Our Wind, Our Power, Our Future

DWEA Among DOE’s Energizing Rural Communities Prize Awards

by SKowalski | Sep 17, 2023 | News

The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) on July 14 announced that DWEA was among 67 winners in the first phase of the $6.7 millionEnergizing Rural Communities Prize. This prize challenges individuals and organizations to develop partnership and financing strategies to support efforts in rural or remote communities to improve their energy systems and advance clean energy demonstration projects. Each of the 67 winners will receive $100,000, in-kind-mentorship services, and eligibility to compete in phase two of the prize to win an additional $200,000.

DWEA’s proposal was to establish the AgWind technical assistance project which will provide free basic distributed wind feasibility analyses and developer/dealer referrals for communities, organizations, companies, and individuals to help accelerate DW (distributed wind) deployment. AgWind will establish selection criteria, procedures, and consultant fees; create an online feasibility tool combining web interfaces with wind resource and geospatial data together with financial evaluation algorithms; and form a referral system and financing references. AgWind’s trial services will utilize quantifiable data to showcase the potential for distributed wind investment and cost savings for potential customers, specifically targeting Justice40 communities.

As explained by Heather Rhoads of eFormative Options who will manage the project, DWEA plans “to work with communities in regions with good wind resources to provide services pre-qualifying sites for further development where requested, and in parallel pursue additional project funding for AgWind’s free services.” The first qualifying area for an AgWind pilot will be Sinton, Texas, and other rural areas around Corpus Christi. “Then we want to expand quickly to focus on other rural communities across Texas as well as Massachusetts, California, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, and other states with high DW potential,” Rhoads said.

Through an established team of independent wind energy experts serving as paid AgWind consultants, DWEA aims to assist at least 30 potential projects this year. Justice 40 opportunities are a key program element, addressing equity and ensuring clean energy access for all. “Ultimately, we’re launching AgWind to empower communities to embrace clean energy, reduce energy burdens, and strengthen economic development,” Rhoads said.

DWEA will apply for Phase 2 funding of $200,000 next year to expand AgWind, DWEA President Michael Bergey said.

The Energizing Rural Communities Prize is part of DOE’s $1 billion Energy Improvements in Rural or Remote Areas (ERA) Program, managed by OCED. The prize program is a relatively new DOE contractual tool to support small, short timeframe innovative projects that can lead to new products, services, and business models. It has been used extensively by DOE’s Solar Energy Technology Office. The ERA funding was made available through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to demonstrate new ways to improve the resilience, reliability, and affordability of energy systems in communities across the country with 10,000 or fewer people.

The Energizing Rural Communities Prize has two tracks: a partner track that is designed to create and strengthen the necessary networks for implementing energy projects; and a finance track to support new and innovative efforts to access capital or to develop community ownership models to finance energy projects.

The ERA Program also supports rural and remote American communities through technical assistance, grants, and cooperative agreements. Learn more about the ERA Program on theOCED website.

Wind Energy Legislative Roundup

by SKowalski | Sep 15, 2023 | News

By Lloyd Ritter, DWEA Representative

Welcome to the August (and part of September) Congressional recess, I guess. Congress left town last week with a load of work still to do, ranging from appropriations to the Farm Bill re-authorization. It’s going to get very interesting when they get back. 

The challenge is the House majority is deeply fractured. The ag appropriations bill on July 27 had to be pulled at the last minute because of intra-party infighting over its content. So, we’ll have to see what September brings. Many are betting on another government shutdown.

So that’s the noise in D.C. of late. The upshot is while Congress has its many issues, we are still hard at work. There is always action, sometimes we go on offense, sometimes defense, or both.

Some examples: we are talking to lots of Congressional Members and their staff to fend off the House ag appropriations proposed $500 million in cuts to REAP, the elimination of cost-share grants in REAP, as well as $1 billion in cuts to New ERA (the rural electric coop program from the IRA). We worked with Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) and Reps. Abagail Spanberger (D-VA) and David Valadao (R-CA) on their very positive REAP “marker” legislation for the upcoming Farm Bill. We are also communicating with the Treasury Department regarding IRA implementation issues. And we’re developing a new effort with other like-minded distributed renewable leaders for a longer-term strengthening of our respective DER market segment. 

Please keep in mind that Congressional Members head home this time of year, not just to vacation and be with their families but to do retail politicking with folks in their Districts. You’ll see them pop up in coffee shops and at community events. My request to you—monitor their whereabouts and if you have a chance, please talk to them and their staff about distributed wind power benefits and our policy issues. And when you do, ping me a quick note. Knowledge is power!

Hope you are enjoying the summer and looking forward to more success in the weeks ahead! 

President’s Message August 2023

by SKowalski | Sep 13, 2023 | News

By Michael Bergey, DWEA President

Dangerous, record-breaking heat across the globe is bringing home the real impact of our continued use of fossil fuels. But also in the news is the impressive surge of domestic investments in clean energy and storage manufacturing, as well as project deployment, stemming from federal legislation enacted less than a year ago. Story after story, many coming from “red” states, tell the tales of new factory investments in wind, solar, and storage, including the jobs that will ensue. President Biden’s and Congressional Democrats’ big bet on aggressive industrial policy to change the trajectory of CO2 emissions in the U.S. and build huge new clean energy industries appear to be paying off. It may well be the new jobs, and not the heat, that most effectively help erode Republican opposition to all thing’s climate change. One can hope.

Meanwhile, the work at DWEA continues. We were not successful in getting distributed wind inserted in the $7 billion EPA “Solar for All” program, but we did accomplish having a reserve fund for USDA REAP included in a “marker bill” that will help influence the critically important 2023 Farm Bill. We have yet to learn whether our request to the Treasury Department to allow the use of imported towers for distributed wind projects up to 1 MW to qualify for the Sec. 48 10-percent domestic content bonus. On the horizon is a multi-technology campaign to close the gap between the Sec. 48 and the Sec. 25D (residential) tax incentives.

So please, stay out of the heat but do publicize even your smallest business accomplishments in order that your voice is added to the good news on clean energy jobs and investment growth. You will be helping yourself and DWEA’s ongoing mission.