2006 Woodstock Farm Show. Farmers in Ontario are putting up wind turbines in large numbers these days. Photos on this page show details of the turbine. A comparison matrix can be read at this link.

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"5 Things To Keep In Mind When Installing A Wind Turbine" uses as its point of reference the 143-turbine Melancthon Wind Project from Canadian Hydro Developers Inc.

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Wind turbines can be installed in a variety of ways and at a variety of scales. A single turbine is relatively straightforward to install on a site, requiring basic mounting structures to support it. The requirements for selecting an appropriate site and determining how much electricity a turbine can generate can be more complex.

Because the wind does not blow constantly, the actual power output of a turbine is generally much lower (generally 25 to 40%) of its rated capacity. A 1 MW turbine with a 30% capacity factor would have an average output of 0.3 MW.

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Frequently Asked Questions Associated with Interconnecting Distributed Generation, Specifically Wind Energy; Four-page PDF; March 2007; Sioux Valley Energy (A Touch Stone Energy Cooperative).

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For something completely different and to determine how many wind turbines you need, first calculate....

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A handful of South Dakota wind-

7 PM Jun 11, S at 23 mph
3 PM Jun 11, S at 22 mph
Noon Jun 11, S 17 mph
5 AM Jun 11, SSE at 15 mph
11 PM Jun 10, ESE at 7 mph

Do contact me if you want to buy any of this blog's content or would like to have other specific wind power-related content uncovered.

'Til next time. Best Wind.

South Dakota Wind Power and Electricity Prices- Part 2

Continuing with Net Metering in Why Are Electricity Prices Increasing? An Industry-Wide Perspective, which was mentioned at the end of the 8 June, Thursday post:

Net metering is a policy that many states already have implemented to encourage the use of small renewable energy systems. Approximately 40 states have adopted some form of net metering law for small wind and/or photovoltaic technologies; the customer receives a credit for excess power sold to the utility.

Under most state rules, all retail customers are eligible for net metering; however, some states restrict eligibility to particular customer classes {such as farm subsidies}. Customer participation in net metering programs has grown significantly.

In 2004, a total of 15,286 customers were in net metering programs—a 132-percent increase from 2003. Residential customers accounted for 89 percent of all customers participating in such programs.

{With the fourth-best wind power in the nation at 1,030 kWh per year, nearly every South Dakotan who installs a small or community wind turbine would be eligible for net metering. Diversifying income in this manner occurs any time the wind is blowing faster than 14 mph (probably five days out of seven in SD, yes?)}

The use of net metering with current metering technology is problematic, however, because standard meters cannot account for the difference

• between high-cost peak and low-cost off-peak electricity or
• in wholesale and retail electricity costs.

For example, a conventional meter only can record that over a given month an onsite generator sold a net of 100 kWh to the local utility, but will have no record of when the 100 kWh was sold. Sales at 4 p.m. on a hot summer weekday will have a much higher value than sales at 3 a.m. on a Saturday morning.

In order for electric utilities to remain financially viable in the current era of increased operating costs and continued need to invest in infrastructure development and expansion, rates must increase.

Indeed,electricity prices in many regions already have increased and further increases will be necessary in many cases. For example, between January 2005 and January 2006, U.S. electricity prices increased by an average of 11.6 percent, which predominantly reflected increased fuel and purchased power expenses.

These increases affected all customer classes

• residential prices rose by 12.5 percent
• commercial prices rose by 10.5 percent and
• industrial prices rose by 12.6 percent.

Table 9-1 provides a comparison of retail electricity prices over time, as well as similar measures for other key consumer price indices. The 2000 to 2005 picture, however, shows electricity prices growing at a slightly greater rate than that of all items in the CPI. However, even in this period, other energy prices are growing much more rapidly than electricity prices.

Retail prices have become more complex and varied in the past decade. This is a result of

• regional and state differences in rate regulation
• wholesale market organization
• generation mix and
• the individual characteristics of utilities themselves, such as their reliance on owned generation or purchased power to serve load.

It is clear that the fundamental cost driver of increased fuel prices ultimately will increase electricity prices across the country andcharacter of the price increases will have a substantial impact on the ability of utilities to pursue needed investment priorities.

By 2003, average household electricity consumption increased 21 percent, from 1.07 kilowatt (kW) per hour to 1.30 kW per hour. In 2030, average household consumption is expected to increase by more than 11 percent, to 1.45 kW per hour. Greater demand for electric power, however, does not translate directly into higher household expenditures.

Pie charts on p101 - 102, show inter-relationships of these figures.

"Impacts of Price Increases on Electricity Demand Growth Forecasts," is Appendix B.

Figure B-1 shows key inputs and outputs for Energy Information Administration's (EIA) most recent long-term forecast. EIA projects significant declines in the real price of electricity, with a
flattening in later years. This steady-to-declining trend in real electricity prices in 2006 and beyond closely tracks historical trends, and accordingly, demand follows a steady upward trajectory.

In the context of EIA’s modeling framework, the fall in prices is likely due to several factors.

• first and most important, both the rise and fall in electricity prices correspond closely with projected fuel costs.

• second, generating capacity additions underlying EIA's forecast are not dramatic in the near term, as EIA projects about 50 GW of additions over the period through 2014, well below NERC’s forecast of 86 GW.

Thus, the rate base for generation is not growing at a significant pace in the near term under EIA's projections.

While {the authors} have no reason to doubt the internal consistency {even with the contradicting comment a few paragraphs previous to this one?} of EIA's projections and the underlying data, this will impact the projection of demand growth. In EIA's projection assumptions fuel prices (notably natural gas) drop rapidly in price from a 2005 high, bringing
electricity prices down with them.

{What justification does EIA have for expecting fuel prices to decrease?! Peace in the Middle East? "Big Oil" rebates because of its massive profitability? Ease of developing Russian oil fields? What?}

In particular, real prices are assumed to increase 10 percent between 2005 and 2006, and then no change in real price is forecasted through 2014.

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A handful of South Dakota wind-

• 6 PM Jun 08, WSW at 21 mph

• 3 PM Jun 08, W at 16 mph

• 9 AM Jun 08, W at 7 mph

• 4 AM Jun 08, WNW at 15 mph

• 9 PM Jun 07, NNW at 25 mph.

Do contact me if you want to buy any of this blog's content or would like to have other specific wind power-related content uncovered.

'Til next time. Best Wind.

South Dakota Wind Power and Electricity Prices- Part 1

Why Are Electricity Prices Increasing? An Industry-Wide Perspective. JUNE 2006; a report from the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) and the "numbers crunching" by the Department of Energy Energy Information Agency (EIA) are the foundation for exporting South Dakota's wind power.

When South Dakotans harvest the nation's fourth-best wind power (1,030 billion kWh each year) using small, community, and large wind turbines, we can increase generating capacity additions. This satisfies, in the context of EIA’s modeling framework, one aspect of changes in electricity prices we can influence. EIA identified a fall in prices likely due to

First and most important, both the rise and fall in electricity prices correspond closely with projected fuel costs.

Second, generating capacity additions underlying EIA's forecast are not dramatic in the near term, as EIA projects about 50 GW of additions over the period through 2014, well below NERC’s forecast of 86 GW. Thus, therate base for generation is not growing at a significant pace in the near term under EIA's projections.

Price volatility is expected in commodity markets and electricity markets are particularly volatile because, unlike most other commodities, electricitycannot be stored and its short-run demand is highly price inelastic.

This makes electricity prices particularly sensitive to sudden changes in market conditions, such as the loss of a large generating plant or largetransmission line, or large shocks in input costs.

The primary advantages of renewables are low, stable operating costs and the environmental benefits of little or no air and water emissions. However, renewable technologies generally are more costly to build (on an installed $/kW basis), although construction times for wind and solar are typically shorter than for fossil-based generation capacity.

While some biomass and geothermal operate as baseload capacity {constant minimum available power}, wind and solar have lower capacity factors {rated power output} and their power output is intermittent because they are based on variable resources. Renewable resources also vary quite substantially in their geographic distribution.

Wind capacity has been growing at about 20 percent per year recently, which has largely been a result of renewable requirements established at the state level and the periodic renewal of the production tax credit allowed for renewables, there also has been increased demand from customers of “green” electricity at a premium rate offered by utilities.

The need for additional utility generation and transmission will be mitigated to some extent by increased development of small, onsite customer generation. Such generation is typically known as distributed generation (DG). Examples of DG include microturbines, biomass-based generators, small wind turbines, solar thermal electric devices, and backup generators at office buildings, industries, and hospitals.

In contrast to large, central-station power plants, distributed power systems typically range from less than a kilowatt to tens of megawatts in size. Energy Information Administration (EIA) projects that 5.5 GW of DG, or slightly less than two percent of all new generating capacity, will be installed over the next 25 years. {On-site small, community, and large wind turbines}

In addition to reducing the need for generation investment, optimally sited DG can reduce the need for transmission and distribution investment while resolving some system constraints and reducing line losses.

Section 1251 of EPAct 2005 encourages the development of small, onsite generation by requiring states to consider if utilities should make net metering services available upon request to any customer.

EPAct 2005 Amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA) to require each electric utility to make available upon request net metering and time-based (smart) metering service, including credits for consumers with large loads who enter into pre-established peak load reduction agreements that reduce a utility's planned capacity obligations.

(Sec. 1253) Declares that no electric utility shall be required to enter into a new contract or obligation to purchase electric energy from a qualifying cogeneration facility or a qualifying small power production facility (qualifying facility) if FERC finds that the qualifying facility has nondiscriminatory access to certain specified relationships.

(Sec. 1254) Requires each electric utility to make available, upon customer request, interconnection service to any electric consumer it serves (under which an onsite generating facility on the consumer's premises is connected to local distribution facilities).

Concludes with Part 2 on Friday.

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A handful of South Dakota wind-

7 PM Jun 07, NNW at 28 mph, light rain

2 PM Jun 07, SW at 28 mph, thunder in the vicinity

9 AM Jun 07, WSW at 9 mph

3 AM Jun 07, SW at 30 mph

8 PM Jun 06, S at 25 mph.

Do contact me if you want to buy any of this blog's content or would like to have other specific wind power-related content uncovered.

'Til next time. Best Wind.

Seeing Wind Power

At the Texas Tech Book Pages is a book review of Windmill Tales, edited by Coy F. Harris, with photographs by Wyman Meinzer, and an Introduction by Steve Halladay.

"On the prairies of North America, wind and water were pervasive, but whereas wind was tangible, water in quantity was hidden beneath the surface. The vast grasslands fed great herds of animals, which in turn sustained native Americans, but it was not until water could be brought to the surface that the plains could be cultivated and developed into a great agricultural bread-basket for the growing nation. The self-governing windmill forever changed the culture of this vast region."

"The only sound that day was from the windmill, a creaking sound that a windmill makes turning in the summer breeze. It is a memory I deeply cherish and why I love windmills so much."

--A visitor to the American Wind Power Center.

"In Windmill Tales, in ninety-nine beautiful full-color images, photographer Wyman Meinzer shows American windmills as they appear today. Many of them are still working, and others have fallen or are preserved at the American Wind Power Center, but all illustrate the way of life that was made possible by the windmill."

"Brief reminiscences and stories told by visitors to the American Wind Power Center give the reader a sense of the central importance of windmills in the lives of early pioneers in the West. Some of the stories reflect the sense of humor ranch and farm families developed to help them through hard times, whereas others hint at disappointment and tragedy. Together with the photographs they give us a fascinating insight into our history."

"The agricultural development of the plains is the story of the ingenuity, hardship, success, and sometimes failure of settlers as they applied a new technology in an environment with which they were barely familiar. The stories of these settlers and of their children and grandchildren often focus on the windmill, for this source of life-sustaining water often became the center of ranch and farm life.

A second windmill museum, the Mid-Americal Windmill Museum is here.
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Using the Beaufort Wind Scale- described later- you can roughly estimate the number of watts your wind turbine could harvest by seeing what effects wind has on trees, flags, and "trash-moving."

"The Beaufort scale is an empirical measure for describing wind intensity based mainly on observed sea conditions. Its full name is the Beaufort wind force scale. Beaufort origianlly used knots and open seas descriptions; the scale has been adapted for use on land as well."

4 on the scale is 13 - 18 mph. Dust and loose paper raised. Small branches begin to move and wind farming begins to make economic sense. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) energy density classes 3/4/5 are in this Beaufort number.

Wind power density is measured in watts per square meter. It indicates how much energy is available at the site for conversion by a wind turbine. A not-too-technical description of energy density classes is here.

5 on the scale is 19 - 24 mph. Smaller trees sway. NREL energy density classes 5/6/7.

6 on the scale is 25 - 31 mph. Large branches in motion. Whistling heard in overhead wires. Umbrella use becomes difficult. NREL energy density classes 6/7.

7 on the scale is 32 - 38 mph. Whole trees in motion. Effort needed to walk against the wind. Exceeds NREL energy density class maximum 7.

8 on the scale is 39 - 46 mph. Twigs broken from trees. Cars veer on road. Exceeds NREL energy density class maximum 7.

9 on the scale is 47 - 54 mph. Light structure damage. "Shingle-stripping" wind. Exceeds NREL energy density class maximum 7.

10 on the scale is 55 - 63 mph. Trees uprooted. Considerable structural damage. Most turbines "cut-out at these speeds to prevent damaging the generator and geartrain. Exceeds NREL energy density class maximum 7.

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A handful of South Dakota wind-

7 PM Jun 06, S at 24 mph

11 AM Jun 06, SSE at 29 mph

6 AM Jun 06, S at 21 mph light rain

5 AM Jun 06, SSE at 12 mph

8 PM Jun 05, S at 5 mph.

Do contact me if you want to buy any of this blog's content or would like to have other specific wind power-related content uncovered.

'Til next time. Best Wind.

Rural Electric Co-ops and Wind Power

The Realities of Consumer-Owned Wind Power For Rural Electric Co-operatives, a 16-page Power Point PDF, was presented originally as Power Point slides by

Steve Lindenberg, U.S. Department of Energy; and Jim Green, National Renewable Energy Laboratory; WINDPOWER 2006; Pittsburgh, on June 4-8, 2006.

P3
The Market for Small Wind Turbines is in Rural America
• Better access to good wind resources
• Zoning is less often a barrier
• Larger parcels provide adequate space for wind turbine installations
• Most of rural America receives electric service from rural electric cooperatives

P8
Net Metering for Wind Only 22 states have net metering for all rural customers [map]

P9
Wind Interconnection Dispute in Iowa
FERC ruling in February 2006 backed away from the net metering enforcement action of June 2005. Provisions of EPAct 2005 are changing the scene; outcome is uncertain for net metering

p10
Understanding the Co-ops

p13
Times Are Changing
• Member preferences turning to renewable energy
• Price of electricity is going up
• Opportunity for rural economic development–Wind is an untapped resource
• Wind power is a hedge for an uncertain future with respect to:
Price of coal; Price of natural gas; Carbon taxes; [Congressional mis-steps one and two].

P 15
Conclusions

p 16
Carpe Ventum
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Carpe Ventum? The Latin roughly means "Seize Wind." Does the Latin phrase spur us to install a wind turbine compared to an English phrase? Does the Latin make us more clever, smarter, or more likely to be a successful wind farmer? For me, all "carpe ventum" did was send me looking for a Latin-English dictionary and after looking at two Google pages of them, then futzing with "that looks right." Gad, no wonder we have less and less time to accomplish useful things; we're often required to do preparation tasks in order to understand something that has been "clarified."

It's best to have cheese with whine, so I'd better stop now.
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Clean Renewable Energy Bonds (CREBs) is a five-page PDF produced by The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) a national service organization dedicated to representing the national interests of cooperative electric utilities and the consumers they serve.

{Surprisingly, the PDF is encrypted to prevent abstracting the document for easier comprehension. Perhaps not fully serving consumers' interests.}

The doc is an overview of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-58) where the tax credit bond serves as a tax credit to the bondholder. The doc has these headers

• qualified projects
• qualified issuers
• how CREBs work
• availability
• application process
• terms of CREBs
• credit rate
• spending the proceeds of CREBs
• board action needed for re-imbursement
• parties involved in issuing CREBs
• partnering with private entities
• marketing CREBs
• CREBs versus the Production Tax Credit
• steps to take immediately and
• other resources.
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Even though we enjoy 1,030 billion kWh of wind power every year, there is the rare boring day-
6 PM Jun 05, ENE at 3 mph
1 PM Jun 05, Variable at 3 mph
10 AM Jun 05, NNE at 7 mph
5 AM Jun 05, Calm
9 PM Jun 04, N at 16 mph.

Do contact me if you want to buy any of this blog's content or would like to have other specific wind power-related content uncovered.

'Til next time. Best Wind.

A wind co-op model for South Dakotans

Nick Rahall. a West Virginia Congressman, is instigating mis-informed legislation that will re-chill wind development as did legislation by his fellow Congressmen concerning wind turbines and military radar clutter. Too-often urban legislators dream up regs or laws that don't "make a lick of sense." Does Mr. Rahall enjoy air-conditioning and heating? Is he concerned about affordable electricity rates for his constituents? If "yes," then ethically he is accountable for being thoroughly educated about birds and bats stricking wind turbine blades. Glass windows are equally destructive of birds; is he dreaming up a federal reg for that technology as well?
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Our Wind Co-op is a unique cooperative of small-scale wind turbines on farms, ranches and public and private facilities across the Northwest. Through this collaborative effort, 10-kW turbines were installed at numerous rural sites serviced by publicly-owned utilities. Ten small wind turbines (10 kW rated power each) have been installed across the Pacific Northwest.

The Co-op was established in 2003 to foster growth in smallscale, distributed wind power; by 2007, 145,776 kWh have been harvested by members' turbines. Our Wind Co-op Green Tags are “value-added” because they are derived from small-scale, locally owned wind turbines.

In recognition of these unique qualities, Puget Sound Energy purchased all the Green Tags produced by OWC members in Washington and Oregon through 2006, and offered them for sale to their consumers through the utility’s Green Power Plan.

A review of how Our Wind Co-op leverages tag sales to reduce the cost-share required of site hosts is presented in this eight-page PDF. These Our Wind Co-op FAQs show how well-designed the co-op's business is.

South Dakotans can mimic this organization to harvest some of the 1,030 billion kW hours of wind power we enjoy (well ... SOME of us, any way) each year. We can harness some of those kWhs and put them to work for us in a number of situations, such as for air-conditioning and heating. We have a working model that can be adapted to our climate and REA situations; it's not "rocket science" any more!

A handful of South Dakota wind-
8 PM Jun 04, N at 20 mph
4 PM Jun 04, NNW at 23 mph11 AM
Jun 04, NNE at 14 mph
5 AM Jun 04,Calm 10 PM
Jun 03, NNW at 15 mph.

Do contact me if you want to buy any of this blog's content or would like to have other specific wind power-related content uncovered.

'Til next time. Best Wind.

Wind power and wind energy definitions #2

Wind is to "Aericulture" as crops and livestock are to agriculture. And "aerinomics" is to "aericulture" as agronomics is to agriculture. Putin this perspective, wind farming is (or should be, here in South Dakota) just another agricultural practice. Installing and operating a small wind turbine is "wind gardening" while community wind is "commons wind" (but probably stretches the farming lingo into "left field." OK, I'll leave it there.)

Over here in South Dakota we have the nation's fourth-best potential wind power- 1,030 billion kW hours annually. One-third of that (343 billion kW hours) could be harvested by wind turbines to meet the power requirements of 36,645,299 homes (each home uses 9,360 kW hours per year). But the variable nature (speed, duration, direction) of wind demand a concurrent constant source of electricity to sustain "the life we've grown accustomed to."

So even here, you can't be a wild-eyed get off the grid now person without radically changing your lifestyle. However these definitions and posts will serve as your "roadmap" to reducing electricity bills or diversifying income.
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C-BED- Minnesota’s Community-Based Energy Development legislation offers some important benefits to community wind projects.

An overview is through this link.

Community wind- small wind turbines are installed by a community or individuals to generate wind power for municipal or local use. Selling excess wind power is a secondary concern for community wind operators.

Condition monitoring- the use of sensors to measure and telecommunications to inform operators of the "wear and tear" of equipment. Vibration analysis.tribology, and thermography are all examples of Condition Monitoring techniques.

Maintenance Resources, an online dictionary, is the source for this definition.

Cut-in wind speed- the wind speed at which a wind turbine starts to generate electricity. With higher wind speed the turbine approaches its rated power and maximum electricity generation.

Dispatchable- power generation that can be immediately increased to meet demand above baseline power or immediately decreased once demand falls to baseline. Fossil-fueled power and nuclear-fired power are dispatchable power. Wind power is non-dispatchable because it is
variable. A variable source of power causes some degree of instability in a power grid.

Distribution- information about the distributions of wind speeds and the frequency of the varying wind directions, can be shown by drawing a wind rose using meteorological tower measurements. Wind roses vary from one location to the next.

Electricity wheeling- an energy consumer is able to select her/his own energy supplier, or "wheel in" energy from one of two or more different suppliers. When a utility on one region sells energy to a customer in another utility's territory, the energy is said to be wheeled to the
customer.

A handful of South Dakota wind-

3 PM Jun 03, N at 24 mph
1 PM Jun 03, N at 18 mph
11 AM Jun 03, N at 16 mph
3 AM Jun 03, N at 5 mph
5 PM Jun 02, N at 20 mph light rain; mist.

Do contact me if you want to buy any of this blog's content or would like to have other specific wind power-related content uncovered.

'Til next time. Best Wind.

On-Farm Energy Production

On March 8, 2007, Montana's senior U.S. Senator Max Baucus (D-MT, Senate Agriculture Committee ) introduced legislation that would give incentives to produce renewable energy "on-farm" farmers and ranchers. The proposal status is S. 828.

On-farm Energy Production Act of 2007," is an amendment to the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, today signed onto Baucus' bill, {link}which will go before the Agriculture Committee for its consideration before going to the Senate floor.

Baucus' bill would amend the EQIP which currently gives producers incentives to do conservation work on their lands.

The bill will help farmers and ranchers install windmills, solar panels, or biodiesel oilseed presses on their operations. The federal government would pay about 50 percent of the total costs to add renewable energy sources to the farm or ranch.

Baucus said other alternative energy programs help agriculture producers, but indirectly. Under his bill, farmers and ranchers will benefit directly because they'll be able to cut their energy and fuel bills. The Farm Bureau and the Farmer's Union back this proposed legislation to boost alternative energy.

A Handful of South Dakota wind-

{wind farming doesn't make economic sense until the wind is faster than 14 mph, so this Handful yields little wind power}

Noon Jun 02, N at 6 mph
9 AM Jun 02, N 7 mph
5 AM Jun 02, Calm light rain; mist
9 PM Jun 01, E at 6 mph
7 PM (23) Jun 01, ENE at 5 mph light rain
2 PM (18) Jun 01, E at mph 14 light rain .

Do contact me if you want to buy any of this blog's content or would like to have other specific wind power-related content uncovered.

'Til next time. Best Wind.

Wind farming homework, Part One

Wind EnergyY Institute Wildcatting for Wind, June 1-2, 2006; Sweetwater, Texas, is a 3-page PDF that highlights one area of "homework" for a wind farmer.

Clearing the Hurdles to Economical Wind Power, Remarks of Jeffrey D. (Dan) Watkiss
Bracewell & Giuliani LLP

"On top of contracting to purchase or lease access to a wind resource and negotiating EPC agreements with equipment vendors and contractors, the developer of wind generation confronts an obstacle course of additional legal/economic hurdles that must be cleared if its project is to succeed."

Electricity from the Wind: What Landowners Should Know, an unsourced 4-page PDF retrieved 30 May W 07, advises

"But as with any business venture, rural landowners interested in leasing their land should do their homework."

Sections include

• Lease Agreement
• Easements
  
• More Factors to Consider
• Heavy industrial equipment


• Landowners should review their insurance policies


• Landowners should discuss taxes with the developer and with an attorney


• Wind turbines may be sited on Conservation Reserve Program and grassland easements. (Know which restrictions do apply)


• Landowners should not feel pressured by developers to enter into a leasing arrangement

"Landowners who install wind turbines on their land should expect a lot of attention."

Eminent Domain and Wind Development in New York is a webpage from Save Western NY, a voluntary association of residents and property owners in the Town of Wethersfield.

An article appeared in North American Windpower in January of 2006 (Marketplace, p. 28) entitled "Eminent Domain And Wind Development In New York", authored by Steven D. Wilson of the law firm of Read and Laniado. The article is no longer at the firm's website.

Among Mr. Wilson's conclusions in the article:

"To incorporate under the same provisions as have New York's investor-owned utilities, an entity need only satisfy the statutory definition and carry on the functions of a gas or electric corporation. The statute defines gas and electric corporations broadly, requiring only that the corporation is organized to generate and supply electricity for public use.

Accordingly, it appears that a private wind developer could satisfy the definition of an electric corporation and, thus, could incorporate as such. This grants the private developer the power of eminent domain."

Landowners with property adjacent to a wind farm are "concerned the power of eminent domain would allow developers to cross property with power lines, with trenches, with no public hearing."

{me} Is this something South Dakota wind farmers should be "what if-ing" as well?

A handful of South Dakota wind-

• Oldest 10 PM May 29, Calm
• 9 AM May 30, ESE at 5 mph mist
• [Now we're back to normal]
• 1 PM May 30, SSE at 22 mph
• 5 PM May 30, WSW at 20 mph
• 8 PM May 30, W at 21 mph.

Do contact me if you want to buy any of this blog's content or would like to have other specific content uncovered.

'Til next time. Best Wind.