Wind Powering America http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/ These news items are notable additions to the Wind Powering America Web site. The Wind Powering America Web site reports recent national and state wind market changes by cataloging wind activities such as wind resource maps, small wind consumer's guides, local wind workshops, news articles, and publications in the areas of policy, public power, small wind, Native Americans, agricultural sector, economic development, public lands, and schools. en-us julie.jones@nrel.gov (Julie Jones) http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/images/wpa_logo_sm.jpg Wind Powering America http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/ 2009 Wind Technologies Market Reporthttp://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/filter_detail.asp?itemid=2788http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/filter_detail.asp?itemid=2788Tue, 24 Aug 2010 00:00:00 MSTDate: 8/4/2010

]]>The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released its "2009 Wind Technologies Market Report." This report, authored primarily by DOE's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, provides a comprehensive overview of trends in the rapidly-evolving U.S. wind power market.

For the first time, this year's Wind Technologies Market Report estimates the amount of wind turbine and component imports from other countries. The study finds that a growing percentage of wind turbine equipment is being sourced domestically, as both domestic and foreign companies seek to minimize transportation costs and currency risks by establishing local manufacturing capabilities. When presented as a fraction of total wind turbine equipment-related costs, the overall U.S. content is found to have increased from about 50% in 2008 to roughly 60% in 2009.

According to the report, 2009 was another record-breaking year for U.S. wind power additions. The 10 gigawatts of capacity additions represent a $21 billion investment in new wind power projects, and enough capacity to power the equivalent of 2.4 million homes. Wind projects accounted for 39% of all new U.S. electric generating capacity in 2009, and wind energy is now able to deliver 2.5% of the nation's electricity supply.

This report analyzes trends in wind power capacity, industry, manufacturing, turbines, installed project costs, project performance, and how wind power prices compare to conventional generation. It also describes trends among wind power developers, project owners, and power purchasers, and discusses financing issues.

Other key findings of the report include the following:

  • Wind power capacity growth is distributed across much of the nation, with new wind farms constructed in 28 states in 2009
  • Market growth is spurring manufacturing investments in the United States; seven of the ten wind turbine manufacturers with the largest share of the U.S. market in 2009 have manufacturing facilities in the United States, and two of the remaining three have announced plans to open U.S. facilities in the future
  • Rising wind power prices and sharply lower wholesale electricity prices make the near-term economics of wind energy more challenging
  • Financial constraints, electricity prices, and energy demand suggest that 2010 will be a slower year for wind power
  • The market is likely to be resurgent in 2011 and 2012, as programs funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 mature and financing constraints continue to ease.

More Information

Some of the following documents are available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs. Download Adobe Reader.

]]>Wind for Schools Curriculum Briefhttp://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/filter_detail.asp?itemid=2806http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/filter_detail.asp?itemid=2806Mon, 9 Aug 2010 00:00:00 MSTDate: 8/9/2010

]]>The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) 20% Wind Energy by 2030 report recommends expanding education to ensure a trained workforce to meet the projected growth of the wind industry and deployment. Although a few U.S. higher education institutions offer wind technology education programs, most are found in community and technical colleges, resulting in a shortage of programs preparing highly skilled graduates for wind industry careers. Further, the United States lags behind Europe (which has more graduate programs in wind technology design and manufacturing) and is in danger of relinquishing the economic benefits of domestic production of wind turbines and related components and services to European countries.

DOE's Wind Powering America initiative launched the Wind for Schools project to develop a wind energy knowledge base among future leaders of our communities, states, and nation while raising awareness about wind energy's benefits. This fact sheet provides an overview of wind energy curricula as it relates to the Wind for Schools project.

]]>Department of Energy Seeks Input on its Energy Education and Technical Training Effortshttp://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/filter_detail.asp?itemid=2805http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/filter_detail.asp?itemid=2805Fri, 6 Aug 2010 00:00:00 MSTDate: 8/6/2010

]]>The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is issuing a Request for Information (RFI) seeking input from the public to assist in further defining the scope and priorities of its education and workforce development activities. As part of a larger initiative to improve the country's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and build a more knowledge-intensive workforce, DOE is eager to create and support education and workforce development programs, specific to the development, deployment and installation of applied energy technologies, to build a workforce able to carry out DOE's mission and advance low-carbon energy technologies.

DOE is interested in gauging the status (prevalence and quality) of energy systems education and workforce development programs at the K-12, community college, undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral level (formal and informal education, competitions, etc. included); identifying the greatest gaps and deficiencies in energy education and technical training; identifying the energy sectors suffering the greatest workforce and professional skills shortage; identifying the most promising ideas for increasing energy literacy, attracting the best and brightest students into the clean energy field, ensuring America has the well-trained workforce for a transformed energy sector.

This RFI does not constitute a request for specific project proposals. The information being sought under this RFI is intended to assist DOE in further defining the scope and priorities of its education and workforce development activities.

DOE will not pay for information provided under this RFI, nor will DOE reimburse the cost associated with preparing documents submitted in response to this RFI. In addition, there is no guarantee that future funding opportunities or other activities will be undertaken as a result of this RFI.

View the full text of the RFI at the FedConnect Web site.

Comments must be provided by no later than September 3, 2010.

]]>Polar Wind Power Research: A Wind Powering America Success Storyhttp://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/filter_detail.asp?itemid=2789http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/filter_detail.asp?itemid=2789Wed, 4 Aug 2010 00:00:00 MSTDate: 8/4/2010

]]>While most of us are suffering from hot summer temperatures, the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)-certified clean energy systems are supplying ice-bound research bases at the bottom of the world with critical power during the frigid darkness of the Antarctic winter.

Later this year, results from systems being tested by the NREL engineering team are expected to contribute to new renewable energy and energy-efficient construction standards in Antarctica and other remote locations.

The most extensive use of renewable energy in Antarctica is at McMurdo Station, the primary hub for U.S. science operations on the continent. McMurdo shares a 1-MW wind farm with nearby Scott Base. In January, Wind Powering America team members Ian Baring-Gould and Owen Roberts commissioned the new wind farm, which includes three Enercon E33 turbines. The wind farm is expected to meet at least 20% of the electricity needs of both bases and cut diesel consumption by at least 125,000 gallons per year.

"During a recent high-wind event, the power system demonstrated that more than 70% of McMurdo's energy needs could be provided by wind with the existing system configuration," Baring-Gould said.

The NREL team is also testing experimental renewable energy technologies at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. The scale of the renewable energy systems there is experimental because the Pole represents a significantly more difficult challenge.

Antarctica's research stations rely primarily on diesel fuel for heat, lights, and transportation. Every year, the National Science Foundation ships huge volumes of fuel to locations so remote and barren that NASA uses them as simulators for Mars. The costs are daunting. A tanker flight delivering 3,000 gallons of diesel to the South Pole costs $100,000 — or about $33 per gallon.

"At those prices, you have to manage your energy very carefully," Baring-Gould said. "Every gallon of fuel you can displace with renewable energy makes a real difference to the program budget."

Excerpts from NREL article by Joe Verrengia:

]]>Energy 101: Wind Turbines (Video)http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/filter_detail.asp?itemid=2785http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/filter_detail.asp?itemid=2785Tue, 3 Aug 2010 00:00:00 MSTDate: 8/3/2010

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A form of solar energy, wind comes from the sun heating Earth's atmosphere, the rotation of the earth, and the earth's surface irregularities. Wind turbines are rotary devices that convert the kinetic energy of the wind into mechanical energy, producing clean, zero-emission electricity. This video explains the basics of how wind turbines operate to produce clean power from an abundant, renewable resource—the wind.

]]>And the Winner Is: Wind Uprising, a Wind Powering America Success Storyhttp://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/filter_detail.asp?itemid=2786http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/filter_detail.asp?itemid=2786Tue, 3 Aug 2010 00:00:00 MSTDate: 8/3/2010

]]>Plenty of kudos mark the release of the aptly titled, award-winning documentary Wind Uprising, a half-hour film that tells the story of the journey to develop Utah's first commercial wind project. The film won the Seven Summits Award in the environmental film category at the Mountain Film Festival in Mammoth, California, in February 2010.

Wind Uprising chronicles common wind energy roadblocks and the solutions found in the 4-year effort to develop the Spanish Fork Wind Project, with a behind-the-scenes look at overcoming hurdles such as policy and legislative barriers, community resistance, and energy transmission issues.

The film depicts the value of wind power and serves as a "how to" guide through local ordinances, grant programs, site development, and a myriad of challenges faced by wind developers. Stakeholders interviewed for the film include utility executives, the Governor's energy advisor, and legislative representatives.

It was written and produced by Utah State University marketing professors Cathy Hartman and Ed Stafford, who have researched renewable energy and clean technology for 15 years. Engaged in local grassroots and entrepreneurial efforts to jumpstart wind development in Utah, the two recognized the historic significance of the state's first wind project, knowing that the success of clean energy depends not only on establishing markets, but also on building social movements for communities.

The film was funded from the Renewable Energy for Rural Economic Development Project, under the U.S. Department of Energy's Wind Powering America.

More Information

Here you will find links to articles about the film. You can also view the trailer for Wind Uprising.

]]>Supplying Wind in Ohio: A Wind Powering America Success Storyhttp://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/filter_detail.asp?itemid=2787http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/filter_detail.asp?itemid=2787Tue, 3 Aug 2010 00:00:00 MSTDate: 8/3/2010

]]>While Mother Nature supplies the resource and entrepreneurs build the machines to harness it, the new wind energy industry must overcome other obstacles. Maintaining an adequate supply chain has been identified as a barrier to wind energy development, yet Ohio has one of the best supply chains in the country when it comes to wind.

More than 50 globally competitive companies in the wind energy supply chain span the state. The Ohio Wind Working Group (partially funded by Wind Powering America) identified a plan and guided the Ohio Department of Development's implementation of a $1.3 million project to identify, grow, support, and market the wind supply chain in Ohio.

A "matchmaking" service allows turbine manufacturers with supply chain needs to connect with component manufacturers in the state. As a result, Ohio is transforming its steel and mining industry base while employing workers to supply future energy needs.

In addition, the Ohio Energy Office sponsored a collaborative project led by the Great Lakes Wind Network, with the help of Ohio's Edison Centers, to identify 300 companies with the ability to retool, retrofit, and replace facilities. These business strategies serve to meet the growing demand for wind power components.

More Information

Locate active and emerging companies in the Ohio wind supply chain.

]]>Boise State University Wind for Schools Graduate Embarks on Renewable Energy Career: A Wind Powering America Success Storyhttp://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/filter_detail.asp?itemid=2784http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/filter_detail.asp?itemid=2784Mon, 12 Jul 2010 00:00:00 MSTDate: 7/12/2010

]]>Stephanie Lively, a mechanical engineering major at Boise State University, became involved with Wind Powering America's Wind for Schools project as a wind research assistant. She is now employed by REpower as a site assessment engineer in Denver, Colorado.

An Idaho native, Stephanie Lively grew up enjoying the outdoors and appreciating the natural world around her. She was also interested in math and science. The combination of the outdoors and the academic led her to the world of wind energy.

During high school, Lively attended a Women in Engineering workshop on biodiesel at the University of Idaho.

"This event further sparked my interest in renewables, and after choosing to study mechanical engineering in college, I began to take more classes on renewable energy, and my focus slowly morphed into wind energy," Lively said.

"Especially after high school, when I moved from Idaho, it become more and more apparent to me that not all facets of the world could enjoy the same qualities of life that I had, and in a way it became my goal to do something that could extend these qualities to everyone."

After attending the University of Portland in Oregon for 3 years, Lively returned to Boise State University to finish her major in mechanical engineering. While there, she accepted a student research position as a wind research assistant in the Boise State Office of Energy Research and worked with the U.S. Department of Energy and the Idaho National Laboratory performing basic wind analysis for the Idaho Anemometer Loan Program and the Wind for Schools project.

Her involvement with the Wind for Schools project also included securing building permits, contractors, and net metering arrangements and offering support to the school and community.

"While the tangible goal was to implement Skystream 3.7 wind turbines and therefore clean energy at rural schools throughout Idaho, our main goal was to inspire and educate people within the community on the benefits of wind energy and prime them (as well as us) for larger-scale development in their areas," Lively said.

Lively participated in the turbine installation at Jerome Middle School.

"This was our first successful project in Idaho in our first year as a Wind Application Center. We were in the process of working with other schools as well when I graduated," she said.

During her education, Lively had the opportunity to learn from individuals with experience in the field.

"My main mentors throughout this process were Todd Haynes and John Gardner at the Boise State Office of Energy Research, Campus Policy, and Sustainability. These men have a great passion for what they do and a wealth of knowledge on the subject that was not only helpful as a student, but inspiring as a developing young individual. Paul Dawson, a mechanical engineering professor and a friend of wind energy, was also a great mentor and offered many valuable connections and insight through his renewable energy course."

Upon graduation, Lively had many job prospects, but she wanted to focus on wind research and analysis or project development and management. She currently works for REpower as a site assessment engineer in Denver, Colorado. Her responsibilities include data acquisition, analysis, model optimization, and wind conditions report writing.

Read about other Boise State graduates embarking on wind energy careers.

]]>Impact of Wind Power Projects on Residential Property Values Webinarhttp://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/filter_detail.asp?itemid=2610http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/filter_detail.asp?itemid=2610Fri, 14 May 2010 00:00:00 MSTDate: 5/5/2010]]>Location: MA]]>The New England Wind Energy Education Project (NEWEEP) hosted the first in a series of free Webinars. The main topic of NEWEEP's inaugural event was, "The Impact of Wind Power Projects on Residential Property Values" presented by Ben Hoen, consultant to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories. The session opened with a brief introduction of the New England Wind Energy Education Project, followed by an introductory discussion of, "Wind Power's role in Achieving Regional Policy Objectives" presented by Heather Hunt, executive director of New England States Committee on Electricity. The Webinar included a question and answer session. This was a free Webinar funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Wind Powering America Initiative. The Webinar was designed for attendance by the general public, local officials, facility siting decision makers, policy makers, and others interested in a review of objective information on the impacts of wind energy. Some of the following documents are available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs. Download Adobe Reader.

Receive Notices for Future Webinars in the Series

If you would like to be on the NEWEEP mailing list to be notified of future NEWEEP Webinars via email, please provide us with your contact information. Subscribers will also receive periodic email announcements about newly posted information on the New England Wind Forum Web site and new editions of the New England Wind Forum newsletter. The addresses and information of those signing up will not be distributed to anyone else for any other purpose.

]]>Webcast Addressing 2009 Annual Wind Technologies Market Reporthttp://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/filter_detail.asp?itemid=2809http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/filter_detail.asp?itemid=2809Tue, 24 Aug 2010 00:00:00 MSTDate: 8/18/2010]]>Location: CO]]>Audio and text versions of the Webinar are available (WMV 22.5 MB) Download Windows Media Player. Time: 01:16:27. Text Version (PDF 170 KB) Download Adobe Reader. Ryan Wiser's presentation (PDF 2.0 MB) Download Adobe Reader.

This Webinar on the U.S. Department of Energy's annual, "2009 Wind Technologies Market Report," was presented by Dr. Ryan Wiser of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the report's principle author. The information in the market report is critical for representing wind information accurately to stakeholders.

The full report, a stand-alone executive summary of the report, and some of the data underlying the report can also be downloaded from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Web site.

]]>Farm Progress Showhttp://www.farmprogressshow.com/http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/filter_detail.asp?itemid=2799Thu, 5 Aug 2010 00:00:00 MSTDate: 8/31/2010 to 9/2/2010]]>Location: Boone, IA]]>Wind Powering America will have an exhibit. The Farm Progress Show is the nation's leading outdoor farm show and features the most extensive state-of-the art information and technology available for today's agricultural producers. The country's top agribusinesses, plus many regional and local manufacturers and suppliers, are regular exhibitors.

This major agriculture event gives visitors the opportunity to see the latest equipment, seed, crop chemicals, field demonstrations, livestock handling and equine events, Ride 'n Drive, rural life programs and entertainment, arts and crafts, and more. Farmers and ranchers from across North America and around the world visit the Farm Progress Show to see agriculture's latest product introductions, meet face-to-face with agribusiness professionals and gain hands-on knowledge.

]]>Best Practices in Wind Energy: Pathways to Developing a Sustainable Workforcehttp://www.depts.ttu.edu/uc/windenergy/pathways/http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/filter_detail.asp?itemid=2816Tue, 24 Aug 2010 00:00:00 MSTDate: 9/8/2010 to 9/9/2010]]>Location: Austin, TX]]>Wind Powering America's technical director, Ian Baring-Gould, will be a keynote speaker.

This will be a gathering of influential stakeholders from industry, education, and legislature. The conference is designed to provide attendees with up-to-date information on the state of the wind energy industry in Texas and around the globe, including:

  • innovative technologies and practices,
  • new approaches to wind energy education,
  • necessary skill sets,
  • and career pathways for employment in the wind energy industry.
]]>Southwest Renewable Energy Conferencehttp://swrec.org/http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/filter_detail.asp?itemid=2561Tue, 24 Aug 2010 00:00:00 MSTDate: 9/14/2010 to 9/16/2010]]>Location: Santa Fe, NM]]>The Southwest Renewable Energy Conference offers thoughtful evaluation and discussion of renewable energy development on tribal, federal, state, and private lands. A diverse range of conference sessions, receptions, and exhibitions will provide opportunities to network and share ideas with leaders in industry, research, and government.

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