WINDExchange: Newsletter Issue #114: March 9–20, 2015

WINDExchange Newsletter Issue #114: March 9–20, 2015 The WINDExchange Newsletter is issued by the Wind Program twice a month to inform program partners and interested individuals of wind energy events, webinars, financial opportunities, new publications, state success stories, and other wind-related activities. If you have news items and success stories to share, please submit them to Ruth Baranowski. News Energy Department Names Two Colorado-Based Electric Cooperatives as 2014 Wind Cooperatives of the Year Wind Power Conference Connects International Experts on Remote and Islanded Grid Systems New Report Recommends Multi-State Collaboration on Offshore Wind Small Wind Education Helps Consumers Avoid Mistakes Wind Generates More than 10% of Texas Electricity in 2014 DWEA SMART Wind Consortium to Host Final Subgroup Kickoff March 26 Webinars REAP Round-Up: Renewable Energy Systems MOWII Webinar: The ECO TLP, an Economical and Ecologically Sound Tension Leg Platform for Deep Water Wind Farms IEA Wind Task 34 (WREN) Quarterly Webinar #3: Understanding Avian Collision Rate Modeling REAP Round-Up: Project Finance (Guaranteed Loans) Small Wind Certification Council Webinar: New IRS Rules for Small Wind Turbines WINDExchange Webinar: Overcoming Wind Siting Challenges II: Radar Live Demonstration of the New DSIRE Website Events AWEA Wind Project Siting Seminar 2015 Distributed Wind 2015 SMART Wind Consortium Electrical Systems Subgroup Meeting 2015 Tribal Energy Program Review AWEA WINDPOWER 2015 Conference and Exhibition North American Wind Energy Academy 2015 Symposium Small Wind Conference 2015 Illinois Renewable Energy Conference 2015 News Energy Department Names Two Colorado-based Electric Cooperatives as 2014 Wind Cooperatives of the Year The Energy Department and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) recognized the Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association and San Isabel Electric Association of Colorado as the 2014 WINDExchange Wind Cooperatives of the Year. The awards were presented at the NRECA TechAdvantage Conference and Expo in Orlando, Florida, to honor electric cooperatives that demonstrate outstanding leadership in advancing U.S. wind power. The two power providers were selected by a panel of judges from industry, government, and national laboratories and were evaluated for their corporate leadership, project innovation, and benefits to customers. Wind Power Conference Connects International Experts on Remote and Islanded Grid Systems Experts from across the globe—including Russia, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Alaska, and around the United States—convened March 4–6 in Anchorage, Alaska, for a conference focused on the development and maximization of remote and islanded grid wind power systems. The conference was hosted by the Islanded Grid Resource Center (IGRC), which was created by the Renewable Energy Alaska Project in Alaska and the Island Institute in Maine to act as a knowledge center to connect those using and working on remote grids throughout the United States and beyond. The IGRC is funded through a grant provided by the U.S. Department of Energy's WINDExchange Program. New Report Recommends Multi-State Collaboration on Offshore Wind Clean Energy Group and Navigant Consulting recently published Up in the Air: What the Northeast States Should Do Together on Offshore Wind, Before It's Too Late, a report that recommends a multi-state collaboration on offshore wind to create stronger and consistent regional policies, financing actions, and permitting across the Northeast states. Small Wind Education Helps Consumers Avoid Mistakes People who see small wind turbines that do not work properly may assume that wind energy in general doesn't work. As farmers know, plants must be grown in the right locations. Wind energy engineer Mia Devine, a project manager for the Energy Department-funded Northwest Wind Resource and Action Center, says the same goes for wind turbines. She created a Consumer's Guide Checklist for Small Wind Electric Systems to educate people about small wind turbines and help them avoid mistakes that give small wind a bad reputation. In conjunction with the National Association of Farm Broadcasters, WINDExchange produced an audio interview with Devine, who discusses three common mistakes consumers make when purchasing and installing small wind electric systems. Wind Generates More than 10% of Texas Electricity in 2014 According to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), more than 10% of the electricity used in the grid covering most of Texas in 2014 came from wind generation. Wind's share of the ERCOT generation mix grew from 6.2% in 2009 to 10.6% in 2014 as total electricity generation increased over the same period by 11.3%. The growth in wind generation is a result of new wind plants coming online and grid expansions that have allowed more wind power to flow through the system to consumers. DWEA SMART Wind Consortium to Host Final Subgroup Kickoff March 26 The Distributed Wind Energy Association (DWEA) launched the U.S. Department of Commerce-funded Sustainable Manufacturing, Advanced Research and Technology (SMART) Wind Consortium in October 2014, starting the 2-year process of creating a U.S. Distributed Wind Roadmap to identify advanced manufacturing gaps and opportunities. The Consortium consists of four subgroups, focused on Mechanical Systems, Support Structures, Composites, and Electrical Systems. DWEA will host the final subgroup kickoff meeting, which will bring together members of the Electrical Subgroup, on March 26 in Washington, D.C. Webinars REAP Round-Up: Renewable Energy Systems March 11, 2015, 2 p.m. ET This webinar is part of a training series for the public on the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP).Register for the webinar. Learn more about REAP. MOWII Webinar: The ECO TLP, an Economical and Ecologically Sound Tension Leg Platform for Deep Water Wind Farms March 17, 2015, 10 a.m. ET Join the Maine Ocean and Wind industry Initiative (MOWII) for a free webinar that describes the components and installation process of the ECO TLP, including computational and model basin test findings and the economic and behavioral characteristics of this tension leg platform. IEA Wind Task 34 (WREN) Quarterly Webinar #3: Understanding Avian Collision Rate Modeling April 2, 2015, 11 a.m. ET Wind farms can impact birds through collisions. Collision rate models have been developed to estimate the perceived risk to birds and the potential number of collisions within proposed wind farms. These models combine our understanding of bird behavior with the characteristics of the proposed turbines and wind farm layout to assess the likelihood of any bird colliding with a turbine. Join Mark Collier, Bureau Waardenburg, and Aonghais Cook, British Trust for Ornithology, for a discussion of the modeling. REAP Round-Up: Project Finance (Guaranteed Loans) April 2, 2015, 2 p.m. ET This webinar is part of a training series for the public on the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP).Register for the webinar. Learn more about REAP. Small Wind Certification Council Webinar: New IRS Rules for Small Wind Turbines April 8, 2015, 1 p.m. ET The Small Wind Certification Council (SWCC) will host a webinar on how certification is being used to meet the new Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requirements for small and medium wind turbines that went into effect February 2015. Taxpayers who claim the 30% federal tax credit for small wind property must now show that the turbine meets the requirements of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) Standard 9.1-2009 (for small wind) or the relevant IEC 61400 standards (for medium wind). Bret Barker from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Wind and Water Program will present on DOE programs supporting certification and quality assurance of wind turbines; Martha Garcia from the Office of Associate Chief Counsel, U.S. Treasury, will help navigate the new requirements in the Internal Revenue Code; and Brent Summerville of the SWCC will present on how certification is used to help taxpayers show that their wind turbines meet the necessary performance and quality standards. All presenters will be available to answer questions. WINDExchange Webinar: Overcoming Wind Siting Challenges II: Radar April 15, 2015, 3 p.m. ET As a follow-up to the February WINDExchange webinar on wind power siting challenges, join moderator Patrick Gilman from the U.S. Department of Energy for a discussion of radar siting considerations. This webinar will highlight radar technologies, followed by a presentation on understanding wind-radar interactions and permitting processes. Live Demonstration of the New DSIRE Website May 12, 2015, 2 p.m. ET With funding from the U.S. Department of Energy, the North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center implemented multiple enhancements to the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE) database and website during the past year. Join the webinar for a live tour of the new website and a demonstration of the new features. Events AWEA Wind Project Siting Seminar 2015 Austin, Texas—March 10–11, 2015 The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) hosts this annual seminar, which provides attendees with information on how to effectively minimize siting and permitting risks and create conditions that allow facilities to operate in compliance with permit obligations and environmental laws, while maximizing energy output. Distributed Wind 2015 Washington, D.C.—March 24–26, 2015 Distributed Wind 2015 features a business conference with sessions focused on advancing the knowledge of distributed and community wind professionals who want to learn more about growing the market for this wind industry sector. The second day begins with a lobby 101 session, followed by a full day of meetings on Capitol Hill, organized by the Distributed Wind Energy Association and led by the group's members. SMART Wind Consortium Electrical Systems Subgroup Meeting Washington, D.C.—March 25–26, 2015 Funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce National Institute of Standards and Technology, the SMART Wind Consortium will connect more than 80 collaborators to form consensus on near-term and mid-term plans needed to increase cost competitiveness of U.S. distributed wind manufacturers through the use of advanced manufacturing techniques. The Distributed Wind Energy Association, supported by eFormative Options and Wind Advisors Team, is conducting face-to-face meetings and conference calls with members of four consortia subgroups: mechanical subsystems, support structures, electrical subsystems, and composite subsystems. Each of these consortia groups will include university and laboratory researchers, U.S. distributed wind original equipment manufacturers, manufacturing extension partners, and U.S. component manufacturers. The goal of these meetings is to become acquainted with the interested stakeholders and to brainstorm possible cost-reducing strategies that will lead to evolutionary product and manufacturing improvements. 2015 Tribal Energy Program Review Denver, Colorado—May 4–7, 2015 The 2015 Tribal Energy Program Review will include an overview of the Tribal Energy Program and a series of presentations by tribes exploring or deploying weatherization, energy efficiency, and renewable energy technologies across the nation. Because human capacity is a focus of the Tribal Energy Program, attendees will also learn about an internship program and hear from young and inspiring Native American students about their experiences and summer projects. AWEA WINDPOWER 2015 Conference and Exhibition Orlando, Florida—May 18–21, 2015 WINDPOWER is the largest conference and exhibition for the wind industry in the United States, offering educational, networking, and special events to foster interactions with industry peers, customers, and colleagues. North American Wind Energy Academy 2015 Symposium Blacksburg, Virginia—June 9–11, 2015 The North American Wind Energy Academy (NAWEA) 2015 Symposium includes technical sessions, panel discussions, a graduate student symposium, a poster session, engineering software workshops, a business meeting, social events, and a tour of the Virginia Tech Stability Tunnel. The symposium, the second in a series of technical meetings, will examine a broad range of topics discussing how to achieve high wind penetration in the North American power-generation sector. In addition to wind energy system science and technology technical tracks, the symposium will feature sessions that provide holistic perspectives, overviews, and approaches necessary to maximize future deployment. Small Wind Conference 2015 Stevens Point, Wisconsin—June 15–17, 2015 The Small Wind Conference brings together small wind installers, site assessors, manufacturers, dealers and distributors, supply chain stakeholders, educators, public benefits program managers, and advocates. The conference organizers are now accepting presentation proposals; the submission deadline has been extended to March 15. Illinois Renewable Energy Conference 2015 Normal, Illinois—July 16, 2015 The Illinois Renewable Energy Conference will feature plenary speakers and breakout sessions in tracks on policy, technical information, and case studies for wind and other renewable technologies. Event partners include the Center for Renewable Energy at Illinois State University, Illinois Wind Working Group, Wind on the Wires, Illinois Solar Energy Association, Illinois Biomass Working Group, Geothermal Alliance of Illinois, and Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance. Please visit the WINDExchange calendar to learn about more upcoming events.