By Lloyd Ritter, DWEA Policy Director

I want to first congratulate our DWEA President Mike Bergey on his 50 years of distributed wind leadership! He’s had an amazing career and has a long way to go.

I’ve only been an advocate for the industry since my Hill days as a senior counsel, about 25 years now. The passion we all bring to this endeavor is part of the “secret sauce” of distributed wind’s success, present and future.

We’ve been on a roll the past several years (e.g., IRA, including ITC extension, REAP money, Secretary Vilsack and Granholm’s joint agency “RAISE” initiative) thanks to that passion, as well as collective hard work and common-sense leadership from the Biden-Harris Administration and key members of Congress, on a bi-partisan basis.

But our work is never done. We are fighting for you all the time.

To that end, please note that late October’s REAP funding notice has more good news—it says that USDA intends to allocate approximately $120 million per year for the next three fiscal years, with grants of up to 50 percent cost-share, and a minimum of $20 million per year for renewable under-utilized technologies, like distributed wind power. There will also be technical assistance funds made available in the amount of about $10 million per year. This funding is more than double the traditional funds available via the Farm Bill. It’s incredible to see continued investment in distributed renewable technologies that are of particular benefit to rural America.

And I want to remind folks that—if you hadn’t heard—there is an election happening next week. Please VOTE if you are a U.S. citizen. It’s your civic duty. Democracy requires ongoing, informed engagement from the electorate. And our industry depends on thoughtful policy from our elected representatives.

While the Harris-Walz ticket promises much greater investment in battling the climate crisis, I will remind folks that a potential future Trump Administration might not be “anti-distributed wind power.” It’s clear the emphasis won’t be on climate should he win, and even more clear there are genuine policy risks, especially with regard to the IRA. But no matter what happens, we will engage and advocate.

We’ll have a deep dive on the next Federal Policy call regarding the election results and what it all means for DWEA and membership. Please join us!

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!