Come visit Windustry at the Minnesota State Fair

Marin — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:48:16 -0500

It's going to be very quiet at the Windustry office through Labor Day, but only because we're all going to be over at the Minnesota State Fair.

We'll be presenting the third year of the Wind Energy Center at the EcoExperience, and we hope you'll come out to see us!

At the Wind Energy Center, you can:

Try out different careers in the wind energy industry.
Climb inside a replica turbine tower section and see a video of what it's like to be inside a real wind turbine.
Get your wind energy questions answered by an expert.
Pick up a wind energy bookmark to take home.
Experiment with blade design and participate in other fun activities in the Renewable Energy Kid's Corral.
Look at and learn about home- and farm-scale wind turbines.

Activities in the Renewable Energy Kid's Corral will be held daily at 9:30 am, 11:00 am, 12:30 pm, 2:00 pm, 3:30 pm, and 5:00 pm.

Our new game show, "Who Wants to be a Wind Energy Expert?", will be presented:

Thursday, August 21 at 9:30 am
Wednesday, August 27 at 5:00 pm
Sunday, August 31 at 5:00 pm
Monday, September 1 at 7:00 pm

Click here to learn more about the 2008 Wind Energy Center!

A special thank you goes out to all of our 2008 partners!

See you at the fair!

Renewable Energy Business Education Announcement

Windustry — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 08:39:37 -0500

Windustry has a variety of connections to the many organizations that encourage the growth and expansion of community wind energy development. Saint Francis University in Loretto, PA is one such institution. Their announcement of a new educational program which we thought might be of interest to many visitors to our website follows.

Saint Francis University Graduate School of Business, Loretto, Pa. is pleased to announce it will be offering a new course - Wind Energy Business. This pioneering curriculum is the first in a timely series of four courses in a renewable energy business development certificate program. Beginning September 11, 2008, this offering will be presented on-line, with no on-campus requirements and is tailored for professionals interested in this exciting new field.

The on-line series begins with a course entitled "Introduction to Wind I" which will consist of 10 weekly two hour on line live sessions presented by Mr. Dan Ancona (an internationally recognized renewable and wind energy expert). Each session will be archived so that students may view the sessions at any time (24/7) if they are unable to participate in the live session. Also, the programs will be accessible from any location that has internet access.

Academic credit is available to those enrolled in graduate or undergraduate program at Saint Francis University.

For more details (including a biography of Mr. Dan Ancona) regarding this innovative and timely program, please visit the Saint Francis University website at http://www.francis.edu/mbahome.htm

USDA Seeks Input on Climate Change Research, Education and Outreach Priorities

christina — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 13:30:46 -0500

The United States Department of Agriculture ("USDA") is seeking comments from the public on its proposed strategic goals and planning priorities for climate change research, education and outreach programs.

The USDA announced on August 6, 2008 in the Federal Register that it will be taking public comments on its work analyzing the impacts of climate change on agriculture. (Read the announcement here) The Department will use these comments while creating a Strategic Plan for Climate Change Research, Education and Extension. The goals for the plan are to:

Understand the effects of climate change on natural and managed ecosystems
Develop knowledge and tools to enable adaptation to climate change and improve the resilience of natural and managed ecosystems
Develop knowledge and tools to reduce the contribution agriculture, forestry, and other land management practices to the build of up greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
Deliver climate change science and technology to USDA agencies, stakeholders and collaborators for improved decision making.

Comments are due by September 19, 2008 and will be available by request. The USDA will publish the final version of the Strategic Plan on their website.

Volunteer with Windustry at the Minnesota State Fair!

Marin — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 08:42:09 -0500

Volunteer with Windustry at the 2008 Minnesota State Fair's EcoExperience and help promote wind energy in Minnesota! The State Fair runs August 21 through September 1, and we need several volunteers each day to help answer visitor questions at the Wind Energy Center.

Commit one four hour block of time to help staff the wind exhibit during the fair and receive a ticket for free admission and a wind energy t-shirt. Training for all volunteers will be provided.

Contact Dan Craigie at dan@windustry.org or 612-870-3461 to get yourself signed up!

Great Lakes Tall Tower Wind Monitoring Project

Windustry — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 08:31:54 -0500

Grant Applications are now being received for the Great Lakes Tall
Tower Wind Monitoring project. The project is funded through the U.S.
Department of Energy.

The program's scope of work requires the State of Wisconsin to use the DOE funds to award a total of two grants for:

Lake Michigan Project: collect and analyze 12 months of tall tower
data from an existing 100 meter tall site within .5 miles of Lake
Michigan

Lake Erie Project: collect and analyze 12 months of tall tower data
from an existing 100 meter tall site within .5 miles of Lake Erie

For more information about the grant application and selection process, please contact Preston Schutt, WI PSC, Preston.Schutte@psc.state.wi.us or 608-266-1462

We Energies - Renewable Energy Feasibility Study Grant Program

Windustry — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 15:56:17 -0500

We Energies is offering Renewable Energy Feasibility Study Grants to its business and not-for-profit electric customers, as well as to organizations teamed with We Energies business and non-profit electric customers. This program helps to cover the costs of studying the feasibility of installing a renewable electricity generation project at a customer’s facility. Funds also can be used to conduct research on a renewable energy product or technology, or to help demonstrate or commercially advance a renewable energy product or technology into the marketplace.

For more information, please visit www.we-energies.com/RE
Applications are on a rolling basis, but will be accepted on a first come, first serve basis

GE Study Finds Tax Revenues from Wind Farms Offset Tax Incentive

Windustry — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 09:27:35 -0500

Confused by the rhetoric on all sides of the current debate over whether or not to renew the federal renewable energy Production Tax Credit? Would you like to be able to address the issue in an informed and persuasive manner?

A study released in June by GE Energy Financial Services finds that, over the average 20-year projected life-span of a wind project, the revenue streams to the federal treasury from the construction and operation of the wind project result in a net gain to the federal government even given the current cost of the federal production tax credit (PTC).

The study was based on projects becoming operational in 2007. By the end of the 20-year project life-span assumed in the study, the $2.5 billion investment by the federal government in these projects through the PTC (the study assumed that the federal government would borrow this money and includes those borrowing costs) would show a return of $250 million. Averaged over the life of the projects, this would represent approximately a 5% per annum return on investment. Most of this return would, however, be realized in the last half of the expected life of these projects. Read the report summary, which also hints at the local economic and ecological benefits not included in the study's calculations, for more details.

Addendum: 8/8/2008 - a very good and readable critique of this GE report was posted on LeonardoEnergy on 7/17. It's worth reading as a follow-up.

IA: Wind Production Tax Credit Extended, Revised

David — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:37:15 -0500

In May 2008, the wind energy credit (§ 476B) was significantly modified by S.F. 2405, retroactively effective for entire 2008 tax year. The IUB has issued proposed rules for implementing the changes related to eligibility and tax credit applications (Docket No. RMU-08-04). Corporate tax credit ; Personal tax credit