President’s Message
By Michael Bergey, DWEA President
The DWEA Board met in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 12 for a day of strategic planning, following the national elections which occurred the week before. We were hosted by the law firm Nixon Peabody, which was arranged by Board Member Jim Duffy. Thank you, Jim. Read more
By Lloyd Ritter, DWEA Policy Director
As DWEA President Mike Bergey notes, there are challenges ahead at the Federal policy level with the coming changes in leadership. Risks abound to programs and policies that DWEA supports and advocates. Risks also present opportunities to step up. 2025 will be one of those years and then some.
As you know, we have an amazing group of savvy and dedicated small business leaders from across the U.S. who come to Washington, D.C., once or twice a year. And yet, that isn’t enough. Let me share a few thoughts on the subject.
First, good public policy does not rule the day without active, thoughtful engagement.
USDA REAP, for example, is a strong program that has always had very healthy bi-partisan support. And yet, it’s recent funding, as well as the IRA’s under-utilized renewable reserve, are at grave risk. Why? Because sometimes D.C. gets into a fervor about an issue or set of issues. Soon, it’s going to be generating revenue to pay for the Trump tax cuts that are expiring next year. And deficit reduction. And shrinking government, etc. That’s all well and good, but without proper and detailed education, advocacy, and differentiation, that fervor can turn into a “policy stampede” which sweeps up good policies and programs.
Second, climate change is mostly “out” for the next few years, while rural and energy economics are in.
DW saves farmers, small businesses, and communities money. That’s the bottom line. President-elect Trump wants the lowest energy costs in the world for consumers. His focus is fossil fuel development, for sure. BUT distributed renewables are another complementary component and fit nicely with an “all the above” energy strategy. Moreover, they work well with fossil fuels, and as you know other renewables. Last but not least, renewable DERs give Americans more of what they want – energy choice. And we can provide energy choice and lower costs by beating China in the distributed wind power market segment. What’s not to like?
Third, partnerships and coalitions matter a lot, especially when you aren’t Elon Musk.
DWEA can’t do all this work alone, although we have a hell of a track record the past several years with limited partnerships in place. The organization needs to be thinking routinely about growing our relationships and advocacy as a team with others. We have a lot of friends and allies, but they also have agendas, and we need to figure out how to build trust and support and help them, as well, with their respective endeavors.
Green Capitol’s respectful asks of our membership during the holidays:
- Please start to seriously consider how you can put Green Capitol in touch with your “boots on the ground,” especially in the Midwest. Senate and House Republicans there know that REAP is a good program, popular, isn’t Red or Blue, and really helps their farmers and communities. But they need to HEAR about it, not just from us, but your friends and networks. GC will know what to do, but y’all got to be active connectors for us.
- Please think about coming to D.C. next year, not only for the DW 2025 event. If not, maybe one of your farmer customers? An employee? Vendor? We can help determine all the details and setup throughout the course of the year.
- Please get ready to work with DWEA and Green Capitol in a number of ways to help preserve, protect, and grow good Federal policies and programs for this important industry. It won’t take a lot of your time, promise, but it will be well worth it.
Thanks, and Happy Holidays!
Distributed Wind 2025 will be held Feb. 23-27 (Sunday-Thursday) at the Residence Inn Capital View hotel in Arlington, VA. Lobby Day will be Wednesday, Feb. 26th. Registration and discount hotel reservation links are live on DWEA’s homepage, along with information for sponsorships. Register today!
DWEA’s Annual Conference and Lobby Day is the one time each year that the distributed wind industry, those interested in the DW business opportunities, and federal RD&D leadership, researchers and contractors gather to speak, learn, and network.
Show your support for DWEA’s mission by signing up to be a DW25 sponsor. This year the Lightning Round presentation slots will be reserved for the first 6 Platinum sponsors. Gold Sponsors will be wait-listed, first come/first served, for any open Lightning Round slots still available as of Feb. 1, 2025. Other new sponsorship options include Lunch, Reception, and Diversity Sponsors.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Regulatory Updates
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) intends to release a request for proposals for the Competitiveness Improvement Project (CIP) in early 2025. A Notice of Intent has been posted on sam.gov. Managed by NREL on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind Energy Technologies Office, CIP awards cost-shared subcontracts and technical assistance to manufacturers of small and mid-sized wind turbine technology. Designed to make distributed wind energy technologies more cost-competitive and reliable, these awards help manufacturers of wind turbines less than 1 megawatt in capacity to optimize their design, develop advanced manufacturing processes, perform turbine and component testing and certification, and accelerate pathways for commercialization.
NREL will also host a two-day, virtual Competitiveness Improvement Project Informational Workshop on Dec. 4-5, at 12:30-3 p.m. MT, each day, for distributed wind energy technology suppliers interested in applying to CIP solicitations in 2025. Speakers will provide an overview of the CIP process, topic areas, evaluation criteria, certification and testing requirements, and technical assistance opportunities. Register for the workshop now and stay tuned for upcoming solicitation details.
Member News
USDA REAP Supports DWEA Technical Assistance in Oklahoma
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Nov. 14 announced another round of investments through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) which includes $101,736 for DWEA in Oklahoma.
Specifically, this funding will allow DWEA to provide technical assistance to agriculture producers and rural small businesses in Oklahoma applying for the REAP program. DWEA will primarily focus on those in distressed/disadvantaged communities pursing projects using underutilized wind energy technologies and with priority assisting applicants pursuing projects under $20,000.
Since the start of the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA has invested more than $2.7 billion through REAP in 9,901 renewable energy and energy efficiency improvements. Almost 7,000 of these projects were funded by over $1 billion provided by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
Events
- NREL Competitiveness Improvement Project Informational Workshop, Dec. 4-5, at 12:30-3 p.m. MT (each day). Register here.
- DWEA Service Provider Committee virtual meeting, Dec. 19, 1 p.m. ET. Contact Trudy Forsyth at trudyforsyth2@gmail.com for information.
- DWEA Federal Policy Update, Dec. 19, 3 p.m. ET. Click here to join Zoom.
- AgWind/REAP DWEA office hours (virtual), Dec. 20, 2 p.m. ET. Register here.
- Distributed Wind 2025 Conference & Lobby Day, Arlington, Virginia, Feb. 23-27, 2025. Save the Date!