by Britton Rife | Sep 19, 2017 | News
CEBC and DWEA co-host Distributed Generation Workshop in Wichita, KS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 19, 2017
Wichita, KS – On September 27th the Clean Energy Business Council (CEBC) and Kansas Department of Commerce in partnership with the Distributed Wind Energy Association (DWEA) will host a half-day Distributed Generation (DG) Workshop following the Kansas Energy Conference (September 26-27) at the DoubleTree by Hilton Wichita Airport in Wichita, Kansas. The half-day DG Workshop will follow the conference on September 27th and is available as a complimentary add-on for full conference attendees and available to others at a nominal cost. Space is limited and registration is required.
The DG workshop will kick-off the CEBC’s “Around the State” initiative, which will include a total of four community workshops aimed at increasing exposure about market opportunities in renewable energy within Kansas. The workshop will also mark the beginning of a series of state-focused distributed wind outreach events to be hosted by DWEA and member companies as part of DWEA’s State Policy Program.
“The Clean Energy Business Council (CEBC) is exploring how businesses can capitalize on distributed energy resources in Kansas and the Greater Kansas City Metro. The DG workshop is a perfect venue for stakeholders to discuss the opportunities and next steps to make Kansas a leader in distributed generation. While Kansas has excelled in utility scale wind power, we’ve barely scratched the service for distributed solar and wind. We’re excited to see the synergy distributed wind and solar companies create through the CEBC,” said Dorothy Barnett, Executive Director of CEBC. “Many of our business members have expressed an interest in developing the Kansas distributed wind market. Distributed wind provides unique opportunities for farmers, businesses, homeowners, and communities to control their energy costs and boost their bottom lines by producing their own clean, renewable energy. Kansas, with its abundant wind and land resource, presents a significant opportunity for on-site power projects. We are thrilled to partner on this event,” said Jennifer Jenkins, Executive Director of DWEA.
Workshop attendees will hear from distributed wind and solar manufacturers, project developers, and operations and maintenance providers as well as policy makers and industry experts on the fundamentals of DG, success stories, policy updates, and market opportunities in Kansas.
“On-site energy technology, like distributed wind, is a tool for creating local economic prosperity. Not only can a small wind system help a farmer stabilize their electricity rates and ultimately save over the long-term, but growth of the industry in Kansas will lead to the creation of great local jobs and attract new industries looking to procure on-site renewable energy,” said Jason Kaplan, General Counsel at United Wind, as well as DWEA and CEBC member.
Rural cooperatives and utilities, farmers and agricultural producers, state and local policy makers, cleantech industry members and advocates, project developers, corporate purchasers, and all other interested parties are invited to participate. The full Kansas Energy Conference and Distributed Generation Workshop agenda, registration information, and additional details are available at http://cleanenergyforbusiness.com//ks-energy-conference
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The Clean Energy Business Council originated in 2016 to identify and make progress on advanced energy barriers businesses face in Kansas and the Greater Kansas City Area. The Council is a member-driven initiative, comprised of business leaders and other members passionate about harvesting corporate economic opportunities in the areas of clean energy and energy efficiency. The Clean Energy Business Council works collaboratively through complex energy issues by engaging on the legislative and regulatory levels, building a strong network of businesses, and providing its members with rich educational and networking resources. The Council is a program of the Climate + Energy Project. www.cleanenergyforbusiness.com
The Distributed Wind Energy Association is a collaborative group comprised of manufacturers, distributors, project developers, dealers, installers, and advocates, whose primary mission is to promote and foster all aspects of the American distributed wind energy industry. Distributed wind, commonly referred to as small and community wind, is the use of typically smaller wind turbines at homes, farms, businesses, and public facilities to off-set all or a portion of on-site energy consumption. DWEA represents members from all sectors with relevant interests pertaining to the distributed wind industry. For more information on DWEA, please go to www.distributedwind.org. Follow us on Twitter @DWEA and like us on Facebook.
For more information:
Dorothy Barnett, Clean Energy Business Council
barnett@climateandenergy.org, (785) 424-0444
Jennifer Jenkins, Distributed Wind Energy Association
jjenkins@distributedwind.org, (928) 380-6012
by Britton Rife | Sep 7, 2017 | News
For Immediate Release
Washington, DC
September 7, 2017
Contact: Lloyd Ritter (202) 215-5512
The Agriculture Energy Coalition today issued the following statement thanking Sen. Al Franken (D-MN), Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) for introducing the Agricultural Energy Programs Reauthorization Act of 2017, which will reauthorize programs in Title IX of the Farm Bill and provide robust funding through 2023.
“We commend Sen. Franken for introducing this important bill to reauthorize and enhance Farm Bill energy programs,” said Lloyd Ritter, executive director of the Agriculture Energy Coalition. “If adopted, the legislation would improve already valuable programs. For instance, it would make renewable chemicals facilities fully eligible to participate in the Biorefinery, Renewable Chemical, and Biobased Product Manufacturing Assistance Program. It would also expand the BioPreferred program, improve the already popular REAP program by expanding support to a variety of sustainable, commercial clean energy technologies, and add new mandatory funding to create economic and energy opportunities for rural America. We are grateful for the Senator’s efforts.”
“Crop prices and farm incomes have been declining, so farmers are counting on the Farm Bill to help them develop new markets and new economic opportunities,” said Brent Erickson, executive vice president of BIO’s Industrial & Environmental Section. “The energy programs this bill supports will help revitalize the agriculture and manufacturing sectors in America and promote innovation in the biobased economy, and we thank Sen. Franken for his leadership.”
“Farm Bill energy programs help farmers improve efficiency, reduce farm energy costs, and access new revenue streams,” said Roger Johnson, president of the National Farmers Union. “NFU is thankful for Senator Franken’s leadership on these programs, and is especially supportive of the increase in funding for the Rural Energy for America Program. Congress should continue to support programs that incentivize smart, clean energy use and production on the farm and in rural areas.”
“This season’s raging forest fires out West illustrate the importance of funding for the removal of hazardous fuel from federal lands through programs like Biomass Crop Assistance Program,” said Carrie Annand, executive director of Biomass Power Association. “Taking high risk fiber out of the forest promotes forest health; taking it to a biomass facility ensures that we are getting value out of that material by making it into fuel for electricity. We commend Senator Franken for including BCAP in his draft Farm Bill Energy Title, and we look forward to working with him to ensure that it is included in the final bill.”
“The rural and agricultural communities of our country are the backbone of our economy, and providing these farmers the tools to leverage on-site technology, like distributed wind, will reap benefits for all,” said Jason Kaplan, United Wind, and Distributed Wind Energy Association member.
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by Britton Rife | Aug 9, 2017 | News, Uncategorized
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 9, 2017
Durango, CO, August 9, 2017 – Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) released the 2016 Distributed Wind Market Report showing growth in the domestic residential, commercial, and institutional market sectors as well as in domestic manufacturing and export markets.
“Our industry offers a reliable solution to on-site power and has found success in communicating its benefits to homeowners, businesses, and farmers,” said DWEA Executive Director Jennifer Jenkins. “We look forward to continued growth as predicted in the 2015 Distributed Wind Vision report. We’ll need the ITC extension for orphaned technologies and continued support in the states to get there.”
Flexible financing mechanisms, such as third-party financing and leasing options, continue to make distributed wind economically viable for individuals and companies by allowing installation and maintenance costs to be shared by providers.
New York-based United Wind, which offers leases to farmers and businesses to install wind turbines on their land with little to no upfront costs, and Netherlands-based EWT International, which offers power purchase agreements so companies can install large turbines at their facilities, are two DWEA member companies that offer successful third-party ownership models.
“Property owners in “wind rich” markets throughout rural America love the wind leasing product we offer,” said Russell Tencer, CEO of United Wind. “With early majority minded consumers now starting to adopt at higher rates, we anticipate year-over-year bookings to increase by more than 200% in 2017.”
Key findings of the report, courtesy of PNNL, include:
The nation’s cumulative distributed wind power capacity is about 1 percent of all U.S. wind power capacity, or enough to power roughly 265,000 typical U.S. homes annually.
27 states are home to companies that manufacture components for distributed wind turbines.
Six U.S. manufacturers exported 10.3 megawatts in distributed wind turbines with an estimated value of $62 million.
45.4 megawatts of distributed wind power was added in 25 U.S. states and the U.S. territory of Guam in 2016.
The nation has added a total 992 megawatts of distributed wind in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands between 2003 and 2016.
Institutional customers, such as utilities, churches and schools, accounted for 29 megawatts of the new distributed wind power installed in 2016.
New York led the nation by installing a quarter, or 627 kilowatts, of new small wind power capacity in 2016.
For more information about the 2016 Distributed Wind Market Report, and other distributed wind updates, visit DWEA’s website. For more information about PNNL’s wind power research, visit PNNL’s wind website.
About the Distributed Wind Energy Association: The Distributed Wind Energy Association is a collaborative group comprised of manufacturers, distributors, project developers, dealers, installers, and advocates, whose primary mission is to promote and foster all aspects of the American distributed wind energy industry. Distributed wind, commonly referred to as small and community wind, is the use of typically smaller wind turbines at homes, farms, businesses, and public facilities to off-set all or a portion of on-site energy consumption. DWEA seeks to represent members and associates from all sectors with relevant interests pertaining to the distributed wind industry. For more information on DWEA, please go to www.distributedwind.org. Follow us on Twitter @DWEA and like us on Facebook.
For more information:
Jennifer Jenkins, DWEA Executive Director
jjenkins@distributedwind.org, 928-380-6012
by Britton Rife | Feb 16, 2017 | News
For more information
Jennifer Jenkins, DWEA Executive Director
jjenkins@distributedwind.org, 928-380-6012
February 16, 2017 – Last night Representatives Tom Reed (R-NY) and Mike Thompson (D-CA), re-introduced legislation to provide a multi-year extension of the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) for small-scale wind power, and other clean energy technologies. The bill is titled the “Technologies for Energy Security Act” providing parity with solar energy’s tax extension passed into law in 2015. Notably the legislation would extend both the business and residential ITC through 2021.
“Distributed wind power provide benefits to rural communities and small businesses across the country. We applaud Reps. Reed, Thompson and the other original co-sponsors for their leadership in introducing this legislation,” stated Jennifer Jenkins, Executive Director of DWEA. “Support for distributed wind power grows America’s small businesses and supports the growth of U.S. manufacturing jobs. It also builds economic opportunity and energy self- sufficiency in rural towns from Maine to California,”
“Distributed wind will expand the way solar has in recent years, but it takes smart, timely Federal policies to bring the technology’s potential to reality. This bill moves us much further in that direction,” said Mike Bergey, DWEA’s President.
Allowing the ITC to expire puts jobs and rural small businesses at risk, and consumers left with less “energy choice.” “It’s a real shame that homeowners can get a federal tax credit on an imported solar system, but not a small wind turbine built in America. This bill fixes that,” noted Bergey.
DWEA would also like to thank the bill’s additional original co-sponsors, Republicans Pat Meehan, Tom Cole, Dave Reichert, John Faso, Todd Rokita, Markwayne Mullin, Mia Love, Frank Lobiondo, Rob Blum, David Young, and Democrats Earl Blumenauer, John Larson, Paul Tonko, Ron Kind, Mark Pocan, and Tony Cardenas.
DWEA projects 30 gigawatts by 2030 and tens of thousands of new jobs with the right policies in place. DWEA’s white paper can be found here: https://distributedwind.org/wp- content/uploads/2012/08/DWEA-Distributed-Wind-Vision.pdf
About the Distributed Wind Energy Association
The Distributed Wind Energy Association is a collaborative group comprised of manufacturers, distributors, project developers, dealers, installers, and advocates, whose primary mission is to promote and foster all aspects of the American distributed wind energy industry. Distributed wind, commonly referred to as small and community wind, is the use of typically smaller wind turbines at homes, farms, businesses, and public facilities to off-set all or a portion of on-site energy consumption. DWEA seeks to represent members and associates from all sectors with relevant interests pertaining to the distributed wind industry. For more information on DWEA, please go to www.distributedwind.org. Follow us on Twitter @DWEA and like us on Facebook
by Britton Rife | Dec 9, 2016 | News
This video was sourced from The Atlantic’s American Futures project.
by Britton Rife | Nov 22, 2016 | News
DOE study Confirms Vast Untapped Energy and Jobs Potential for Distributed Wind Energy Systems
November 22, 2016
Durango, CO – Today the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL), under the direction and funding of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), released a first-ever technical and economic analysis of distributed wind power’s potential in the U.S. Distributed wind typically means smaller wind turbines installed at homes, farms, businesses, and public facilities where they serve to reduce consumer’s electric bills. The key finding in the new study is that distributed wind could be installed at millions of locations nationwide and has the technical potential to power the entire U.S. electrical system.
“Solar has received tremendous federal and state support over the last three decades. This new DOE report shows that a more modest set of similar programs aimed at distributed wind could yield huge benefits. Particularly since this is ‘made-in-America’ equipment” said Jennifer Jenkins, Executive Director of the Distributed Wind Energy Association (DWEA).
Several takeaways include:
- Distributed wind power’s total addressable resource potential is comparable to wind farms and offshore wind, potentially supporting millions of systems and thousands of gigawatts of power production capacity;
- In aggregate terms, the resource potential for this sector “exceeds total U.S. electricity demand,” which comprised approximately 3,700 TWh of electricity in 2015;
- “Behind the meter” distributed wind turbines are technically feasible for a large portion of the U.S. building stock, including “about 49.5 million buildings”;
- Major increases in electricity production (and corresponding rural economic development) from this sector are quite possible, especially with policies that have been successful with solar;
- Community or “locally owned” wind power is not assessed in this modeling, but if it were, it is believed to have “significant additional potential” not captured within the scope of the current analysis
“This report is timely because Congress has the opportunity over the next few weeks to fix an omission in last year’s spending bill that provided a five-year extension of solar tax credits but did not do the same for small wind. Hopefully we won’t be giving tax credits for imported solar modules that aren’t available to small wind systems built in America. This new report shows that we’d be throwing away lots of U.S. manufacturing jobs” stated Mike Bergey, President of DWEA.
For a copy of the report please click on this link: http://energy.gov/eere/articles/new-report-shows-potential-growth-distributed-wind-energy-site-power
About the Distributed Wind Energy Association: The Distributed Wind Energy Association is a collaborative group comprised of manufacturers, distributors, project developers, dealers, installers, and advocates, whose primary mission is to promote and foster all aspects of the American distributed wind energy industry. Distributed wind, commonly referred to as small and community wind, is the use of typically smaller wind turbines at homes, farms, businesses, and public facilities to off-set all or a portion of on-site energy consumption. DWEA seeks to represent members and associates from all sectors with relevant interests pertaining to the distributed wind industry. For more information on DWEA, please go to www.distributedwind.org. Follow us on Twitter @DWEA and like us on Facebook.
For more information:
Jennifer Jenkins, DWEA Executive Director
jjenkins@distributedwind.org, 928-380-6012
