CPWEA

CPWEA Annual Meeting to Feature Speakers From Tres Amigas and OwnEnergy

2010-07-30T15:51:00.002-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Caprock Plains Wind Energy Association
Kelly Ayers, Executive Director
(806) 983-2793
Kelly.j.ayers@gmail.com

Tres Amigas and OwnEnergy Representatives to Speak to Texas Panhandle Communities

FLOYDADA, Texas, July 30, 2010 – A free meeting with speakers from Tres Amigas, a superstation which will serve as the nation’s first renewable energy market hub, and OwnEnergy, a wind energy developer looking to help communities generate their own renewable power, will be hosted by Caprock Plains Wind Energy Association (CPWEA) on August 12th at 6p.m.

The meeting, which will serve as CPWEA’s annual membership meeting, is open to the public and will be held at the Floyd County Friends Unity Center in Muncy, Texas on Hwy 70 and FM 786 between Floydada and Lockney.

Nathan Vajdos, a developer with OwnEnergy, will be the first speaker at the event. As a wind energy developer that specializes in community wind, OwnEnergy develops projects jointly with local community partners.

“Topics in Vajdos’ presentation will include an overview of OwnEnergy, community wind, an outline of the development process; and a discussion on landowner options,” said Kelly Ayers, CPWEA’s executive director.

Also attending the meeting, Frank Barbera, director of reliability assurance with Tres Amigas, will give an update on recent progress. The idea behind the Tres Amigas SuperStation is to build the first ever interconnection that will connect America’s three power grids (Western, Eastern and Texas Interconnections), providing a reliable, efficient way to transfer renewable energies between regions.

“Attendees can expect to learn more about how this proposed superstation will work and how it could benefit communities in the Texas Panhandle,” Ayers said.

For more information about these companies please visit their respective websites at http://www.ownenergy.net and http://www.tresamigasllc.com. For more about the upcoming meeting please contact CPWEA at (806) 983-2793 or check out http://www.caprockplainswind.com to find an agenda for the event.

CPWEA is a non-profit association working to connect landowners and local businesses with the wind industry. Our goal is to recruit wind development to the region and help revitalize rural communities. Go to http://www.caprockplainswind.com to find out more about our association and how you can help support our cause.

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TX Landowner Information

2010-07-15T11:56:00.004-05:00

I recently received some useful information that was put together by LaFont, Formby & Hamilton, L.L.P. (Attorneys and Counselors in Plainview, Texas). They've given me permission to pass this information along, so I wanted to post it here. You can find a pdf of the information here, check out their website at http://www.lafontlaw.com/wind.html or simply keep reading.

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Wind Energy Agreements and CREZ Transmission Line Process

Texas Landowner Information

Expansion of wind energy generation into the Texas Panhandle and Rolling Plains region provides us with the ability to harness one of our greatest natural resources. This expansion will have an unprecedented effect on landowner rights. While we recognize and embrace this opportunity, we also understand that it is important for the development to be effective, efficient, and adequately compensate landowners for the rights used or taken.

The major issues faced by landowners during this development include:

Wind Generation Easements and Agreements;
the CREZ transmission routing process; and,
the CREZ easement negotiation/condemnation and construction processes (in the event that your tract of land is selected as one of the transmission easement paths).

Wind Generation Easements and Agreements

Farm and ranch land in our region is being sought by wind energy generation developers.

The standard form Wind Energy Easement Agreements are quite lengthy and complicated, and can substantially reduce your rights as a landowner unless certain provisions are added and others revised. The standard Wind Energy Easement Agreements offered by developers:

restrict farming and irrigated farming;
limit oil and gas, gravel and caliche exploration;
prohibit conveyance or reservation of wind rights;
affect hunting and wildlife management on the property;
could convey a transmission easement without your approval or consent; and,
contain no provision for removal and restoration of the property when the generators are no longer used.

The CREZ Transmission Routing Process

“CREZ” stands for Competitive Renewal Energy Zones. The CREZ process was established by the Texas legislature in 2005. It was created to help encourage development of wind generation in Texas by facilitating the construction of electric transmission lines to areas of the state determined to have superior wind energy resources.

The Public Utility Commission of Texas (“PUCT”) has designated certain portions of West Texas and the Texas Panhandle and South Plains as CREZ zones and has selected a transmission scenario that will bring in 18,456 megawatts of wind power from these regions into the ERCOT electric market. The Electric Reliability Counsel of Texas (“ERCOT”) is an organization that is regulated by the PUCT and oversees the planning and operations of the electric grid that covers most of Texas. However, most residential and commercial customers located within our region are not connected to the ERCOT grid. Our region is connected to an interstate transmission grid that is overseen by a different regional transmission organization, the Southwest Power Pool.

On January 29, 2009, the PUCT designated numerous transmission service providers, (“TSP”) including Sharyland Utilities, Cross Texas Transmission, WETT, ETT, and others to construct specific portions of the CREZ facilities in our region.

Generally speaking, the Transmission Easement will be some 200 feet in width, and will employ a lattice or monopole structure. The TSP’s have been required by the PUCT to identify several routes which run throughout our region. Each of the TSP’s is required to file an Application with the PUCT for approval of the final route. In the event that one of the proposed routes crosses your property, you have an opportunity to participate in the route selection process.

Our law firm is currently engaged in representing clients in the route selection process at the PUCT. In order to participate in the route selection process, you must file a Public Protest or a Request to Intervene within thirty (30) days of the Application filing date for each of the CREZ transmission projects.

The following is a list of the transmission service providers, the counties affected by their designated project, and their Application filing deadline. Please consult our website to obtain a route specific map.

TSP & Route	Counties	Deadline
Sharyland Utilities - http://www.sharylandutilities.com/
Silverton to Cottonwood	Briscoe, Floyd, Motley, Dickens	September 8, 2010
Whitedeer to Silverton	Carson, Armstrong, Briscoe	November 10, 2010
Nazareth to Silverton	Castro, Swisher, Briscoe	October 20, 2010
Nazareth to Hereford	Castro, Deaf Smith	October 20, 2010
Cross Texas Transmission - http://www.crosstexas.com/maps.htm
Silverton to Tesla	Briscoe, Hall, Floyd, Motley, Cottle and Childress	July 28, 2010
Gray to Tesla	Gray, Wheeler, Donley, Collingsworth, Hall, Childress	May 3, 2010
ETT - http://www.ettexas.com/projects/consortium.asp
Cottonwood to Edith Clark	Dickens, Motley, Cottle, King, Foard, Knox	August 10, 2010
WETT - http://www.windenergyoftexas.com/project/intro
Cottonwood to Dermott	Dickens, Crosby, Garza, Kent, Scurry	June 14, 2010

There are other CREZ transmission projects which are scheduled for construction throughout the state. Those are not listed in this letter as they do not directly affect our region. However, in the event that you need assistance or representation with regard to these other projects, we are capable of assisting or representing you in those matters as well.

It is important to note that you have the opportunity to contact these companies directly in an effort to provide information or reach an agreement about routing on your particular land. However, your only formal opportunity to participate in the routing process is the filing of a Public Protest or an Application to Intervene with the PUCT.

The CREZ Easement, Negotiation/Condemnation and Construction Processes

In the event that your property is selected during the routing process, the TSP is required by law to contact you and to make attempts to negotiate an Easement Agreement. These Transmission Easement Agreements are quite complicated and their provisions can have a substantial effect on you as a landowner. If you are unable to reach an agreement, the TSP's will exercise the power of condemnation. Our law firm has experience in representing landowners throughout the easement negotiation and condemnation process.

The condemnation process generally proceeds as follows:

Failing an agreement, the TSP will file a request with a County Court at Law or District Court in the county where the property is located. This request will require the Judge of the relevant Court to appoint three Special Commissioners to resolve disputes regarding the value. The Court can appoint any person who is a property owner within the county. You have a right to participate in this process. In most instances, you should hire an appraiser to provide the Special Commissioners with your position about the value of your property.

The Special Commissioners will establish the value of the "property taken" and damage to the "remainder", and then issue their decision. The TSP will have the right to begin construction once the amount established by the Special Commissioners' is deposited with the court.

Either party may appeal the decision of the Special Commissioners by filing a lawsuit. In this lawsuit, the parties will be entitled to a Judge or Jury trial to decide the condemnation issues.

We hope that this information makes you aware of the significant issues landowners in our region will be facing with the expansion of wind energy into this area. If we can be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact our law firm by telephone at 806-293-5361.

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Here's our quick little disclaimer:
CPWEA does not endorse any particular individuals or companies involved in any aspect of wind energy development.

Until next time...

A Luncheon Trifecta

2010-06-28T11:15:00.007-05:00

I haven't been able to make it down to a luncheon in Sweetwater, TX in quite a while. The Texas Wind Energy Clearinghouse holds monthly luncheons and they always offer great information, superb networking opportunities and not to mention a top-notch lunch! While I'd like to go into more detail about the actual meal I feel like you might be more interested in who was there and what we talked about, but just in case you are interested in the lunch menu I just have one thing to say, potatoes au gratin! Now, back to business...

I like sub-headings so let's divide this blog entry up. Up first, a little bit about who I got to network with at the luncheon and then keep reading to find out about the new economic impact study ("Winds of Prosperity") conducted by The Perryman Group.

Networking

There were several familiar faces at the luncheon. I enjoyed catching up with them and wanted to give them and their companies a quick mention. A special thanks to John with Martifer-Hirschfeld Energy Systems for following our blog. John is always sure to remind me, every time I have the pleasure of speaking with him, that he is still following the CPWEA blog. Thanks for reading John! Cliff with Peak Wind was also at the luncheon and we had a great discussion about small wind and how popular it's becoming. I was thrilled when Cliff informed me that the Sweetwater Reporter had picked up our recent press release about a local group that's building small turbines. Finally, it's always refreshing to run into John and Micah with The Shaw Group who made the trip up from Midland. John talked briefly with the group about issues that wind developers are having when working near railroads and it was great information to know. If any of you are reading this, it was great to see you last week!

"Winds of Prosperity"

The luncheon topic was the study recently released study conducted by The Perryman Group. Hold on tight, here's the complete title for the study, "Winds of Prosperity: The Impact of the Competitive Renewable Energy Energy Zone (CREZ) Investment in Transmission Infrastructure and the Potential Effects on Renewable Generation, Electricity Cost Savings, and Economic Development."

The complete report is quite detailed. You can find it at http://www.perrymangroup.com/reports/Winds_of_Prosperity_Final.pdf if you are interested. Here are a couple of highlights discussed at the luncheon last week. According to The Perryman Group investments in wind turbines and CREZ transmission lines will have the following impacts:

The typical Texas residential consumer is expected to potentially save $160 to $355 annually in electricity bills
$30 billion in economic gains, employment of thousands and almost $2 billion in additional state and local taxes.
Help the state annually conserve approximately 17 billion gallons of water, reduce
carbon dioxide emissions by as much as16 percent and reduce nitrogen oxide
emissions by up to 13 percent.

Check out the full report for more in-depth details from the study. Thanks again to anyone and everyone that checks out our blog from time to time. I hope we keep you informed and at least a little entertained. Now, go find a place to get some potatoes au gratin.

Until next time...

Residential Turbines Going up Over the Texas Panhandle

2010-06-17T11:06:00.003-05:00

As promised, here is more on Turbines Over Texas and my visit with a local duo who is manufacturing residential turbines. Check out our previous blog entry for pictures of the turbine, Turbines Over Texas.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Caprock Plains Wind Energy Association
Kelly Ayers, Executive Director
(806) 983-2793
Kelly.j.ayers@gmail.com

Residential Turbines Going up Over the Texas Panhandle

FLOYDADA, Texas, June 17, 2010 – Jesse Mendoza had only had his small residential turbine up at his house east of Hale Center, Texas, for a week and several interested locals had already stopped to question its use.

The turbine at Mendoza’s house is one of many that was designed and constructed in the area. Mendoza, a local DPS trooper, has been working with Randy Craig, a veterinary surgeon and professor of biology at Wayland Baptist University in Plainview, Texas, for several years trying to come up with an inexpensive, residential turbine that could save locals money on their electric bill. One of the pair’s active, operating wind turbines has been up for several years at Craig’s home west of Petersburg which also serves as their manufacturing location.

“We’ve learned and made a lot of mistakes; it probably took twenty prototypes to get to this one,” Craig said. “We’re a fledgling, un-marketed, couple of country boys in a barn company.”

It’s really nothing new for Craig, who Mendoza describes as the “brains” of the operation; Craig has been interested in wind for years. He serves as vice president of the board of directors at the American Wind Power Center and Museum in Lubbock. As a matter of fact, his father was one of the original wind mill enthusiasts of the museum. Craig has spent the last three years working with residential turbines and perfecting the model that is now going up across the South Plains.

The group is operating under the name Turbines Over Texas and while they haven’t done much to market their product just yet, word has been spreading fast. The pair received a lot of attention when they set up their turbine at Caprock Plains Wind Energy Association’s (CPWEA) Wind Expo in March.

The turbine at Mendoza’s house is positioned just inside his circle drive surrounded by a row of shrubbery, like it was always supposed to be there. The turbine stands roughly 51 feet tall to the top of the blade (44 feet to the center of the propeller) and on most days is busy spinning and covering a good part of Mendoza’s electric bill.

The turbine is hooked up to a bidirectional meter that allows it to power Mendoza’s house as well as sell any excess power back to the grid. The turbine is estimated to generate 6,000 to 8,000 kWh per year, but the Turbines Over Texas team is optimistic that it will create more than that.

“You have to look at it over an average of a year, because on one day the wind may not blow at all,” Mendoza said. “I’m very optimistic thinking that it will produce 10,000 to 12,000 kWh in a year.”

To describe the system as simple as possible, the turbine, when generating electricity, will power the house and charge back up batteries with any excess. When the wind slows down, or in the event of a power loss, the house can be powered by the charged batteries. Any electrical deficiencies are then covered by the grid. When the turbine produces excess power, not used to power Mendoza’s house, the additional power is sold back to the electrical company that operates the power grid.

The Turbines Over Texas group has created this small turbine to be sold at a lower price than similar models on the market. Mendoza and Craig were both proud to say that all of the turbine’s parts come from Texas, most of them locally.

The duo had important advice for anyone who thinks they might be interested in getting involved with small wind. If you are working with a large scale developer make sure and check your lease closely; some developers put a clause in their lease which restricts a landowner from putting up a small wind generator which isn’t purchased directly from the large scale wind developer.

The turbine at Mendoza’s house is connected through Lighthouse Electric Cooperative, a customer-owned electric utility with over 4,000 miles of line throughout 12 counties in the Panhandle, South Plains and Rolling Plains regions of Texas. Bruce Sisk, a master electrician and owner of S&S Electric, has been working with the group installing the turbines and getting them connected. If you are interested in having a Turbines Over Texas residential turbine at your house or business you can contact S&S Electric at (806) 293-9849.

CPWEA is a non-profit association working to connect landowners and local businesses with the wind industry. CPWEA is also interested in helping interested parties stay informed about small wind. Go to http://www.caprockplainswind.com to find out more about our association and how you can help support our cause.

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CPWEA would be more than happy to point you in the right direction if you have questions about small wind, just give us a call or shoot an email our way.

Until next time...

Press Release - The WINDPOWER Experience

2010-06-04T09:12:00.005-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:Caprock Plains Wind Energy Association
Kelly Ayers, Executive Director
(806) 983-2793
Kelly.j.ayers@gmail.com

Texas Panhandle Well Represented at Recent Wind Power Conference

FLOYDADA, Texas, June 2, 2010 – “We like wind; go get smart on it,” is what former President George W. Bush told the Texas Public Utility Commission Chairman, Pat Wood, back when he was the governor of Texas.

At the recent American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) annual WINDPOWER Conference in Dallas the 43rd President of the United States reflected back on key decisions he made that helped make Texas a leader in wind energy development. Bush also noted that if Texas were an independent nation it would be the sixth largest wind producing country.

Texas’s success in wind energy made it the ideal location to hold this year’s annual meeting of approximately 20,000 attendees and 1,400 exhibitors interested in wind energy, and the Texas Panhandle didn’t go unrepresented. Along with Caprock Plains Wind Energy Association, a non-profit group representing those supportive of wind energy throughout Hale, Floyd, Motley and surrounding counties in Texas, several others from the region attended the conference with the hopes of spreading the word that wind energy development is welcome in the region.

Justin Jaworski, Executive Director of the Floydada Economic Development Corporation attended the event in association with The High Ground of Texas. The High Ground is a regional economic development coalition of the 66 counties stretching from the Panhandle through the South Plains and to the upper Permian Basin.

“The level of representation for this region was incredible considering the size of this event. It was a great opportunity to talk up the region to some of the top developers in the nation,” Jaworski said. “We were able to make contact with several companies and remind them of the great wind resources we have and how business friendly we are as well.”

This year was David Foster’s first time to attend the annual event. Foster, a local landowner, said developers seem to be hesitant to move forward because of current transmission constraints in the region and are looking for areas that have collected meteorological (met) data. Foster said he developed contacts within the industry that could be instrumental in bringing more wind energy development to the South Plains.

“From all the developers I talked to it seemed like collecting met data was the best thing we could do to entice them to our area,” Foster said. “With the magnitude of investment that these companies are putting into wind, it really looks like the up and coming thing.”

During one of the breakout sessions during the conference, panel speakers recognized the lack of transmission as a major issue for renewable energy development. One speaker noted that the Competitive Renewable Energy Zone (CREZ) transmission build out in Texas is working to put the chicken first, essentially helping to solve the chicken versus the egg scenario with transmission and wind development in the Texas Panhandle.

Another session featured Ray Perryman of The Perryman Group, an economic and financial analysis firm that recently released a study outlining the impact of CREZ on electricity cost savings and economic development. The Perryman Group found that many areas throughout the state stand to benefit greatly from the CREZ build out, saving the typical Texas residential consumer between $160 and $355 annually on electric bills, creating $30 billion in economic gains, employing thousands and bringing in several billion dollars in state and local taxes. You can find the full report at http://www.perrymangroup.com.

Many experts at the conference expressed that extensive wind development is a national challenge that needs top down solutions. AWEA’s CEO Denise Bode stated that our nation is essentially competing with one hand tied behind its back until we get a solid national commitment to renewable development. Noted in a session on public acceptance, 89 percent of American voters believe that wind energy is a good idea.

CPWEA is a non-profit association working to connect landowners and local businesses with the wind industry. Our goal is to recruit wind development to the region and help revitalize rural communities. Go to http://www.caprockplainswind.com to find out more about our association and how you can help support our cause.

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Photos courtesy of the American Wind Energy Association. Find more photos from the event at www.flickr.com/awea.

Until next time...

Turbines Over Texas

2010-05-21T13:36:00.003-05:00

We are expanding our horizons and focusing this blog post on something other than large development and transmission. Let's talk just a little bit about small residential turbines if you don't mind.

This morning I had the pleasure of talking with Randy Craig, a veterinary surgeon and professor of biology at Wayland Baptist University, and Jesse Mendoza, a local DPS trooper, out at Jesse's house just east of Hale Center, Texas. The two "country guys", as the describe themselves, have been working on the side to build residential wind turbines for several years now. They are working under they name Turbines Over Texas and while they haven't done an ounce of marketing outside attending CPWEA's recent Wind Energy Expo they already have several people interested in what they are doing.

With the help of master electrician Bruce Sisk of S&S Electric, the guys have installed a residential turbine at Jesse's house which is currently producing energy. The turbine is approximately 44 ft. tall at the center of the propeller and it was busy spinning away this morning, producing enough electricity to power Jesse's house and allow him to sell the excess back in to the grid.

I'm working on getting all the details together for a story to be posted on our website soon. Until then, check out the pictures I took this morning....

And just a heads up, all the parts used to construct these turbines come from the great state of Texas. Until next time...

Show Me the Transmission

2010-05-04T10:46:00.008-05:00

Texas may not be the "Show Me" state, but we sure do seem to be showing the rest of the nation how to do wind energy. Texas has become an example of how to move forward with wind energy development. One of the ways we are planning for and making future development possible is by expanding our build-out of transmission lines to reach the windy regions of West Texas.

Class 4 Winds, a wind advocacy group based in Amarillo, Texas recently held a seminar entitled: Transmission - Where We Are Now. The event featured speakers from numerous entities involved with the transmission build out in Texas, some of the them with the CREZ (Competitive Renewable Energy Zones) process and some involved with other plans to make the transmission of wind energy out of the Panhandle of Texas much simpler.

Those who spoke on the current status of CREZ included:

Brian Almon with the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT)
Mark Meyer with Sharyland Utilities
Cameron Fredkin with Cross Texas Transmission

Speaking on other current transmission projects in the area were:

Pat Bourne with the Southwest Power Pool (SPP)
Frank Barbera with Tres Amigas, LLC

Speaking on other various topics were:

Harald Dirdal with Scandia Wind
James Wester and Audie Sciumbato with Underwood Law Firm

I want to share with you a couple of the major things I took from the event. I'll have a more detailed description of the seminar in our monthly newsletter. You can also check Class 4 Winds' Web site; they should have copies of each presentation posted on their site sometime this week. I'll go over two important topics here today...

TOPIC #1 - Protesting and Intervening
Two different ways you can be involved in the PUCT's process for deciding transmission routes

Progress is being made in the planning of the transmission lines for the panhandle and it's important to know how you can be involved. Both Sharyland Utilities and Cross Texas Transmission are in the process of preparing their Certificates of Convenience and Necessity (CCNs) to submit to the PUCT (sidenote: if you are new to this blog/transmission development and curious as to how this process works check out this earlier post). You can find the deadline dates for CCN filings for each line segment that each Transmission Service Provider (TSP) is building on their respective Web sites. Most recently Cross Texas filed their first CCN on Monday May 3rd for their Gray to Tesla line.

Moving on to the point of this topic, it's important for landowners to know that they can be involved while this process is taking place. And there are two primary ways to do so outside of talking with the individual TSPs, essentially filing informal comments as a protestor and actually intervening in a case.

Basically, as a protestor you simply submit a verbal or written statement to the PUCT outlining your support or opposition of a specific project. On the other hand, to intervene in a case you must request intervenor status. This status is usually only granted to landowners who are directly affected by a line. As an intervenor you will be involved in the process in much more depth. You can find more information about the procedure involved with intervening in this brochure put out by the PUCT. It is recommended that intervenors have an attorney to help them with the process.

You can find all the forms necessary for being involved as either a protestor or intervenor on the PUCT's Web site (http://www.puc.state.tx.us/electric/forms/index.cfm)

TOPIC #2 - May 21st - A Final Hurdle
Developers deadline to post Collateral for Panhandle wind projects

Please refer to this earlier post for background on developer financial commitments for the panhandle CREZ if you don't know what has happened to date with this process, if you are familiar with the topic then read on...

These financial commitments that need to be made by developers working in the Panhandle seem to be the final hurdle. Once we get past this last hurdle then the rest of the transmission build-out should be rather smooth sailing.

Ten developers in the region have filed an intent to post collateral, all of them for a various number of Megawatts (MWs). At $10,000/MW it equaled out to approximately $126 million. An interim order was signed on April 21st of this year and the deadline for the developers to make the commitment is May 21, 2010. And if you didn't notice, that's coming up real soon. Be checking back from updates.

What's my conclusion?

Texas is showing the nation what it takes to be the state with the most wind energy development. Transmission build-out is moving forward, so stay informed and stay involved. Check back here for new information periodically.

You can always submit an anonymous question for us on our formspring page. Check it out, I'll be happy to answer any relevant inquires: www.formspring.me/cpwea

Until Next time...

Picture Perfect

2010-04-19T14:24:00.005-05:00

It's been a while since our last post so I wanted to make sure that you all knew we were still kickin'! I wanted to share a couple of pictures that a CPWEA member (and previous board president) sent my way. These pictures were taken around the Sweetwater/Roscoe, Texas area which is home to the world's largest wind farm. It's just a few hours down the road from us.

And just a quick fact, the wind in our association's area is rated higher than the Sweetwater/Roscoe area. With our wind resources and the transmission lines that are going to be built soon it is very likely that our area will one day have more build out than our friends just south of here do. Let's all keep hoping and working to make that one day come soon!

Enjoy the pictures! And by the way, if you have any pictures of Texas wind farms that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to send them my way and I will get them posted.

Look at that farmland, look at that sky, look at those turbines! Ah, West Texas you are something else!

Until next time...

FAQs - We're making a list

2010-03-15T10:34:00.003-05:00

Have you got a question about wind energy development? PERFECT, we've been wondering what questions you might have!

We're in the process of collecting questions so that we can provide a frequently asked questions list to those curious about wind energy development. Most of our members and potential members are landowners so the majority of the questions on the list will most likely reflect that fact, but we are willing to entertain any questions you may have. Are you curious about transmission expansion, royalties paid to landowners, who are the major players in wind development, what kind of due diligence has to be done before development, or something else? Our goal with this list is to cover all the bases of wind energy development and we'll use feedback to narrow the list down to those things that seems to be weighing most heavily on peoples' minds.

The second part of this task will be answering these questions. And once we get the list of questions together we'll be asking for your help to do that to. We are hoping to be as all inclusive as possible with these answers and would love to get your feedback on the questions list that we develop. So if you've been working in the wind industry and have some knowledge you would like to share, please check back for the FAQ list post and leave your input as a comment.

For the time being, please post your questions as a comment. We appreciate your help!

Until next time...

PR - Wind Expo Draws A Crowd

2010-03-09T11:07:00.003-06:00

Here is our latest press release about last week's expo. Feel free to pass it on, put it in your publication or print a copy and carry it around in your pocket! :)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Caprock Plains Wind Energy Association
Kelly Ayers, Executive Director
(806) 983-2793
Kelly.j.ayers@gmail.com

Wind Expo Draws a Crowd

FLOYDADA, Texas, March 9, 2010– It was tough to find a parking space at the Unity Center in Floyd County on Thursday March 4th. The parking lot was at full capacity, packed with wind industry professionals who had booths at the event and others hoping to learn more about the industry and its future in the Texas panhandle.

The wind energy expo hosted by Caprock Plains Wind Energy Association brought in a crowd of nearly 300 people from across the South Plains. Attendees came to meet with developers, transmission companies, consultants and manufacturers as well as educational and advocacy groups working in wind energy.

“The event was well attended and a testament to the optimism of wind energy development in West Texas,” said the Floydada Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Justin Jaworski. “Floydada EDC is currently working to help develop a proper incentive program for wind farms and looks forward to assisting this process in the near future.”

Local companies in the Texas Panhandle such as Turbines Over Texas and Alternative Energy Specialties were hoping to use CPWEA’s wind energy expo to promote their products and services.

Randy Craig is an associate professor of biology at Wayland Baptist University in Plainview, but three years ago he began building a residential wind turbine with other local residents. Craig and the Turbines Over Texas crew had the turbine that they are currently manufacturing on display at the expo.

“Through much trial and error we feel that we have achieved a small-wind residential, rural turbine that will allow more people to assist with rising electrical costs and reduce their carbon foot-print on the Earth,” Craig said. “The expo was an opportunity for our small manufacturing company to increase the awareness of our wind turbine company and its presence in Hale County, Texas.”

Alternative Energy Specialties located in Abernathy, Texas also had an exhibit at the event. Their exhibit featured a patent pending meteorological tower (often times referred to as a met tower) that they manufacture locally.

“Our Tall-Tilt™ 60 thru 80 meter met towers are patent pending technology and were designed and engineered by a local team here in the Lubbock area in 2009,” said Glenn Van Slyke, a member of the Alternative Energy Specialties team. “It was beneficial to be in the same venue with the companies that use our products since what we provide is in place, and many times gone, long before power is generated by a turbine.”

Hill Country Wind Power is one of the developers that local representatives like Van Slyke were happy to see at the event. HCWP develops small to mid-sized wind farms. They are a non-traditional wind farm developer as they focus on selling retail electricity from their projects to large end-users like co-ops, school districts and hospitals.

John McNair, director of land acquisitions at HCWP, said their focus was to take care of the landowner first. He noted that selling electricity at retail benefits landowners, investors and local communities.

“At the expo I met primarily with landowners in areas we are targeting, some who represented target areas as far as two and a half hours from the expo location,” McNair said. “That speaks volumes about what CPWEA is doing, facilitating the introduction of developers to landowners in the windiest areas of Texas.”

###

Expo Aftermath

2010-03-08T14:33:00.005-06:00

I'm going to take a quick break from working on a post-expo press release and share a couple pictures from the event last week. If for some reason you just can't wait to read some details about how the expo went you can check out this article that was posted on the Lubbock AJ's Web site the day after the event:

Wind Energy Expo shows local residents new profit opportunity

You can also check out a video about the event made by Justin Jaworski, executive director at the Floydada EDC: Floyd County Wind Expo. I am going to go ahead and ask that you excuse me for all the umms and other blunders as I talk in the video; I hope it doesn't scare you away from our blog for good! :) Thanks again Justin for the video.

Now for the pictures...

People from all over the South Plains came out for the event. This was the sign in table early on in the evening. People started pouring in even before the designated 5pm start time, but it was just fine, the exhibitors were ready to roll.

Tri Global Energy, out of Lubbock, Texas, was one of the 30 exhibitors at the event. Here are a couple of their representatives talking to attendees about their company. Their booth stayed busy all night and it wasn't just because of the candy bowls!

Here Cameron Fredkin, with Cross Texas Transmission, talks with attendees about the transmission lines that they have been chosen to build in the area as a part of the CREZ transmission build out.

Two of the most visual displays were Alternative Energy Specialties' meteorological tower and Turbines of Texas' small residential turbine. Both groups are local, out of Hale County Texas and we were more than happy to have them represented at the event.

The Unity Center in Muncy got quite busy as the expo got going. We had just around 300 attendees show up at the event! Check out this shot of all those great, great West Texas people!

Thank you to everyone that came out and made the event a success. A very special thank you to all the exhibitors, the CPWEA board of directors, Jon LaBaume at the Unity Center, Justin Jaworski at the Floydada EDC and everyone else who helped make this event possible.

Be looking for a press release about the event soon! Until next time...

Lubbock AJ Write-up

2010-03-02T12:48:00.003-06:00

The Lubbock Avalanche Journal posted this on their Web site yesterday. Looking forward to seeing more about our upcoming expo in the Wednesday AJ!

Floyd County hosts first Wind Energy Expo

ALYSSA DIZON / AVALANCHE-JOURNAL

Monday, March 01, 2010

The recent snow and rain may help area producers save money on irrigation, but there is another natural source of income they could cash in on.

The Caprock Plains Wind Energy Association will host its first Wind Energy Expo to educate the public on the long-term benefits of wind energy in the South Plains.

The main benefactors of investing in wind energy in the region, but may not realize it, are landowners, said Justin Jaworski, executive director of the Floydada Economic Development Corporation.

“It’s a good way (for producers) to have supplemental income,” he said. “A way for them to be able to farm their land as they always have and make smart decisions about leasing out land to developers.”

Landowners, who lease their land to developers for wind turbines or transmission lines, will not use the energy generated on their land. Instead, they will generate money from the metropolitan areas that the energy is exported to and bring more money and business to West Texas, Jaworski said.

He said many people have already agreed to lease some of their land for wind energy development, and the expo will serve to further educate and prepare those individuals for future decisions.

Kelly Ayers, executive director for CPWEA, said this was the non-profit organization’s first big event that will bring wind energy developers and experts together with South Plains landowners.

Attendees will be able to meet energy developers, consultants, manufacturers and educators from Oklahoma, Amarillo, Big Spring, Sweetwater and Plainview.

While the majority of the CPWEA members live in Hale, Floyd and Motley counties, Ayers said the event is free and open to anyone interested in learning about or investing in wind energy.

By having the expo, Jaworski said members of the public can speak directly with the companies and get all of their questions answered.

“The more people, the more networking and connections, the faster things will happen,” he said.

Read more in Wednesday's Avalanche-Journal.

I found it here: http://www.lubbockonline.com/stories/030110/upd_569390548.shtml

I hope to see you all at the expo on Thursday!

PR - Over 20 Exhibits Expected at Upcoming Wind Expo

2010-02-19T14:27:00.002-06:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Caprock Plains Wind Energy Association
Kelly Ayers, Executive Director
(806) 983-2793
Kelly.j.ayers@gmail.com

Over 20 Exhibits Expected at Upcoming Wind Expo

FLOYDADA, Texas, February 19, 2010 – The fourth of March is fast approaching and the number of exhibitors that will be present at the Wind Energy Expo in Muncy, Texas, continues to grow.

Over 20 companies or groups will be taking advantage of the opportunity to set up a booth free of charge at the expo hosted by Caprock Plains Wind Energy Association. The event to be held at the Floyd County Friends Unity Center will be free and open to the public from five until eight p.m.

Exhibitors include wind companies involved with on-site wind generation for your home, farm or business as well as companies interested in developing small, mid-size and large utility scale wind developments. Hill Country Wind Power, Tri Global Energy, P&K Wind Energy and Western Wind Turbines will all have representatives available to provide attendees with information about their companies and answer any questions landowners or community members might have.

Curtis King, director of investor relations at Tri Global Energy, will be one of the representatives present at the expo and he is excited to meet more local people and share with them Tri Global’s plan for developing wind and other renewable resources in the area.

“We will have a model of our newest small wind turbine set up at the event for people to check out,” King said. “This model, the Texas Wrangler, can help homes, ranches, farms and schools benefit from wind energy. We’ll also have information about big wind and other renewable development opportunities; we hope that people will come out and talk with us about those opportunities.”

Sharyland Utilities and Cross Texas Transmission who are both involved with the build out of the Competitive Renewable Energy Zones (CREZ) transmission lines will both have booths with available representatives at the event. Information will also be available from the Southwest Power Pool (SPP), the regional transmission organization which operates in the Texas panhandle and surrounding states.

Alternative Energy Institute, Texas Wind Energy Institute and Class 4 Winds will all have information important for landowners, community leaders and individuals interested in getting involved in many different aspects of the wind industry including the workforce.

Other companies that offer services within the wind industry who will be in attendance are
American Wind Capital, Underwood Law Firm, Kimley-Horn and Associates, Integra Wind Services, AKL Wind Energy Scouting and Land Services, Bureau Veritas, Silver Creek Farms, Anemometry Specialists, and Sage Oil Vac. Local entities that will be represented include the Plainview Chamber of Commerce and the Floydada Economic Development Corporation, who is a sponsor for the event. Justin Jaworski, executive director at the Floydada EDC hopes that this expo will create opportunities for the area.

“We want to do everything we can to support wind energy in Floyd County,” Jaworski said. “Dollar for dollar, it will have the greatest impact on the future of our economy than any other investment. Floydada EDC has been and will continue to support initiatives that will ensure our area is a prime destination for development.”

Interested parties still have time to sign up to have an information table or exhibit at the event. They can register for free by completing an exhibitor sign-up form which can be found on CPWEA’s Web site (www.caprockplainswind.com).

CPWEA is a non-profit landowner association working to connect landowners with developers in the wind industry. CPWEA’s goal is to recruit wind development to the region and help revitalize rural communities. Contact CPWEA by phone at (806) 983-2793 or by email at info@caprockplainswind.com.

###

The More the Merrier - Exhibitors

2010-02-15T12:48:00.004-06:00

We almost have 20 companies signed up to have exhibits at our upcoming expo and we have plenty room for more. I welcome comments or suggestions on companies that we should try and get out to the event; just give me your suggestion and, if I haven't already, I will contact those companies you suggest. If you are involved in the wind industry and would like to be involved you can sign up for free and you don't have to have a big fancy booth to participate. Just a table with information about your company and a representative to answer questions works great for us! Fax or email me a sign up form if you're interested.

Now, you are probably wondering why I'm telling you all this again if you read my last blog post: Free Like the Wind. Well, I wanted to give you an update on the companies that will be there. In addition to those listed last time:

Sharyland Utilities
Cross Texas Transmission
Tri Global Energy
Hill Country Wind Power
Bureau Veritas
Integra Wind Services
AKL Wind Energy Scouting
Class 4 Winds
Plainview Chamber of Commerce
Underwood Law Firm
Kimley-Horn and Associates Inc.

The following companies will be represented:

Floydada EDC
P&K Wind Energy
Anemometry Specialists
Sage Oil Vac
Texas Wind Energy Institute
American Wind Capital
Silver Creek Farms
Alternative Energy Institute - WTAMU

If you have a someone you would like to see at the event please leave your suggestion as a comment. I will do my best to get them there. Hope to see you all on March 4th!

Until Next Time...

Free Like The Wind

2010-02-05T10:51:00.007-06:00

You may have seen our recent press releases or flyers (or at least I am hoping you have, I don't write these things for nothing you see)!! But just in case you haven't here's the deal. Our association (Caprock Plains Wind Energy Association) is hosting a Wind Energy Expo on March 4, 2010. And here is the kicker, it's all free. Free and open to the public, free for companies who want to set up exhibits, free for community leaders, free for landowners, free for people interested in working in the wind energy field, free for high school students, for college students, for babies... okay, I'll stop, I think you catch my drift... It's free! And excuse my corniness but I got really excited when the title for this blog popped into my head so you'll just have to go along with me on this one, I'll just mention it one last time: THE EVENT IS FREE, FREE LIKE THE WIND!

In all seriousness, the event is free because we want to get as many people involved with the wind industry out to meet and network with local landowners and community leaders. Not to mention provide a venue wherein people within the industry can network amongst themselves. The goal is to spur development in our area and hopefully in return bring something back to the local communities.

Here's a little taste of some of the companies that have signed up to have a booth:

Sharyland Utilities
Cross Texas Transmission
Tri Global Energy
Hill Country Wind Power
Bureau Veritas
Integra Wind Services
AKL Wind Energy Scouting
Class 4 Winds
Plainview Chamber of Commerce
Underwood Law Firm
Kimley-Horn and Associates Inc.

And several more are in the works! It's not too late to be included either. If you are interested in being involved you can find an Exhibitor Sign-up Form on our Web site. And as always never hesitate to call the office if you have questions: (806) 983-2793.

For more information about the expo check out our Flyer or Press Release. And feel free to pass along this information to anyone that might be interested in attending.

Until next time...

Transmission Summit Tidbits

2010-01-18T15:38:00.004-06:00

I titled this post tidbits for two reasons:

1. This entry would be way to long if I tried to tell you everything that went on last week at the Transmission Summit in Sweetwater, Texas. So long in fact that you would probably look at it and think no way I'm reading all of that and move on, and nobody wants that.

2. I am going to go into detail about what I learned at the summit in this month's newsletter that goes out to all of our members. So if you're a member, you can it there; if you're not a member you can find a membership application here:
http://www.caprockplainswind.com/htm/membership.html.
Sorry I couldn't pass up the opportunity, but if you want more information about memberships check out the web site and if you still have questions shoot me an email or give me a call.

Now, down to business...
The Transmission Summit held last Thursday and Friday was put on by the Texas Wind Energy Clearinghouse and featured speakers from several transmission service providers building CREZ lines as well as representatives from Southwest Power Pool, Tres Amigas, ERCOT and several others.

Here are a couple of the things that were discussed that I thought were the most relevant to our immediate area.

Developer financial commitments for panhandle CREZs

Cameron Fredkin, director of project development, gave an overview of what has happened concerning the the PUCT's recent docket (#37567) which asked developers in the Panhandle A and B zones to post collateral in order to justify the build out of transmission lines in the area. If you want more background on the issue check out topic # 3 on our previous blog entry: Texas Renewables.

The PUCT asked wind developers to post collateral for 50% of the capacity for each Panhandle zone. Existing operations in the zones that are connected to the ERCOT grid were counted as collateral and after the initial letters of intent were revised the PUCT did receive 50% commitment for each zone in the form of letters of intent (actual collateral will have to be posted at a later date).

Developers who were involved in the process include: Scandia, Higher Power, Horizon, Clipper, Cielo, Pattern, E.On, Iberdrola, RES, and Invenergy. Some developers didn't participate in the process, but this doesn't exclude them from moving forward with developments.

Sharyland/Cross Texas transmission line progress

It seemed like a common theme from both of the TSPs working in our area that for the most part landowners have been pretty easy to work with throughout the process. Both companies have been holding open meeting throughout the area and getting landowner input so that they can put together line routes.

Right now Cross Texas has public meetings scheduled for January 26th, 27th and 28th in Turkey, Childress and Silverton, respectively. Check out their Web site for more detailed information about the routes they are currently looking at: http://www.crosstexas.com/teslasilverton.htm. The PUCT filing date for this line is July 5th, 2010. The line could be potentially located in any of the following counties: Briscoe, Floyd, Hall, Motley, Childress, and Cottle.

Sharyland plans to file their CCN for their Silverton to Cottonwood line would could potentially pass through Briscoe, Floyd, Dickens and Motley Counties in May of this year. Sharyland was selected to build 4 substations in the panhandle located close to Silverton, White Deer, Nazareth and Hereford. All of the land for the stations have been selected and options have been signed. Each option is for a section of land or 640 acres, giving Sharyland the option to expand the subs as more wind comes on line. Sharyland is on schedule to energize all of their lines sometime summer or fall 2013. Once the lines are energized developers should be able to connect with in six months.

City of Garland intervening in CREZ process

Last week was the first I had heard of the City of Garland intervening in the CREZ process. Many people are concerned that these proceedings will slow down the development process. There was only brief mention of the topic at the summit, but when I made it back to the office Monday morning I found that my Google reader list (side note: if you don't use Google reader to follow blogs and key words in the news, well, you definitely should) had several news articles concerning the City of Garland and the PUCT. Here are a couple so you can read about the issue in more depth:

$5B Wind Plan Back in PUC's Lap

Judge orders halt to work on wind transmission project

SPP transmission plans

It was nice to hear about SPP's plans for transmission expansion. We have heard so much lately about the CREZ process that it is nice to know that another grid operator is looking to tap into our wind rich region. $3.2 billion worth of transmission improvements have been approved at SPP. They are hoping to create a collector system that will be able to take some of the wind energy generated in the Panhandle of Texas into the Eastern grid. Included in their currently approved portfolio of transmission expansion projects is a 345 kV line that will stretch from Mooreland, OK to just north of Abernathy, TX into the Tuco substation.

SPP has plans for more transmission expansion, but they have yet to be approved. There is a lot in store for the future of wind development in the panhandle of Texas.

Until next time...

The Future of Agriculture

2010-01-05T14:56:00.005-06:00

If you were a member of your high school's FFA chapter chances are you remember having to memorize the National FFA Creed. Its the first thought that I had when I starting working on this blog entry. I remember a good chunk of it, but I had to go and look it up to fill in some of the holes in my memory. It's been a long time since I have taken a real close look at the ole creed and looking back I must say that while I memorized the words in high school I don't think that I paid close enough attention to the meaning behind the words.

Looking back, the creed in general is very enlightening stating things like, "...the promise of better days through better ways..." and "...the ability of progressive agriculturalists to serve our own and the public interest..."

Little did I know back then how relevant those words would be to me. In high school I had never laid eyes on a wind turbine (yes, I had seen a wind mill, but not one of the modern day giant energy producers) and most definitely hadn't considered working in the industry. Today that is quite different. I have been at Caprock Plains Wind Energy Association for almost exactly a year now and continue to be intrigued by wind development and the opportunities that it offers to agriculture.

Wind energy development offers so much to landowners and farmers in rural areas who work so hard to make a living. For many farmers having wind development on their land simply means a supplemental income that allows them to keep doing what they have always done with their land. Wind development will in general only occupy 3 to 8 percent of the land. It means just as much to rural communities as well providing local jobs and increased tax bases.

While all of this is pretty new it seems like its offering a pretty bright future to agriculturists, but it's important to stop and wonder just what people are thinking about this and other trends happening in the agricultural industry. I recently received an invitation to participate in the planning process for a new research project. The purpose of the project is to find out what people's beliefs, opinions, and attitudes are towards current trends in the industry like wind development, water management and carbon sequestration. My role is going to be contributing questions we have for our target audiences so that the research can provide as much use to people throughout different areas of agriculture. I'm thinking general things like:

Do you support wind energy development?
If presented with the option would you lease your land out for wind energy development?
Do you believe that wind energy is a viable electric generation option for the future?
Have you been contacted by a wind energy developer? What was your opinion of them?
What do you think wind energy development will mean for farming and ranching in your area?
What are your concerns with having wind energy development on your land?

These are just a few that I came up with, but I wanted to open it up for suggestions. If you are curious about a specific topic concerning wind energy or the future of agriculture in general for your area please post it as a comment to the blog and I will take it with me to the planning session for this important new research project.

I believe in the future of agriculture and am optimistic about what the future brings. Until next time...

Public Perceptions

2009-12-07T13:33:00.002-06:00

When it comes the wind industry public perception is a make or break piece of the puzzle. Anti-wind groups are rather vocal and tend to pop up quite quickly. In our situation, it seems to me as if most people in the Texas Panhandle are very open-minded about the idea of having wind turbines in their backyard, but I guess it's best never to assume anything.

Our association is made up of several hundred landowners who see the potential that wind energy development offers them and their communities. Working for these specific landowners gives me the indication that most of our area is pro-wind, but it wouldn't hurt to find out for sure. An opposition free area will only make it easier for wind developers to get through the process of development and I have a feeling that that is exactly what our area is. My feelings though, probably don't count for much; I would really like to be able to make this statement as a fact rather than an opinion.

It seems as if most Americans support renewable energies and wind energy specifically. A National Wind blog entry from earlier this year referenced a survey of Americans wherein 82% favored wind energy developments in their hometown (read the full blog entry here). And of course there is the news that has come out recently about how wind turbines are not affecting property values (read one of the recent news articles here). That can only mean good things when you're discussing public perceptions. All this has got me thinking more deeply on this topic in relation to Hale, Floyd and Motley Counties in Texas.

I spoke at a local church men's group on Sunday and one of the questions I got was whether people in the area supported wind energy development. I could only answer the question based on my experiences and hence my opinion. My answer, of course, was that I believe people are ready for wind development to happen here. Landowners are optimistic about the royalties that they can potentially receive, local communities are excited about the jobs and expanded tax bases the development will bring and local contractors are looking forward to being able to provide their services in constructing the farms. But, the question got me thinking about the people that I hadn't reached or the people that hadn't contacted me about wind development. Could there be people in our area who oppose wind energy development, but just haven't voiced their opinion because the situation hasn't come to fruition?

This led me to think about a series of presentation topics at AWEA's recent fall symposium and specifically one presentation about a research project that concerned public perceptions of wind energy in Wyoming. A group out of Macalester College conducted the study and you can find out more about what they are studying on their Web site: http://www.macalester.edu/windvisual/. It was interesting to hear what concerns local residents had about wind energy, what they thought was the greatest benefits of wind energy, and what mitigation strategies they favored.

My point in referencing this study is to show how beneficial it could be to conduct this type of study in the Panhandle of Texas and to hopefully get the attention of someone who might be looking for at location to conduct a similar study. I contacted researchers at Macalester College and let them know about our area and our interest, but I would be interested in hearing from anyone else who might be interested in working with us on this type of a project as well. Like I said before, my feelings are that we would find most area residents to be pro-wind, but it sure would be nice to have proof!

Until next time...

Texas Renewables

2009-11-16T14:50:00.006-06:00

It's no secret that Texas has become a leader in the renewable energy industry. Texas has the most MWs of installed wind capacity in the nation and industry leaders are working to make Texas a leader in solar development as well. The Texas Renewable Energy Industries Association (TREIA) recently celebrated the state's success at their 25th annual renewables conference, but they did more than celebrate 25 years of statewide progress with renewable energies. Industry professionals gathered to look toward the future for renewables in Texas and discuss how we get there.

There were three topics that stuck out to me at the conference and I just thought this would be the best venue for discussing them. I encourage anyone with comments or any insight into any of these topics to leave comments, please!!

Topic #1: Governor Perry's Keynote

This was my first time to ever hear Governor Perry speak in person and I was intrigued; apparently so much so that I didn't realize the local news station's camera crew that was obviously there. Check out this video posted on KXAN.com; and no you won't see me in the video, I checked!

You can find out more about Gov. Perry's luncheon address here.

Governor Perry was clear in stating that he thought the rest of the nation should look at what Texas has done with renewables as an example. He also noted that should a cap and trade bill make it through congress it would negate the progress that Texas has had, saying that an energy tax would cause all products that use energy to become more expensive. Perry voiced his concern that this new regulation would place our country at an unfair advantage. His suggestion was for the federal government to study the success that Texas has had and encourage entrepreneurs to be innovative.

Check out this article for more information:
Texas Gov. Perry tells renewable energy industry that cap-and-trade would hurt state

Topic #2: Looking at Solar

Now I am sure it is apparent from our association's name, but just in case you didn't notice our association focuses on promoting our area for WIND energy development. Over the past week I believe that I, as well as our board, may have seen the light (excuse the pun) when it comes to solar development and the potential it offers our area.

We all know that the wind resources in the Panhandle of Texas are good, but turns out the solar resources are pretty good as well! Who knew?! The TREIA renewable conference helped me to understand that an integration of both renewable sources is really the ideal situation because (to put it very straight forward) the sun shines when the wind tends not to blow.

I could talk more about the benefits of solar, but I think I will leave it up to the experts as its a fairly new topic to me and I feel like I should do some more research before I try to talk about it intelligently. I recommend this article in Solar Today Magazine ~ Texas: The Next Solar Superpower?

Topic #3: PUCT Docket # 37567

This topic probably wasn't one that got a lot of attention from many attendees at the conference and really there was only a brief mention of it during one of the breakout sessions, but it was directly related to wind development in the Panhandle of Texas so, of course, it got my full blown attention. A representative from the PUCT brought up the recent CREZ proceedings and the new petition that has been filed by the commission which is meant to determine whether or not there is sufficient financial commitment by developers in Panhandle A and Panhandle B CREZs to justify the PUCT's granting of CCN's to transmission service providers. In English, before the new transmission lines in the panhandle area are going to be built the PUCT wants to make sure that developers in the area are serious about going forward with wind developments that merit the build out of transmission to the Panhandle.

After doing a little research on the topic when I got back to the office last week I found that as of the PUCT's latest schedule developers must submit an intent to file collateral by December 4th and then there will be a hearing at the commission on January 21st.

You can find all filings relevant to this particular PUCT proceeding by going to PUC Interchange, clicking on login and entering 37567 as the control number.

Of course they were many more topics discussed at the conference and many great industry contacts available to network with; if you attended the conference and have anything to add about what you learned at the conference please feel free to post your thoughts in a comment.

Until next time...

Events to Attend

2009-11-05T15:31:00.003-06:00

I just wanted to share with everyone some upcoming events that I think will be worth attending. Most of them I will be attending myself! And if I miss something please feel free to leave a comment with event details.

This Month:

TREIA - Texas Renewables 2009
November 8th - 10th
OMNI Hotel Austin Southpark
Austin, Texas

Texas Wind Energy Clearinghouse
November 12th - Noon
Texas State Technical College
Sweetwater, Texas
Monthly Luncheon - Bureau Veritas
"A refresher course on wind project development"

AWEA Fall Symposium
November 18th - 20th
Orlando, Florida

Coming up Dec - Feb.

Oklahoma Wind Energy Conference
December 2nd - 3rd
Oklahoma City, Ok

Transmission Summit 2010
January 14th - 15th
Sweetwater, Texas

Southwest Energy Summit
February 11th - 12th
Sweetwater, Texas

A Proposed West Texas Wind Farm

2009-11-02T11:38:00.003-06:00

I recently received this news release and although there are numerous stories concerning the proposed West Texas development that have come out recently I felt it was appropriate to post this release. I do have a couple questions though and if you know the answer I would appreciate it if you left a comment or contacted me directly.

#1 Has the land for this project already been leased?
AND
#2 Where exactly is the location in which the project is being planned?

Here's the release...

U.S. RENEWABLE ENERGY GROUP AND SHENYANG POWER GROUP ANNOUNCE LARGEST PRIVATE CHINESE-AMERICAN INVESTMENT EVER IN U.S. RENEWABLE ENERGY

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Renewable Energy Group (US-REG) and Cielo Wind Power LP today announced a partnership with the Shenyang Power Group (SPG) to construct a $1.5 billion, 600 megawatt, wind energy plant across approximately 36,000 acres in west Texas. This is the largest joint investment by American and Chinese companies ever made in the U.S. renewable energy sector, and will be the country’s second largest wind energy plant. In total, the project is expected to produce enough electricity for 180,000 homes, create hundreds of American jobs, and generate millions in revenue for local communities.

At an event held today in Washington, DC, Chinese leaders, U.S. leaders, and top executives from US-REG, SPG, A-Power Group, and Cielo Wind Power, LP gathered for a signing ceremony to finalize the largest private Chinese-American investment ever in renewable energy in the United States. The ceremony included the Vice Mayor of China’s Municipal People’s Government Yang Yazhou, SPG Chief Operating Officer John Lin, US-REG Managing Partner Cappy McGarr, US-REG Managing Partner Ed Cunningham, and Cielo Wind Power, LP Vice President of Finance and Business Development Joe Stark.

The ceremony was hosted by US-REG (www.US-REG.com), a U.S.-based private equity firm that mobilizes and facilitates the participation of international financing and investment in utility-scale renewable energy projects within the United States. US-REG provides American businesses with access to international investment options and works with strategic partners to identify domestic-based clean energy projects.

“US-REG, Shenyang Power Group, and Cielo Wind Power are combining investment, expertise, and resources to bring clean, reliable, and affordable renewable technologies to the marketplace,” said Cappy McGarr, US-REG Managing Partner. “This historic $1.5 billion investment in wind energy will spur tremendous growth in the renewable energy sector and directly create hundreds of high-paying American jobs.”

Shenyang Power Group is based in Shenyang, China, and through its partnership with the A-Power Group, is China’s largest provider of distributed power generation systems focusing on energy-efficient and environmentally friendly projects. SPG’s $1.5 billion investment is China’s largest investment to date in American energy, underscoring the enormous potential and attraction of the U.S. renewable market.

“Today, we demonstrated our commitment to clean, renewable energy with the largest private Chinese-American investment ever made in a U.S. renewable energy project,” said Vice Mayor Yang Yazhou, who oversees all environmental protection and economic growth and development of the city of Shenyang. “We all share the common goal of bringing cost effective and environmentally responsible renewable energy to millions of homes across the world, and this project will greatly benefit both the Chinese and American economies.”

“The Shenyang Power Group is committed to renewable energy and we are excited about the growth potential of American renewable energy,” said John Lin, Chief Operating Office of Shenyang Power Group. “We are proud to partner with the U.S. Renewable Energy Group and Cielo Wind Power to make this major investment in American wind energy.”

“Though some will describe this project as a large-scale, U.S.-China venture, it is in fact a cooperation, based on respect and friendship, between the best and brightest women and men from both countries working together for a new energy future, addressing the global climate crisis and creating new high-paying jobs on both sides of the Pacific,” said Ed Cunningham, Managing Partner of US-REG.

Cielo is one of the most successful wind farm developers in the United States, accounting for over 1,100 megawatts of wind energy. Cielo is committed to developing, owning and operating the most cost-effective and environmentally responsible wind power facilities for many load-serving entities throughout the southwestern United States. Texas is the American leader in wind energy and produces over 7,118 megawatts of electricity.

“A $1.5 billion wind energy project that produces 600 megawatts of renewable electricity will be one of the largest undertaking of its kind anywhere in the world,” said Cielo CEO Walt Hornaday. “Cielo is excited to be part of this historic partnership that will not only generate clean, homegrown, renewable energy, but also create a robust economy with new jobs and revenue.”
Earlier this year President Obama and the U.S. Congress created the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to promote innovation and investment in renewable energy. This legislation is clearing the way for increased capital formation and significant clean energy investment. By opening doors to global investment, America is positioning itself as the leader in developing innovative, renewable technologies and bringing clean energy to market.

“It is important to give credit where credit is due,” said Joe Stark, Vice President of Finance and Business Development with Cielo. “Without the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, this joint venture with SPG would not be possible. Never has there been a more favorable outlook for wind energy investment in the United States.”

US-REG’s mission is to integrate renewable and environmentally sound energy technologies into the American marketplace, while generating tremendous returns with a range of smart and strategic investments in clean energy. US-REG is devoted to strengthening America’s energy independence, environmental quality, and economic vitality through investments in utility-scale projects in wind, hydro, geothermal, solar, and bioenergy.

For More Information Or To Schedule An Interview, Please Contact Bill Riggs at (202) 429-4929 or BillRiggs@Rational360.com.

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About US-REG: The United States Renewable Energy Group mobilizes and facilitates the participation of international financing and investment in renewable energy projects within the United States. By facilitating the expansion and development of business strategies through managing risks and complexities associated with foreign financing and investment, USREG provides American businesses with access to international investment options, fosters economic development of the U.S. renewable energy industries and generates new high paying jobs for Americans. To learn more about US-REG visit www.US-REG.com.

About Cielo Wind Power, LP: Cielo is a privately held company based in Austin, Texas, that provides services to develop, own and operate wind power facilities in the southwest. Wind RanchTM is a registered trademark licensed to Cielo and represents the ideals the company embraces in taking necessary steps to minimize the impact of wind projects on farming, ranching and natural uses of the land. To learn more about Cielo Wind Power, LP visit www.CieloWind.com.

About Shenyang Power Group: Shenyang Power Group (SPG), through its partnership with the A-Power Group, is the largest provider of distributed power generation systems in China, focusing on energy-efficient and environmentally friendly projects of 25MW to 400MW. In 2008, A-Power entered the wind energy market and has built China's largest wind turbine manufacturing facility, located in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, with technologies licensed from German FUHRLANDER AG and Denmark-based Norwin, and a total annual production capacity of 1,125MW. In March 2009, A-Power entered into an agreement to establish a Joint Venture partnership with GE Drivetrain Technologies to produce wind turbine gearboxes in Shenyang. A-Power also has strategic relationships with Tsinghua University in Beijing and the China Academy of Sciences in Guangzhou to develop and commercialize other renewable energy technologies. To learn more about Shenyang Power Group visit www.APowerEnergy.com.

AWEA's 3rd Quarter Report

2009-10-21T13:05:00.003-05:00

This afternoon AWEA held an hour long webinar in which they presented their 3rd Quarter Market Report. The report in its entirety can be found here. Just in case you don't have time to read over the entire report, I thought I would share a couple tidbits of information that I took away from the webinar this afternoon. You can also find a summary of the report in this recent press release.

Over 1600 MW of wind capacity has been added this quarter with 436 MW of additions in Texas this past quarter. Texas is still number one in total capacity with 8,787 MW.
The fastest growth in wind development is being seen in Arizona, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Wyoming and New Mexico.
Manufacturing continues to fall behind 2008 levels. Twenty four manufacturing facilities have been built, announced or expanded to date this year. That is in comparison to 36 at this time last year.
The grant program that has come out of the ARRA has proved to be a key for unlocking financing for wind developments. Fifteen different projects representing over 1700 MW of wind have received grant money.
There is over 300,000 MW of wind development in queues throughout the U.S. This represents general interest in wind developments, from developments that are in early planning stages to projects that are close to being fully operational. Over 63,000 MW of that is in Texas.
There are some new names that will be showing up on the top 20 list of developers in the industry when the list comes out at the end of the year.
AWEA's focus now is on what they have been referring to as mid-term action (as their immediate action items have been checked off the list); it is to secure the passing of comprehensive legislation that will create a National Renewable Electricity Standard and include national transmission legislation that will upgrade reliability of the grid and also aid in the delivery of more renewable energies from coast to coast.
Approximately 50% of the value of wind turbines is being manufactured domestically.
Wind development growth in 2010 really depends on legislation that is currently in the works. Many state policies are helping to spur development currently but these need to be replicated on a national level.

That's all for now, until next time...

Wind Symposium

2009-10-14T10:08:00.005-05:00

Advanced registration for a one-day wind energy symposium to be held in College Station, Texas, on October 27th is only $25. Those interested in learning about wind energy development and the benefits it offers might want to take advantage of this reasonably priced event.

The agenda for the Texas/EU Wind Energy Symposium includes an industry update, a customer perspective to wind energy, regulatory, infrastructure and workforce issues as well as a roundtable on challenges and opportunities in wind. The event will be focused around the experiences with wind development in Spain and the potential for university, industry and community collaborations.

Speakers scheduled for the event include: Susan Williams Sloan, strategic partnerships manager at AWEA; Vaughn Nelson, director of the Alternative Energy Institute at West Texas A&M University; John Hofmeister, retired president of Shell Oil Company and founder and CEO of Citizens for Affordable Energy; Emilio Gomez Lazaro, director of the Institute of Renewable Energy at Universidad de Castilla La Mancha; Mark Wilby, Shell Wind Energy; Barry Smitherman, Chairman of the PUCT along with many others.

You can find out more about the symposium click here .

WANTED: Wind Developers

2009-10-12T14:35:00.003-05:00

CPWEA's main goal is to connect landowners with wind developers. Currently, we are working on creating a list of interested developers so that we can provide their names to landowners who don't have their land leased for wind development but are interested in doing so.

Its important to note that most of our landowners have really great relationships with their neighbors, making it mighty easy to get large contiguous blocks of land together for development. Our association is made of mostly of landowners in Hale, Floyd and Motley Counties, an area that's ranked as class 4 winds (just in case you were wondering). Our association has maps available for developers to check out; we have our members' land marked and let me just say, there is a lot of interest in wind development.

What we want to do is whatever we can to get developers connected with landowners. Not just any developer though, it is very important to us to connect our landowners with developers who understand their needs and wants, a developer who will be sensitive to landowner concerns and who isn't merely in the business to make a buck, but wants sincerely to help out rural communities.

One thing we have starting doing is to feature developers who we think our landowners would like to work with in our monthly newsletter. We would like to continue doing so, so if you know a developer out there who you think would be a good fit, please contact me or leave a comment on this post.

Many developers seem to be waiting until the new transmission lines are built in the area before they make any significant actions towards developing a wind farm, but getting your name out there with landowners could never hurt. The first step in having a successful development is creating a good relationship with landowners; we can help developers with that step.

We would also like to work on getting a list together of local contractors or other companies who could be involved in the development process when the time comes. Hopefully we can provide developers with this list and bring work to local companies. If you fall into this category, please contact me as well because other than bringing in wind development to our area one of our main goals is to strengthen our local communities!

Until next time...

I've Got a Question?

2009-10-07T09:36:00.004-05:00

I received a call yesterday afternoon from a landowner in our association (side note, I love getting calls from landowners; it helps me to keep perspective on what our association is really all about). This particular landowner owns land in Floyd County, Texas and wanted to know several things about how development is progressing in the area. One question he had in particular got my wheels turning. Let me back up and tell you how we got to that question.

The first question I got was one that I get all the time: are developers looking to develop in the area? The simple answer to that one was yes, yes they are. The more complicated answer is that while yes they are looking to develop in the area they are all sort of at a stand still while waiting for the transmission line build-out to come along.

So the next question was a very logical one: what is the status of the transmission lines? Once again, easy answer to this one is they are currently being planned. What's the more detailed answer you ask? Well, transmission companies throughout Texas are currently working on coming up with several different routes in which the lines could be built. They are working with community leaders and landowners to develop a primary and several alternative routes that they will submit to the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT). The PUCT will then choose which route they will build. Construction of the entire system is scheduled to be complete by 2013.

The next question was a very straight forward one: so, the lines are going to be built? The answer to this one was simple again. Yes, the lines are going to be built including a line that is planned to cross the Northeast corner of Floyd County.

Here comes the wheel turner. If the developers are interested in the area and they know that the lines will be here eventually why aren't they already out here securing the land? This was one of those moments when I had to stop and say, "well, I am not sure."

Now before I go any further let me stop and give a disclaimer. I know that there are developers in the area who are talking with landowners and even some landowners who have their land leased, but a lot of that type of stuff is done under the radar. Developers don't necessarily want to broadcast the possibility of developing a wind farm until it's pretty set in stone. Even for those landowners who haven't been talking with developers in our area, it is very possible that developers have their eye on your land.

With that said, I was pretty curious about that question myself. I guess you could say I am a little biased though; I would like for all of our landowners to secure their land with wind developers and I would like for it to happen today. Putting aside my biases, I realized that there must be some logical reasons why developers are slow to jump on the opportunity to secure land with great wind potential like what we have here in the Caprock Plains Region of Texas. Who better to answer this question than a developer who is in this exact situation.

After my discussion with a developer interested in development in the area, I found a little clarity. This is what I got out of that discussion:

First of all, wind developers want to make sure that lines are up, operating and open before they move forward with a project. When developers build a project in a specific area they have to request an interconnection into that grid for a certain amount of MWs that they think their project will provide. For ERCOT and SPP this process takes time and there are lots of studies that have to take place to find out what kind of power generation will affect the lines it goes into as well as the other lines down the road. Until they get farther along with the CREZ process they aren't exactly sure how it will affect the grid. The CREZ lines will allow for more wind farms to be built but it will also help with congestion problems. As the congestion areas are taken care of and developers are convinced that new lines will continue being built and on schedule then we will be more likely to see development pick back up.

One other issue is money. Developers looking at large scale developments will generally lease about 10,000 acres. When they are paying $3 to $4 an acre it can really add up, especially when they are looking at 2012 and 2013 as a projected completion date for the lines. It turns into quite a bit of money the developer is out way in advance of ever seeing a return. Wind developers are also still a little skeptical of the time frame for the transmission lines and are generally waiting to make sure the build-out continues as scheduled.

Needless to say, after my discussion with the developer I feel much more prepared to answer that question next time it comes up. And next time it won't require so many wheels turning!

Until next time...

Windy Landowners Seminar

2009-10-06T14:43:00.002-05:00

This seminar put on by the Alternative Energy Institute at WTAMU in Canyon, Texas is targeted at landowners, county officials and economic development representatives. Just from glancing over the agenda I can tell you that this is going to be a beneficial seminar to attend if you are interested in wind energy development.

Some topics for the seminar include: landowner issues, economics of wind farms, the future for ERCOT and SPP and much more. The event will take place on Saturday October 17th from 1:30 to 5pm. Register before October 13th for $30 or on site for $40.

Find out more details about the event here: http://www.windenergy.org/wlo/

Ports-to-Plains

2009-10-05T10:18:00.003-05:00

The Ports-to Plains Trade Corridor Alliance recently held its 12th annual conference in Lubbock, Texas, the very city in which the alliance was formed. The conference brought in experts from all across the nation and a few from Canada and Mexico as well.

The alliance is made up of communities, business leaders, government officials and many experts concerned with energy, agriculture and transportation throughout the corridor. The region covers 2,333 miles stretching from Laredo, Texas into Alberta, Canada; it crosses right through the panhandle of Texas. The purpose of the alliance is to bring awareness and spur build-out of the transportation system in order to bring economic benefits to America's heartland. One of the main focuses is on energy development.

Transportation is key; this phrase became a theme for the conference. That phrase is very true for the wind development throughout the corridor. Transportation is vital for wind energy development in West Texas and the corridor runs right through the wind rich region. In order to deliver the equipment for one wind turbine some eight to ten trucks have to be used. Not to mention the fact that turbines continue to get larger and as they do it will be important to have a transportation infrastructure that can handle the growing wind industry.

You can find out more about the corridor and the alliance formed to support it at www.portstoplains.com.

Also, congratulations goes out to Plainview's John Bertsch who was elected chairman of the Ports to Plains Alliance Board of Directors. Read more in this Plainview Daily Herald article.

Until next time...

Press Release - Transmission Siting

2009-09-24T09:50:00.001-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Caprock Plains Wind Energy Association
Kelly Ayers, Executive Assistant
(806) 983-2793
Kelly.j.ayers@gmail.com

Local Landowners Involved With Transmission Siting Process

FLOYDADA, Texas, September 24, 2009 – Here in the Texas Panhandle landowners are excited about the approaching transmission build-out because it ultimately means more wind farms will come to the area, but what’s even more exciting is that Transmission Service Providers (TSP) building lines in the area are making sure that landowners are involved in the siting process.

Sharyland Utilities, a TSP chosen by the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) to build four collection stations and five transmission line segments which will cover 250-300 miles in the Texas Panhandle and South Plains, recently held an open house at the Floyd County Friends Unity Center in Muncy, Texas. During the open house Sharyland representatives were available to answer questions, address concerns and take suggestions on potential routes for the transmission lines that are meant to bump up transmission capacity in order to harness the wind energy potential in the Texas Panhandle.

Bill Quattlebaum a landowner in Floyd County and board member for Caprock Plains Wind Energy Association (CPWEA), a non-profit landowner association looking to promote wind development in the area, attended the public meeting and was pleased with the interactions he had with Sharyland representatives.

“It seems to me, in all sincerity, that they are very conscientious and landowner friendly,” Quattlebaum noted. “They ask you two or three times if they can help you with anything and they are very knowledgeable. They act like their time is your time and that’s very admirable of them.”

The purpose of these public meetings is for Sharyland to be able to determine what would be the best route for a specific line segment. They will look at using or paralleling existing right-of-ways, while also taking landowner preferences into consideration. Sharyland plans to submit their preferred route as well as several alternative routes to the PUCT for review in the second quarter of 2010. The PUCT is expected to have an approved route by the third or fourth quarter of 2010 and if all goes as planned Sharyland will begin construction of their lines in the first or second quarter of 2011.

The 345kV transmission lines that are going to be built will require a right-of-way that is 175 feet wide. For the most part, the lines will be on steel lattice structures that will stand around 125 feet tall. Sharyland will purchase right-of-way easements from landowners. Fair market value for the easements will be determined by conducting a market study or appraisal of the land. While Sharyland Utilities has the power of eminent domain they are making all efforts possible in order to avoid an eminent domain situation.

Some concerns landowners may have is that having a transmission line on their land will prevent them from having wind turbines. A transmission line may affect the placement of turbines, as general practice calls for a buffer zone between transmission lines and turbines, but Sharyland is committed to working with landowners and wind developers to ensure a proper balance of land use.

Bill Quattlebaum seems excited about the potential that these transmission lines will bring to the area and he also seemed convinced that Sharyland is honestly working to build their lines along a path of least resistance, choosing routes which have the least landowner opposition.

“It’s a given that the transmission lines are coming, and the windmills will follow” Quattlebaum said. “Our vision at CPWEA, ‘windmills as far as the eye can see,’ is going to become a reality.”

You can find more information about the transmission line build-out and answers to frequently asked questions on Sharyland’s Web site (www.sharylandutilities.com).

CPWEA is a non-profit landowner association working to connect landowners with developers in the wind industry. CPWEA’s goal is to recruit wind development to the region and help revitalize rural communities. Go to www.caprockplainswind.com to find out more about the association.

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Terms You May Hear

2009-09-23T14:16:00.002-05:00

Last night at Sharyland Utilities' public meeting held at the Floyd County Friends Unity Center in Muncy, Texas they had a handy little booklet full of all kinds of information available to attendees. I wanted to share the section "Terms You May Hear" because I understand that its a lot to keep up with all the stuff going on with the transmission build out and the wind industry. So, here is a little FYI:

CREZ = Competitive Renewable Energy Zone
Specific area of Texas determined by the PUCT to have superior wind resources, including the Texas Panhandle and South Plains.

PUCT = Public Utility Commission of Texas (www.puc.state.tx)
The Texas regulatory body responsible for protecting customers, fostering competition and promoting high quality infrastructure, including electric transmission lines. The PUCT maintains oversight over Sharyland and all regulated utilities in Texas.

ERCOT = Electric Reliability Council of Texas (www.ercot.com)
An independent agency, overseen by the PUCT, that manages the flow of electric power to 22 million Texas customers. ERCOT's system covers approximately 85% of the state's load and 75% of its land area.

SPP = Southwest Power Pool (www.spp.org)
An organization similar to ERCOT that oversees the planning and operation of an interstate transmission grid covering states including parts of Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana. Most retail customers in the Texas Panhandle and South Plains are connected to the SPP grid.

FERC = Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (www.ferc.gov)
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission regulates and oversees energy industries in the economic, environmental, and safety interests of the American public. They effectively perform the same function for the rest of U.S. as the PUCT does for Texas.

NERC = North American Electric Reliability Corporation (www.nerc.com)
NERC is a self-regulating organization, subject to oversight by the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and governmental authorities in Canada. They ensure the reliability of the bulk electric system throughout North America by establishing and enforcing technical and operational requirements for all electric utilities.

TDSP = Transmission/Distribution Service Provider
Also referred to as a Transmission Service Provider ("TSP") or a Transmission Owner/Operator ("TO"), a TDSP owns and operates electric transmission lines in ERCOT. Some, like Sharyland, are fully regulated and must follow the guidelines of the PUCT, as well as ERCOT.

CCN = Certificate of Convenience and Necessity
A permit issued by the PUCT that authorizes a TDSP to build a specific transmission line along a defined route.

ROW = Right of Way
Written permission from a landowner to a TDSP that allows the TDSP to build and maintain a transmission line across the landowner's property.

345kV = 345 kilovots = 345,000 volts
This is the nominal voltage of the CREZ transmission lines. By comparison, the voltage supplied to most homes is 120/240 volts.

Collection Station
These are the endpoints to which the 345kV CREZ lines attach. They are also the points to which wind farms will connect to the ERCOT system. They are also referred to as "Stations" or "Substations."

Stakeholder
Any entity (landowner, business, etc.) that could be potentially affected by the location of a transmission line or substation.

Moving along with the CREZ

2009-09-18T11:36:00.005-05:00

We are all waiting on something. Whether patiently or impatiently, people in the Panhandle of Texas are waiting for transmission lines to be built so that they can move forward with wind development in the area. First of all, I want to reiterate that things are moving along. Transmission Service Providers chosen by the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) are working diligently to get these lines under construction.

If you are a landowner in the area where these TSPs are going to be building new lines as a part of the CREZ process then it is important that you be involved with them as much as possible. I have had nothing but positive experiences with the companies who are going to be building in our immediate area. Representatives from Sharyland Utilities and Cross Texas Transmission have been speakers at our recent meetings and I have no doubt that their utmost concern is making decisions that will best serve landowners and local communities. So take the time to meet with them and have your voice heard.

Sharyland is hosting several open house type public meetings coming up soon. Public meetings will be held on September 21st, 22nd and 24th in Silverton, Muncy and Dickens, respectively. The meetings will all be come and go events where you can ask questions of Sharyland reps and see detailed project maps. You can stop by at any of the meetings between 5 and 8pm. Find out more about the meetings here.

You can also find a copy of the map which shows preliminary routes for the Sharyland's line that will be crossing Motley, Floyd, Briscoe and Dickens Counties here. If you are a landowner in these areas, these public meetings are a chance to get your voice heard on which line you would prefer. The best thing to do might be to work with your neighbors; if a group of you go to Sharyland with a concern you just might have more pull.

In case you are wondering how this entire process is going to pan out, basically what will happen is that Sharyland, taking the suggestions they receive at public meetings and through other interactions with community members, will create several line proposals that they will submit to the PUCT. Included in this proposal, more formally called a Certificate of Convenience and Necessity, will be an outline of a primary route (which Sharyland believes to be the best route) as well as several other alternative routes. The PUCT then has 6 months to choose the route they believe is best. Once the PUCT decides then Sharyland can begin construction. The entire CREZ system is scheduled to be complete by the end of 2013.

You can find another map Sharyland had available at recent public meetings for the line that crosses Potter, Randall, Carson, Armstrong and Deaf Smith Counties here.

A Post of Facts

2009-09-09T14:35:00.004-05:00

Traditionally, I have tried to post a wind fact within my Wind News blog entries. Well, since I have added a shared news links to our Web site (if you haven't checked it out yet you can find it at on the News/Links page of our site) I don't think its necessary for me to share the same links on our blog. The more I thought about it, the more I realized how much I missed digging for those little nuggets of information that seem to help give insight into an industry that seemed to be ever changing. So, if you have missed them as much as I have then you should enjoy this post. Here are a few wind industry tidbits, enjoy!

WIND FACTS

In 2007 and 2008 more than 50 new wind industry manufacturing facilities were announced, opened or expanded in the U.S.
Source: AWEA 2009 Calendar

Wind is a fuel-free resource and its capitol costs are offset by major fuel cost savings over time.
Source: AWEA 2009 Calendar

An ERCOT study found that consumers would save money over the cost of investing in new transmission lines when new wind capacity is built in the state.
Source: AWEA 2009 Calendar

AWEA has determined that two-thirds of the predicted growth of wind energy generation in the U.S. will occur in Texas.
Source: State Energy Conservation Office

Wind power development in Texas has more than quadrupled since the renewable portfolio standard was established in 1999.
Source: State Energy Conservation Office

The wind industry is creating thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in royalty income for landowners, for communities and for the Texas Permanent School Fund
Source: State Energy Conservation Office

For landowners with wind turbines on their property, some wind leases provide bonuses and installation payments, but the primary form of payment is in the form of royalties, also called rent, operating fees or monthly production payments, usually paid to the landowner quarterly.
Source: The Energy Report 2008

While wind farms may extend over thousands of acres, the wind turbines themselves occupy only a small percentage of the land – generally 3 to 8 percent (one to two acres per turbine, mostly for the unit itself and associated service roads). This allows farmers and ranchers to use most of the land for other activities
Source: The Energy Report 2008

Most wind turbines currently planned for installation in West Texas wind farms are 1 MW to 2.3 MW units. Again, a 1 MW wind turbine can generate electricity for about 230 Texas households.
Source: The Energy Report 2008

I think that's probably enough to take in for today! Check back for more wind fact posts. I think for a future post I will work on a "what people in the wind industry are saying" post about wind quotes. Submit a quote about wind and I just might include it in the entry. And as always, if you have a suggestions for a blog entry please post it as a comment.

Until next time...

Windflowers

2009-09-02T15:15:00.005-05:00

Class 4 Winds has begun hosting a networking luncheon in Amarillo once a month; I have been lucky enough to be able to attend the first two meetings. Both meetings have featured excellent speakers full of wind industry knowledge, not to mention great networking opportunities (hence the name networking luncheon). Last week's speakers were Dr. Vaughn Nelson, director of the alternative energy institute at WTAMU and Brad Christopher, project manager at the Wildorado Wind Ranch.

I wanted to share with you some of the interesting facts I picked up at the luncheon. First of all, if you are looking for a good comprehensive overview of everything wind energy you might consider picking up Dr. Nelson's new book Wind Energy: Renewable Energy and the Environment. The book covers everything from the history of wind energy to wind turbine design, and much more.

During the meeting I believe I found my new favorite nickname for the towers that have been springing up across our great state: windflowers. To me the nickname is very forward-looking; it references the 30 story structures as just another part of our landscape. And from hearing Brad Christopher talk about the Wildorado Wind Ranch, that's just what they have become for them and the landowners in that area.

Mr. Christopher talked mainly about the construction of the farm that sits just west of Amarillo. It was interesting for me to hear that construction of this 161 MW (70 2.3 MW turbines) venture took less than a year. Construction of the farm started in June 2006 and the turbines were operational by April of 2007. Once the foundation for a turbine and underground transmission that connects a wind farm has been built, it takes around 8 hours to get a turbine up.

More interesting stuff (well at least I thought so anyway), each turbine has its own weather station on the tip top of the tower. That weather station basically tells the turbine when to start up, shut down, which way to turn, etc. When the blades are turning they are usually spinning at somewhere between 10 - 18 RPMs, the speed can be fixed or variable depending on the turbine. These particular turbines (or windflowers) at the Wildorado farm stand approximately 410 ft. high and the blades are each 150 ft. long.

Dr. Nelson offered up probably one of the most straight forward statements about what you need for wind energy development to happen. The three things were: windy land area, transmission, and someone to sell the energy to. Mr. Christopher added one other necessity: public support. The good news for our area is that we have these things, with the exception of transmission (which is on its way). Most importantly, we have landowners that see the benefits of wind energy development and therefore developers have less "not in my backyard" (NIMBY) issues to deal with. I know our landowner members are ready to see a build out of windflowers on their land.

Until next time...

Today's Wind Headlines

2009-08-26T12:58:00.003-05:00

Well it's been a couple days since the last post, so I thought I would share some links to wind in the news and a wind fact of course!

Prairie Chicken's mating dance puts Texas wind power at risk

Landowners meet with utility over power lines

Energy firm to meet with public over lines

A battle between wind and beauty

The science gets it right - AWEA Blog

WIND FACT

"For landowners with wind turbines on their property, some wind leases provide bonuses and installation payments, but the primary form of payment is in the form of royalties, also called rent, operating fees or monthly production payments, usually paid to the landowner quarterly. In 2007, the standard royalty was about 4 percent of gross revenues but the amount a landowner receives can depend on many factors, including the number and size of wind turbines installed; the area’s wind capacity; the turbines’ annual hours of operation; the availability of transmission lines; and the price the electric utility company pays per kWh."

Source: The Energy Report 2008: Chapter 11, Wind Energy

Membership

2009-08-20T16:00:00.003-05:00

The majority of membership joined in August of either 2007 or 2008, which for me means I have been up to my ears in membership renewals this month, but I definitely do not mind it! This dues renewal business inspired me to write a blog entry about our dues structure, especially since it was recently amended at our annual membership meeting.

Let me start off by giving you a short (and when I say short I mean short, I promise) history:

When the membership dues structure was set up it was separated into five categories (Foundation, Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze). People could join at whichever level most closely described them or their business. I will give you definitions of each in just a second, but for now we will discuss the foundation level of membership. Most of our members joined at the foundation level. A foundation members is a landowner who hopes to see wind development on their land at some point. When the dues structure was originally set up, landowners (or foundation members) could join for a minimum of $100/year, they could volunteer to pay $1/acre with a maximum of $1500/annually. In 2008 the membership voted to change the dues structure to require all foundation members to pay $1/acre. Since then we have seen less renewals as well as less new members at the foundation level, therefore the board of directors decided to bring the issue back before the membership this year. On August 13th the membership voted to change the dues structure back how it was originally set up.

Okay so maybe my history of the dues structure was a little long, but long story short... Landowners may now join our association by paying a minimum of $100/year.

As far as the other membership levels go:

Platinum members are defined as wind development & specialty companies, consultants, utilities, transmission service providers, etc. Platinum members pay $1000/year.

Gold members are defined as counties, cities, school districts, chambers of commerce, economic development corporation, etc. Gold members pay $250/year.

Silver members are defined as individuals and businesses providing services & products or directly involved in wind energy. Silver members pay $100/year.

Bronze members are defined as individuals and businesses supportive but not directly involved with wind energy. Bronze members pay $50/year.

You can find out more about our association and the benefits of membership by checking out our Web site. Be sure to click on the link to our brochure on the about us page.

Press Release - TX Panhandle Wind

2009-08-18T08:28:00.003-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Caprock Plains Wind Energy Association
Kelly Ayers, Executive Assistant
(806) 983-2793
Kelly.j.ayers@gmail.com

The Texas Panhandle Has Wind Energy Potential

FLOYDADA, Texas, August 17, 2009 – Landowners in the panhandle of Texas know the wind blows and many of them are starting to question why they haven’t seen more wind energy development in the area. At a recent meeting held in Floyd County, experts reassured landowners that there is still potential for wind energy development.

Richard Amato, president and CEO of Venti Energy and wind subcommittee chair for the Texas Renewable Energy Industries Association (TREIA) was the first speaker at Caprock Plains Wind Energy Association’s (CPWEA) annual membership meeting. Amato presented the attendees with a wind industry update, explaining that wind energy development in Texas has come a long way but it still has the potential to grow.

Texas is ranked first in the nation for wind development with 8,361 MW of installed capacity at the end of June. Texas currently creates 3.5 percent of its energy from wind, making it seventh in the nation for percentage of overall wind-generated energy. This year has been a slow year for wind development in comparison to the previous couple of years in which Texas, as well as the entire nation, saw rapid growth throughout the industry, but wind still has a place in the Texas panhandle.

“Even though market conditions are depressed right now there is still a lot of room for potential growth,” Amato commented. “This isn’t a dying industry, there is only room to improve; we have barely scratched the tip of potential for wind.”

The potential for wind energy development in the caprock plains region of Texas is great and offers many benefits, including: job creation, additional income for farmers, and increased tax bases bringing money to school, hospitals, etc. Amato pointed out that the Competitive Renewable Energy Zones (CREZ) process, which will allow the wind-rich panhandle to send energy generated by wind to load centers like Austin, Dallas and San Antonio, is critical so we can continue to develop wind farms and reap the benefits associated with development.

“As a company we are interested in the area,” Amato said. “We are looking for innovative ways to work with landowners to develop wind projects.”

Cameron Fredkin, director of project development for Cross Texas Transmission, also spoke during the recent CPWEA meeting about the CREZ process and their involvement in this expansive build out of the Texas transmission grid.

Cross Texas Transmission is a subsidiary of LS Power Development, LLC and was selected by the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) to permit, construct, own and operate over 230 miles of 345 kV transmission lines in the Texas Panhandle as a part of the CREZ process.

As a transmission service provider, Cross Texas Transmission is already doing their part to help revitalize communities in the area even though they are only in the preliminary stages of the CREZ process. One of Cross Texas Transmission’s goals is to build a Texas based project development team. Through the transmission build out they want to continue to provide employment in Texas, especially the panhandle.

Currently Cross Texas is working on identifying geographically diverse routes which they will submit to the PUCT sometime next year. It is important for them to be in close contact with landowners throughout the region during the entire process and they have opened a local office in Pampa, Texas, to help facilitate communication with local landowners.

“Cross Texas Transmission is committed to communicating with stakeholders throughout the process,” Fredkin said. “We have an open door policy and encourage interested parties to contact us. We recognize that communication is essential as we develop the transmission expansion plan and we would forward to working with landowners throughout the panhandle region.”

If you would like to find out more about Cross Texas Transmission and their involvement in the transmission build out you can call their local office in Pampa, Texas, at (806) 669-3000.

Tom Edwards, a CPWEA board member from Motley County reassured the group during the meeting that wind energy development is not dead in our area and asked members to stay dedicated to the vision that CPWEA is working toward.

“I urge you to continue your membership and urge your friends to join because the war isn’t over yet,” Edwards said, reminding the members that the potential to utilize wind energy to help strengthen our communities is still there.

###

Membership Meeting 2009

2009-08-14T14:46:00.004-05:00

Last night marked a milestone for our association as we gathered for our third annual membership meeting. Now, I'm not going to lie, I really had hoped for a better turn out but I can't deny that the 50ish people that came out were top quality!! Here is a little blurb about went on at the Floyd County Friend Unity Center in Muncy, Texas last night and yes I am going to use visuals! Enjoy the snap shots.

I greatly appreciated the members that made it out last night; I enjoyed getting to meet and greet members I hadn't met before as well as get to see those I have again. Here are a couple of those members at the sign-in table, signing in and getting their handouts.

Look at that group!! Here they are preparing for the meeting to begin and looking over their handouts. If you are interested in getting a copy of the CREZ map we had available please contact me.

Side note: From here on out you can see how much I prefer to take vertical photos!!

Steve Stokes, our board president, started out the night. He took care of all the "business" stuff. During this part of the meeting the membership voted to change the dues structure for foundation (landowner) members back to its original structure. That structure being that landowners can volunteer to pay $1/acre dues, but are only required to pay a $100 minimum.

Tom Edwards, a Motley County board member, took the podium next. Tom reassured the crowd that wind energy development is moving forward and encouraged members to renew their memberships and help recruit others who aren't currently members. He also recognized Pete Laney, who was in attendance and Joe Heflin for their efforts to spur wind development in our area.

Our first guest speaker of the night was Richard Amato. Richard is the President and CEO of Venti Energy, a developer based out of Austin, as well as wind subcommittee chair for the Texas Renewable Energy Industries Association (TREIA). Richard gave the group an overview of the industry as a whole, including topics relevant to transmission infrastructure, policies and incentives, the development timeline and much more. He even gave us a quick overview of acronyms that are regularly used in the industry. Do you know what PPA means? Well, if you didn't, it's power purchase agreement. Thanks Richard!

Our second speaker, Cameron Fredkin had a short video for the group to enjoy. Everyone watched attentively, see below! Let me know if you would like to see the video; I am sure we can find a way to work something out.

Here Cameron is talking about just who Cross Texas Transmission is. Cameron gave us a great overview of how the CREZ process is going to work and how Cross Texas will be involved. The main point I got from his presentation is that their company really does want to know your opinion. Cameron said they really do have an open door policy. If you have suggestions about the routing of lines you shouldn't hesitate to contact them. I would also like to commend Cameron on his fielding of questions. He got a lot of them and he answered them all very thoroughly.

You can find the complete presentations from both of our speakers on our Web site under news/links. Please call, send me an email or leave a comment on this post if you have any questions about the meeting or about Caprock in general. I would be happy to field them!
And I have to leave you with one last thing. I really liked this picture of the group from last night. Sometimes I have to dust off my photoshop skills and black and white looks good on the group. Enjoy...

Today's Wind Headlines

2009-08-13T14:28:00.003-05:00

I have discovered that there really isn't any fun, intriguing way to say this so I'll just keep it straight forward, here's some links to wind news:

In Texas, electricity costs go down because of wind energy - AWEA Blog

The most inaccurate article ever printed about wind - AWEA Blog

Measuring the worth of wind energy - AWEA Blog

Decision belongs to landowners - a landowner's point of view on wind development

New study sheds light on the growing U.S. wind power market

Oncor towers going up to deliver wind power to North Texas

WIND FACT

"Wind projects bring significant economic development to their host communities through property taxes, new jobs, and work for local contractors."
Source: Windusty FAQs

Finally Some Answers Cont.

2009-08-12T16:26:00.005-05:00

Well here we go again. I have got three more answers for you today, so let’s get after it.

And before I confuse anyone, we are starting with question #3 because questions #1 & 2 were answered in the last entry. Which I ultimately decided had gotten too long, so I made you wait a little longer for the rest. Hope you’re not too upset! Okay enough of that, here goes:

Question #3 ~ How much does it cost per turbine to construct a large wind farm?

The most comprehensive answer I could find can be found on Windustry’s Web site. So you can go directly to their Web page and read the answer in its entirety or you can stick with me on this one. I’ll keep it short and sweet for you.

Of course the first statement that Windustry makes on this topic is that the cost of installing a wind turbine depends on a lot of things. These vary from the location of the project, the contracts involved, financing costs, the size of the project, etc. In general they state that in 2007 a commercial scale turbine cost somewhere between $1.2 million to $2.6 million per MW. The example they gave stated that a 2 MW turbine (one of the most common sizes) cost about $3.5 million to install.

Now that you have my short and sweet answer I recommend that you check out Windusty’s Web site if you need more in-depth stuff.

Question #4 ~ Who are the developers, manufacturers that are keeping the wind industry going? Are most of them foreign companies?

So this question gave me a little trouble. I could easily give my opinion on the matter, but I wanted it to be supported by other sources. I will start with my opinion and I encourage anyone who is better versed in the topic to add their thoughts by posting a comment. Here’s what I can make of the situation; suppliers and manufacturing facilities in the United States are growing as is the entire wind industry. It is true that a lot of developers and so on aren’t based in the U.S., but many of them have begun building facilities here. At some point a lot of countries jumped ahead of the United States in wind energy development and therefore we are currently playing catch-up in that sector. I believe the wind industry offers a lot of potential to our country right now, the potential for new businesses and new job opportunities. We have a lot to learn from what other countries have done in wind.

One article I found gave a lot of information on the status of wind turbine manufacturing both worldwide and specific to the United States. It states that most turbines are imported from Europe and Asia, but that turbine parts made in the U.S. grew to 50% in 2008, up from less than 30% in 2005. It also goes into how the recent stimulus act might help the industry. You can read the entire article here: U.S. Wind Turbine Manufacturing Will Increase

Question # 5 ~ How much per mile does the construction of the new transmission lines in our area cost?

This one was easy for me to answer because Tom Gray, AWEA’s Director of Communications was kind enough to leave a comment on one of my previous blog entries. Therefore I will quote him directly, “Hi, the CREZ lines are 2,400 miles in length and will cost $4.9 billion, so the cost per mile is about $2 million.” Thanks Tom!

Alrighty!! Well I finally got that all worked out. Hope that I was thorough enough for your taste and that you made it this far along without having to take a quick nap. Once again, and I can’t say it enough, if you have comments or any input please post it as a comment. Until next time…

Finally Some Answers

2009-08-11T10:54:00.003-05:00

Please excuse the late update on the answers to questions I previously posted, but, late or not, here they are:

Question # 1 ~ What is the feasible percentage of electricity in our nation that can come from wind (not all renewables, but just wind)?

I have found a couple different perspectives on this topic and therefore I will provide you with a couple different views (along with links to the corresponding articles) so that you can decide which you think is more feasible.

According to a report put out by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), wind has the potential to provide 20% of U.S. electricity by 2030. This type of growth in wind energy development would mean that several current hurdles would have to be jumped. Hurdles include reducing the cost of wind technologies, improving transmission infrastructure and developing domestic manufacturing. You can read more about the report here: http://www.energy.gov/news/6253.htm

Another article posted on treehugger.com shows a reveals some more optimistic outlooks for wind and renewables. From the most extreme, Al Gore's vision of 100% U.S. electricity from renewables in the next ten years, to Professor Peter Lund's projection that 40% of electricity could come from renewables by 2050. From that 40%, 25% could be generated wind with 20% of that from offshore wind development. Find out more in the article at www.treehugger.com.

Question #2 ~ What is this we keep hearing about issues with prairie chickens?

Here's how we are going to handle this one. I will give you my opinion and then some links to articles for you to get some more insight into the situation.

In my opinion, and you can determine its worth, we need to make sure we are environmentally responsible with any new technology or foreign object that we introduce into an ecosystem. On the other hand, you really have to make a pros and cons list for this type of thing. From what I can tell, our nation really needs wind energy development for so many reasons. The answer to this dilemma really is responsible planning. This topic just emphasizes the necessity to perform environmental studies and fatal flaw analyzes before the wind farm is sited. Wind energy development of the scale we are seeing today is so new that its also important to continue to do studies on the effects of development so that those effects can be minimized. The answer really is for wind energy developers to work with entities like the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to lessen the effects of wind development on the prairie chicken and other affected species and environments.

Here are some links to get some more information:
Wind and Wildlife: Panhandle Power
Prairie Grouse Could Hamper Wind Energy Growth

WHEW! I have just come to the conclusion that answering all five questions in one post is going to make for one long entry. So, I will leave you with this today. Check back in the next couple of days for answers to questions 3-5. And please don't hesitate to post additional questions you have or comments on my answers. I welcome them!

Today's Wind Headlines

2009-08-10T11:18:00.002-05:00

Current Headlines:

Company working with Tech on new wind farm

U.S. Used Less Energy in 2008 But More Renewable Energy

Wind and wildlife: Panhandle Power

WIND FACT
"Electricity being generated by the nation's existing wind power fleet would require burning more than 29 million tons of coal or 90 million barrels of oil per year."
Source: AWEA's 2009 Calendar

Follow Us/Be A Fan

2009-08-10T10:06:00.004-05:00

Online social networks have become all the rage and while they can be overwhelming at times there is no denying that they do have benefits. So it just seems fitting to use our blog to promote our involvement in these networking sites. You can follow CPWEA on twitter and become a fan on Facebook. Either way you can get current updates on news and upcoming events. It's just another way we can help make connections between landowners, developers and others involved in the wind industry.

If you're on twitter:
Follow CPWEA at www.twitter.com/cpwea

If you're on facebook:
Search for Caprock Plains Wind Energy Association and click become a fan.

If you want to find out more about becoming a member of our association. Please visit the membership page on our web site.

In the Lions Den Once Again

2009-08-05T15:19:00.004-05:00

First of all I would like to give this disclaimer: Answers to the previous post's questions will be posted soon; I am working on being thorough. Feel free to post your opinion on any of them as a comment. With that said...

I spent another day in a Lions den this afternoon. The Plainview Lions Club had me as their speaker and I couldn't have been more excited with the turnout. This is my 4th Lions club experience this summer and it was by far the largest. It seems as if before each meeting I get the usual warning about how its summer and the attendance at meetings is always low this time of year. I wouldn't have known the difference looking out on the crowd from the podium at the front of the room today, there weren't many empty seats.

Now when Brent Richburg, Ash Middle School Principal and previous Boss Lion, informed me that there would be around 60 attendees I must admit that my stomach did a little flip. My nerves were quickly put to rest during the "meet and greet" part of the meeting. It was easy to tell these were quality people who were genuinely interested in my presentation topic. The wide array of professions represented at these club meetings always astounds me and while I hope that everyone benefits from my presentation, I know that I always benefit from the conversions had and contacts made afterward.

So to my point of this entry: I would like to add another question to the list presented in the previous entry. I hated that I couldn't answer this question on the spot today in Plainview so I want to do some research and come back to it:

Question #5 - How much per mile does the construction of the new transmission lines in our area cost?

If you have an answer please post it as a comment. I will be coming back to answers questions 1-5 soon, be checking back!

Good Questions

2009-07-29T13:58:00.004-05:00

So far I have come to realize two things during my recent stint giving presentations to local clubs: 1. almost everyone in our area is interested in wind energy and 2. members of these clubs have good questions.

My experience with the Abernathy Lions Club on July 28th was just as positive as my previous two experiences with local clubs. Of course the first reoccurring theme that I noticed is the great quality food served up for lunch! But once again this crowd had me on my toes, asking great questions after the conclusion of my formal presentation.

Since this group had such great questions I am came back to the office determined to go get some more in-depth information on the topics that came up.

Here are the questions I not only wanted to post for your benefit, but I wanted to research them in more depth for myself so I can answer these type of questions better next time.

1. What is the feasible percentage of electricity in our nation that can come from wind (not all renewables, but just wind)?

2. What is this we keep hearing about issues with prairie chickens?

3. How much does it cost per turbine to construct a large wind farm?

4. Who are the developers, manufacturing that are keeping the wind industry going? Are most of them foreign companies?

Be looking for my answers after I take a little time to do some more research, but in the meantime post any ideas you have. Please submit any questions or insight as a comment to this blog.

And I don't want to leave out my experience at the Floydada Lions Club on July 30th! The people and food there were just as great; there are several people in that group who are good contacts for our association and I was honored to speak with them. Let's just say I took a membership application out with me that day.

Today's Wind Headlines

2009-07-28T15:58:00.004-05:00

Check out the links below:

Wind Power So Expensive? Not

Fighting Against Impact of Economic Crisis, U.S. Wind Energy Industry Installs 1200 MW in Second Qtr.

West Texas wind power waits for power lines

WIND FACT

What is community wind?

"Locally-owned, commercial-scale wind projects that optimize local benefits. Locally-owned means that one or more members of the local community has a significant direct financial stake in the project other than through land lease payments, tax revenue, or other payments in lieu of taxes. The term "community wind" refers to the method and intention of development rather than the size of the project."
Source: Windustry: Community-Wind

Talkin' Wind

2009-07-24T14:59:00.006-05:00

This afternoon I took a hop, skip and a jump over to Lockney, Texas. A mere 15 minutes from my office here in Floydada, it was well worth it to speak to an interested group who served me some home cooking. Lockney's Rotary Club meets every Friday over lunch and I was more than happy to be their guest speaker! And I felt especially lucky to make it over for the fish fry!

While there were only a select few who were able to make it out to the meeting this particular afternoon, I was happy as the audience was genuinely interested, the discussion and questions that followed my formal presentation proved this to be true. It would be my pleasure to speak to this group again and I hope I am invited again in the very near future. I look forward to meeting those members of the group who missed out on the delicious meal today. Cherry cobbler, need I say more?

Okay so down to business...
Here's a little bit about what I talked with Lockney's Rotary Club about. It's always fun for me to start out with a couple straight up facts about wind development. I tried to find things to present that most landowners are usually curious about, like how many 1.5 MW turbines can you generally fit on a section of land or how much a landowner can typically make in royalties each year. And just in case you are curious, six and between $2500 - $5000 per turbine per year (usually).

And of course its important to talk a little bit about where wind energy has come from. In summary, the wind industry has been on quite a roller coaster for many years now, but the good news is that many of the stars are aligning for wind.

Now we talk a little bit about why Caprock's footprint is ideal for wind development:
1. We are located in close proximity to two grid operators (ERCOT and SPP)

2. We have Class 4 Winds (Sweetwater area has Class 3)3. The transmission build out in our area has already begun

Wanna know more? Contact me about being a speaker for your next event/meeting.

Today's Wind Headlines

2009-07-21T15:35:00.003-05:00

Just another quick reminder for members: the annual membership meeting will be on August 13th at 7pm (sign-in starting at 6:30). Featured speakers will include representatives from Venti Energy and Cross Texas Transmission. Plus don't forget we are voting on changing the membership dues structure. Contact the office for more information.

Check out links below for some recent wind news:

Saving Rural America, One Small Town at a Time - City of Matador leases land for wind development

Renewable Electricity Standard Won't Create Jobs Unless Strengthened

2008 Wind Technologies Market Report

Myth: Wind Farms Pose High Risk to Birds and Other Wildlife - National Wind Blog

WIND FACT

"The Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS) would require each company that generates electricity in the U.S., or in a given state, to obtain part of the electricity it supplies from renewable energy sources such as wind. To meet this requirement, the company could either generate electricity from renewables itself or buy credits or electricity from a renewable generator such as a wind farm. This "credit trading" system has been used effectively by the federal Clean Air Act to require utilities to reduce pollutant emissions."

Source: AWEA: Wind Energy Policy Issues

Today's Wind Headlines

2009-07-14T13:41:00.002-05:00

There's a lot going on in the wind industry! Check out these links for some current headlines:

Pampa's Future Role in the Wind Industry

Climate Legislation now faces Senate Heat

Wind Energy Promotion Act Introduced in Congress

The Benefits of a "Transmission Superhighway"

What Happened to the Wind? Actually, Nothing Happened - AWEA Blog

PUCT Proceedings - Project No. 34577 - proceedings to establish policy relationg to excess development in competitive renewable energy zones

If you are a member...
Don't miss the annual membership meeting to be held August 13th, 7pm at the Floyd County Friends Unity Center. We will be voting on some important issues and there will be featured speakers you don't want to miss. Contact the office with any questions.

Today's Wind Headlines

2009-07-10T13:37:00.003-05:00

Several links today, enjoy:

20% Wind Report Card: B Overall, Transmission lags at C-

Guidelines for Renewable Energy funding Released

U.S. Wind Energy Industry Welcomes Renewable Energy Grant Guidance Issued by Treasury

Transmission Holding Back Not Only Pickens' Plans But All US Wind

USDA Grants Small Wind Turbine Funding for Farmers

WIND FACT

"In 2008, with over 8,500 megawatts (MW) installed, wind power provided 42% of all the new generating capacity added in the U.S., according to initial estimates, up from less than 2% of new capacity added in 2004."
Source: Power of Wind, Fact Sheets

Today's Wind Headlines

2009-07-07T15:49:00.003-05:00

Just a couple of headlines that are definitely worth checking out:

Pickens paring down wind farm project

House and Senate Move to address Climate and Energy: Mixed Bag for Clean Energy

WIND FACT

"If your land is wind class 3 or higher, clear of trees and buildings, and higher than surrounding obstructions, then you can confidently look further into your wind project. You will then need to undertake some site-specific meteorological studies which will help you and your banker determine the economic feasibility of the project."

Source: Windustry - Introduction to Wind Development

Curious About Wind?

2009-07-02T11:04:00.006-05:00

CPWEA wants to make sure that our local communities stay informed about what's going on in the wind energy industry. One way we are working to do this is by giving presentations at local clubs. If you are a member of a local club (lions, rotary, etc.) and are looking for a speaker to fill your agenda please contact us!

My name is Kelly Ayers (CPWEA executive assistant) and I would be more than happy to speak to your group. You can reach me by email at kelly.j.ayers@gmail.com or by phone at 806-983-2793! The presentation would include an overview/history of wind energy in our country, details on what's going on with wind energy in our area and nationally, plus a little bit about our association and what our goals are for the future of wind development in our area.

Today's Wind Headlines

2009-07-02T10:55:00.002-05:00

Here are a couple headlines for you before you take a break to celebrate the 4th!

NACEL Energy Announces Fifth Texas Wind Project

Obama Administration on Rural Tour

Setting the Record Straight: Costs of Wind Vs. Nuclear Power - AWEA Blog

Getting the Most From Wind - National Wind Blog

Enjoy the holiday!

Symposium Snapshots

2009-07-01T12:57:00.008-05:00

Here are some pictures from last weeks symposium; we were very pleased with the turnout! The Floyd County Unity Center is a great venue! Thanks to all those who attended.

Larry Hoyle, board member from Motley County assists at the sign in table. We had a great group of landowner from across the area show up and they brought great questions for our presenters.

Featured speakers were getting acquainted while waiting for attendees to filter in.We had to add additional chairs as those we had set up in preparation for the event turned out to be inadequate! We welcomed the crowd!

Board members Bill Quattlebaum (Floyd County) and Jimmy Lewis (Hale County) chat with Jon LaBaume (manager of the Unity Center) before the presentations began. Many city officials, landowners and other influential community members took the opportunity to chat amongst themselves while waiting for the symposium to begin as well.

Steve Stokes, President of the CPWEA Board, opened the meeting by thanking the attendees and reminding CPWEA members about an upcoming membership meeting to take place in August. Stokes informed the audience that the association is proposing a change to its dues structure and asked that members make sure and come out to vote.

The first speaker of the night was John Sullivan, Senior Geologist for The Shaw Group's environmental division. He spoke to the group about fatal flaw analysis, environmental studies and other issues that should be addressed before jumping into a wind development. He talked about make or break issues for wind development.

Our second speaker was Brian Almon from the Public Utiltity Commission of Texas (PUCT). The PUCT selected the transmission service providers who will be building the transmission lines across Texas. They will also be actively involved in route selection. Almon gave the audience an overview of how the process works.

Finally, our third speaker for the evening was Mark Caskey, Vice President of Operations at Sharyland Utilties. Caskey talked about where Sharyland was in their process of building out transmission in the Texas panhandle. Sharyland will be building lines in Carson, Randall, Armstrong, Castro, Swisher, Briscoe, Floyd, Motley and Dickens Counties.

Thanks again to all those who attended. You can find a link to speakers presentations and handouts from the event on Caprock's Web site at http://www.caprockplainswind.com/htm/NewsLinks.html under Caprock News.

Be looking for posts on future events!

Today's Wind Headlines

2009-06-30T16:34:00.002-05:00

Here's some headlines from the past couple days:

House passes climate bill

AWEA Statement on House Passage of Energy and Climate Legislation

ITC: House Climate Bill Lacks Necessary Transmission Reforms

How Utilities Integrate Wind Energy

The House of Representatives Passes an RES - National Wind Blog

And don't miss these releases about the CPWEA symposium last week!! ...

CPWEA Hosts Wind Symposium, Provides Updates

Floyd County Wind Energy Symposium Fairs Well

A Good Turn Out!

2009-06-26T14:15:00.003-05:00

CPWEA's symposium held last night in Floyd County had a great turn out. Wanted to post a quick entry thanking all those who came out; we had close to 100 attendees. Also, thank you to the representatives that came in from Sharyland Utilities, the Public Utility Commission and The Shaw Group; you all did a great job!

Did you miss the event? No problem! Just send me a quick email and I would be happy to share with you the materials from last night. We have a brochure for landowners brought by Brian Almon of the PUCT as well as the powerpoint presentations from both the PUCT and Sharyland.

Be looking for pictures from the event coming soon!

Wind Symposium, Free and Open to the Public

2009-06-24T14:06:00.005-05:00

You are probably already well aware that transmission service providers (TSPs) have begun planning to build new transmission lines throughout Texas. The goal of this build out being to harness the wind energy potential in West Texas and move that power to urban areas like San Antonio, Austin and Dallas. The Public Utility Commission of Texas selected several companies in January of this year and designated each of them specific areas in which they will build lines.

What you may not know is what happens next. There are several steps that must take place before the lines will actually start being built. During these preliminary steps are when landowners have the opportunity to get their voices heard. Come and check out our event to find out directly from the source what the timeline for transmission line build out looks like currently and how you can get involved.

CPWEA's event:
A Symposium:
Preparing for Wind
will feature speakers from the Public Utility Commission of Texas, Sharyland Utilities and The Shaw Group. The event is free and open to the public. Sign-in starts at 6:30 tomorrow (June 25th) at the Floyd County Friends Unity Center on HWY 70 between Floydada and Lockney, Texas! To find out more check out our press release and spread the word.

Today's Wind Headlines

2009-06-22T15:35:00.002-05:00

A couple of recent headlines:

If you have land in Briscoe, Carson, Cottle, Childress, Collingsworth, Donley, Gray or Hall County you might be interested in checking this out:
Cross Texas Transmission Public Meetings
Cross Texas will be building transmission lines in the counties mentioned above as a part of the CREZ build out.

AWEA Applauds FERC Decision on Transmission Cost Allocation in Southwest Power Pool

Scandia Wind Southwest Announces Mariah Project - (Parmer County, Texas)

WIND FACT
"The U.S. currently lacks a modern interstate electricity transmission grid to deliver the clean electricity generated in remote locations to customers in heavily populated areas of the country. This is perhaps the biggest obstacle to the long-term growth of wind power and other renewables."
Source: Power of Wind: Current Issues

Today's Wind Headlines

2009-06-17T14:32:00.003-05:00

I haven't posted wind news links in the last couple of days as I have been pretty swamped with preparations for our free symposium on wind energy. The first link below has more details about the event.

Free Symposium to Highlight Wind Energy Issues

Area's Potential strong for alternative energy

Parmer County eyed for giant wind farm

National Wind Blog - some interesting blog posts.

WIND FACT

"The most common turbine installed in 2008 was the GE 1.5-MW turbine, which has a 70.5- to 77-meter rotor diameter on a tower with heights ranging from 52.6 to 100 meters."

Source: AWEA: Fact Sheet, Wind Industry Value Chain

Today's Wind Headlines

2009-06-11T17:44:00.002-05:00

Wind news links:

Frequently asked questions on wind energy

Show Your Support for Wind Energy on Global Wind Day, June 15

Will wind energy follow ethanol's path?

2009 Texas Legislative Session Summary

WIND FACT

"Diversifying the power supply by developing America’s homegrown renewable energy resources would help shield consumers from spikes in energy prices. According to a major study by a widely respected energy research firm, a national RES would save American consumers as much as $100 billion in lower electricity and natural gas bills."
Source: AWEA: RES Factsheet

Today's Wind Headlines

2009-06-09T13:07:00.004-05:00

Not as many links so far this week, especially in comparison to last week. Regardless, check these out if you get a chance:

A Call to Action on Peak Oil
* I found this article very enlightening and definitely recommend reading it.

Consultant Sees Wind Energy Rebound in 2010 - AWEA blog entry

WIND FACT
"The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) 20% Wind Energy by 2030 Technical Report calculated that obtaining 20% of our electricity from wind energy by 2030 would cut cumulative CO2 emissions by over 7.6 billion tons"
Source: AWEA: Backup Power and Emission Fact Sheet

Hot Topics

2009-06-08T11:17:00.007-05:00

There were several articles in North American Windpower's recent publication that I felt were worth noting. If you don't already have a subscription you can sign up for one on their Web sit e. While you can find updates and headlines on the site their print edition offers more in-depth, comprehension stories concerning a wide range of issues in the wind industry.

If you have been following news from the wind industry you probably know about the topics that have been getting a lot of attention, but in NA Windpower's recent publication they give a good overview of what's been going on. I wanted to pass along some of the points they made concerning the CREZ process and a National RES.

CREZ

Mark Del Franco noted in his article, "As CREZ Work Begins, Developers Head East" that some developers are looking at places other than West Texas and the Texas Panhandle while they are waiting for transmission to be built. And what does that mean for us here in the panhandle? To me it means that we just have to be patient. The wind is good here, we have wide open spaces and developers have a lot less to worry about when planning and developing a wind farm. As Del Franco points out in the article, areas where developers have recently starting focusing (the Texas coast for example) are more populated and have more environmental issues to consider.

The CREZ plans will add something around 3000 miles of transmission lines and bump up transmission capacity to 18,456 MW. A direct quote in the article from Paul Sadler, executive director of the Wind Coalition, made it quite clear that the CREZ process will have quite an impact on wind development in Texas basically saying that wind will be able to contribute double what it does today. According to Del Franco's article, wind currently represents 8% of electric capacity in the state.

Another topic discussed in the article wasn't directly related to CREZ, but has the potential to affect whether developers choose to develop in Texas over other wind rich states. The article highlighted the importance of the extension of the Texas Economic Development Act (AKA Chapter 313 of the state tax code) which allows tax abatements to be used to bring in economic development projects like wind farms. This helps bring developers to Texas.

These are just a couple of the items discussed in the article. In my opinion, it looks like while we have recently seen a slow down of development in our area we should be looking at a very different situation in the near future. The biggest issues right now is making sure that developers remain aware of the fact that we want wind in our area. It's a lot easier to deal with landowners who welcome wind development than to try to plan a project amidst opposition. The CREZ is the first step in bringing wind development where it makes the most sense for it to be.

RES

Another recent hot topic is the National renewable electricity standard (RES). Most of those directly involved in the wind industry would like to see legislation put in place that would require 25% of the nation's energy come from renewables by 2025. That original number has been cut down as the legislative process have moved along.

Greg Williams wrote an all encompassing piece in the recent NA Windpower print publication. He points out two main reasons why a national RES is favored: one being the three things that come as a result of renewable energy development (clean energy, jobs, and energy independence) and second that a national RES helps secure the future of renewable energy use in our nation. This security will help the renewables industry to continue to grow.

In his article Williams also notes two reasons why RES legislation is opposed. One, because some believe that the same results will be achieved with carbon reduction policies and two, because the legislation is unfair to those areas that have do not have abundant renewable resources.

In my opinion, the watering down of the national RES only seems to be a delay of the inevitable. I think that most would agree that as a nation we need to be relying on energy that is one, generated right here on our own soil and two that helps minimize negative effects on our environment. A strong national RES would kick things into gear and as far as I can see the sooner we do this the better.

You can check out what's going on with the RES legislation and take action at www.powerofwind.com

Today's Wind Headlines

2009-06-05T14:24:00.002-05:00

Here are some more links from this week:

RES Still Intact after Senate Energy Committee Action

2010 Wind Energy Surge Predicted

Business Leaders Warn: Current RES Won't Spur Renewable Energy

Argentina-Based EMA Electromecanica S.A. to Locate Manufacturing Facility in Sweetwater

T. Boone Pickens Highlights U.S. Oil Dependence for Sixth Consecutive Month...

WIND FACT
"Wind farms are built in areas where the wind blows most of the time, but because of variations in speed, a wind farm will generate power at full rated capacity about 10% of the time, and on average throughout the year the plant will generate 30% to 35% of its rated capacity. This number is expected to increase by 15% from 2006-2030."
Source: Wind Power Works: Resources

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!

Today's Wind Headlines

2009-06-04T16:07:00.003-05:00

Check out these links:

Enviros Support Climate Change Bill, But What's Missing

Arnett to speak on impacts of wind energy development on wildlife

Wind of change fuel caution; Wind energy associations forming to protect landowners from onerous contracts

Alexander says developers should put up bonds on wind, solar sites

US Small Wind Market Grew 78% in 2008

NRG Poll Finds Transmission Constraints A Barrier for US Wind

WIND FACT
"Modern wind power plants are collectively far less harmful to birds than radio towers, tall buildings, airplanes, vehicles and numerous other manmade objects. Bird deaths due to wind development will always be a very small fraction of those caused by other commonly-accepted human activities, no matter how extensively wind is used in the future."
Source: Wind Energy Works: Resources

Today's Wind Headlines

2009-06-03T11:01:00.003-05:00

Lots of links for today, click on anything that interests you:

Possible changes to House climate bill

Ranchers and Environmentalists Unite

Wind power focus of Tech Conference

Wind power could affect critical Texas wetlands

Texas lags as nation shifts to green policies

Nobel Laureate Knocks Wind, Seeks Funding for Solar Project

WIND FACT

"There is no evidence that the presence of a commercial windfarm within sight of a property systematically decreases that property's value. In fact, a nationwide study conducted in 2003 surveyed property near multiple wind farms and found that not only do wind farms not harm property values, but that in some cases the values increased."

Source: If Not Wind.Org: Wind Energy Facts and Myths

Today's Wind Headlines

2009-06-01T14:30:00.002-05:00

Check out the links below:

Windustry Tips on Leasing Your Land to a Developer

USDA REAP Energy Grants Available

AEP Issues RFP for Long-Term Purchase Commitments of 1100 Megawatts of Renewable Energy Resources

Ranchers Driving Wind Revolution

An AWEA breakdown of the National RES

WIND FACT

"To generate the same amount of electricity as a single 1-megawatt (MW) wind turbine, a traditional fossil fuel or nuclear power plant requires, on average, withdrawing about 60 million gallons of water per year from a stream or river."
Source: If Not Wind.org: Research Center Facts & Stats

Today's Wind Headlines

2009-05-29T16:35:00.001-05:00

Check out these links:

HB 1783: Relating to the Internet Broadcasting of PUCT and ERCOT Public Hearings and Meetings

AWEA Reports 78% growth in 2008 for U.S. Small Wind Market

Can the US Afford Cap-and-Trade?

Coalition Forming to Advocate for Stronger RES

An Event, An Interview, An Exciting Day!

2009-05-28T14:55:00.003-05:00

An Event

A lot has fallen right into place today; an event I have been trying to get going came together quite nicely this afternoon. A date has been set in stone, well maybe not set in stone but the venue has been reserved. Mark your calendars for June 25th, 2009. Not sure exactly on the time yet, although the event will be taking place in the evening (either 6 or 7 depending on the line up of speakers). We have reserved the Floyd County Friends Unity Center located at the intersection of Hwy 70 and Texas Farm Road 786 between Floydada and Lockney, Texas.

As far as the line up goes, we have several speakers worth getting excited about. John Sullivan from The Shaw Group will be presenting information concerning what you need to do before you can get into the development stage. His discussion will include due diligence, fatal flaw analysis and environmental reviews; basically a how-to prepare for wind development lesson. Next, Brian Almon with the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) will be presenting information about the PUCT and how the CREZ process works from their end. Finally, our featured speaker will be a representative from Sharyland Utilities. Sharyland reps will present a timeline of their work in our area and what landowners can expect from them and the process in general.

The event will be open to the public, so spread the word!

An Interview

Another exciting event for the day was my interview with Tony St. James at KFLP in Floydada. Tony and I chatted about Caprock's vision, wind industry issues in general and some upcoming events in the area (of course including Caprock's June 25th event which hasn't received a formal name just yet)! You can listen to our chat on 900 AM out of Floydada, 1310AM out of Amarillo and other tonight at 6:10 and then again in the morning at 8:10 on the Agribusiness report. You can also find the broadcasts online at www.kflp.net.

Overall, an exciting day at Caprock Plains Wind Energy Association!

Today's Wind Headlines

2009-05-27T16:10:00.002-05:00

Just a couple of links of interest for today, enjoy:

The Money is Blowin' in the Wind

A marillo College gets money for wind energy

WIND FACT

"...a megawatt of wind generates about as much electricity as 225 to 300 households use."
Source: AWEA, Wind Energy Basics

Today's Wind Headlines

2009-05-26T14:10:00.002-05:00

Hope everyone enjoyed their memorial day weekend. Getting back into the swing of things, here are some wind energy headlines:

Wind Turbines Vitalize, Divide Texas Town

Renewable power mandate overcomes hurdle in Senate

Change in the air? Wind industry wants govt lift

Anybody interested in attending a wind short course, check out this event being held on Texas Tech University Campus June 12-13. The cost is $40 for the general public.

Blowin in the Wind: The Future of Wind Turbine Farms

WIND FACT

"The Renewable Electricity Standard (RES), also known as a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), is a flexible, market-driven policy that enables renewable energy sources, such as wind, to provide the clean, reliable, domestic power the U.S. needs. An RES ensures that some amount of renewable energy is included in the portfolio of electricity resources serving a state or country."
Source: Power of Wind, Current Issues

Today's Wind Headlines

2009-05-22T16:24:00.003-05:00

Click on the links below if you're interested:

The Waxman/Markey Bill Has Been Co-Opted by Special Interests

Wind Industry Praises Chairmen Waxman and Markey for Upholding Renewable Electricity Standard in House Climate & Energy Bill

Climate Legislation Approved by Energy Committee

A Renewable Energy Standard: The Proof is in the States

Texas Renewable Energy Fact Sheet

WIND FACT

As of March 2009 enough wind energy was being created to power the equivalent of 7 million homes in the United States, that's 25,170 MW of wind energy installed.
Source: Wind Energy Works!

Helpful Links - Financing for Renewable Energy

2009-05-20T08:45:00.003-05:00

The Rural Alliance for Renewable Energy (RARE) sponsored a free workshop on Finding Financing for Renewable Energy Projects in Rural Texas in Austin on Monday.

Check out these useful Websites provided at the workshop:

Department of Energy (DOE) - American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act)

DOE Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 - A Texas Eye on the Dollars

25X25 America's Energy Future

Texas Renewable Energy Resource Assessment

USDA Rural Development

Rural Energy for America Program

Rural Energy for American Program - Grants

Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy (DSIRE)

Infinite Power - Campaign to Educate Texans about Renewable Energy

Environmental Law & Policy Center, Clean Energy and Rural Economic Development

The following are links Web sites of all those who spoke at the workshop:

State Energy Conservation Office (SECO)

Rural Alliance for Renewable Energy (RARE)

Office of Rural Community Affairs (ORCA)

Texas Renewable Energy Industries Association (TREIA)

Texas Department of Agriculture

Westar Trade Resources

Matney-Frantz Engineering

WINDPOWER, Part 3

2009-05-15T14:13:00.003-05:00

The Wind and Public Perspectives:

It was good to hear Susan Williams Sloan, Outreach Manager for Wind Energy Works!, present the findings to a recent AWEA poll. The poll found that wind energy is still popular. 75% of those surveyed favored a national Renewable Electricity Standard (RES). So, that's good news, but we still have some work to do to keep wind in a positive light. It's easy to find negative opinions concerning wind energy, but beware of recycled myths that are floating around out there about wind. Sloan gave the example of a USA Today story which said that renewable energy was responsible for higher electric costs. Sloan was quick to point out that there are many studies that have been done that show that this just isn't true.

What can we do to make sure that wind energy continues to grow? Well much of the answer lies in energy policy. Sloan pointed out that energy is a policy driven industry. Given that fact, its obvious that we must stay on top of whats going in the legislature and contact our representatives, asking them to support things like a national RES.

The first step in keeping wind energy is to keep the public educated. Marion Trieste, GEOS Global, LLC, offered several basic topics that should be considered when promoting wind development. Those included that wind is emissions free, fuel free, not subject to outside factors and therefore offers a predictable price, and an economic development tool (bringing much needed activity to rural economies that are struggling). One of Trieste's main points was the landowners are the key. Without landowner support wind energy development won't be able to progress. Grassroots groups can help landowners get together to have a louder voice when it comes to supporting wind development.

The last point I want to make for this post concerns the power that landowner associations can have in these type of situations. Johnna Bruhn with the Coalition of Renewable Energy Landowner Associations said that developing a landowner association can help combat the overall lack of trust that many landowners tend to have when dealing with developers. A landowner association provides landowners with strength in numbers, collective bargaining power, the opportunity to stay informed and the ability to avoid dividing communities.

It all boils down to staying informed and prepared for what might come your way.

Today's Wind Headlines

2009-05-14T14:08:00.002-05:00

Check out some of these links to wind news:

New House Agreement Recognizes Importance of RES, but Leaves Jobs on the Table - From AWEA

Of Energy Gaps, Grids and Straw Men

Committee kills eminent domain restriction

Democrats Reach Agreement on Climate Bill

ERCOT Releases Study About Likely Efffects of Climate Change Legislation

WIND FACT
"Wind requires no mining, drilling, or transportation of fuel, and does not generate radioactive or other hazardous or polluting waste. Wind power offsets other, more polluting sources of energy."
Source: Power of Wind: Wind Energy 101

WINDPOWER, Part 2

2009-05-13T15:19:00.005-05:00

Seth Dunn of GE Energy related his presentation on US Wind Policy at WINDPOWER last week to America's favorite pastime. This presentation was one of my favorites; making it easy to put policy into perspective.

Dunn presented the "field of dreams" for wind policy in America. Breaking it down into four categories, the things we need to help support the wind industry are:

A Financing Fix - the basic premise is that we need to restore the flow of financing so that projects can get off the ground. Factors that may help restore the flow are: A PTC 3 year extension, treasury grants, loan guarantee programs and a green energy bank.
A National RES - In order to provide some type of security in the industry it is imperative to provide a long term signal regarding renewable energy and its future in our country. In order for a National RES to accomplish what it needs to several things need to be included in legislation: aggressive long term requirements, meaningful milestones throughout, a bankable REC market, and penalties for non-compliance.
Transmission - We need to connect resource-rich areas to those areas that need the power. Interconnection-wide planning, cost allocation and federal siting authority will help facilitate the process.
Climate Policy - both long terms goals and requirements for the near future on emission reductions will help to spur the growth of renewable energy, not to mention the benefits it will pose environmentally speaking. Other things mentioned in Dunn's presentation that we need to see come out of climate policy is appropriate cost containment provisions and allowance value for renewable incentives.

Of course there will be challenges that come along with each base we round, but if financing programs get back up and running and legislation passes then the wind industry stands to see some substantial benefits.

Today's Wind Headlines

2009-05-12T15:43:00.003-05:00

Currently working on some more blog entries on the WINPOWER Conference, but in the meantime here are some related wind news links:

RES Politics Are Yet to Be RESolved

Nebraska Farmers Union encourages landowner wind farm associations

DOE Will Award Funds to Wind Energy Projects

Windustry to Organize Community Wind Energy Conferences

New Panhandle wind farm helps Tech

What Happened At WINDPOWER?! Part 1

2009-05-11T15:43:00.008-05:00

The answer to that question isn't a simple one, simply because a lot happened at AWEA's annual wind conference and exhibition in Chicago last week. So, to avoid posting one large post which would require much scrolling on your part, I have decided I will break it down for you over the course of this week. Just make sure you check back for more...

Today's Topic: What Did Boone Pickens Have to Say?

In an interview with Bill Kurtis, television journalist, during the second general session of the conference T. Boone Pickens presented a pretty straight forward message: The United States needs to get off our dependency on foreign oil. He said that while renewables is part of the solution what we must do is go all American when it comes to energy.

Pickens urged people to ask their representatives what their energy plan is, because he said if they don't have an answer to your question then their plan is to rely on foreign oil. Pickens pointed out why this poses a security problem for our nation by saying that a great deal of our oil imported is from countries who are not friendly with the United States.

So does T. Boone Pickens think its possible to get 25% renewable energy by 2025? Yes, he thinks it can be done because he says the American people want it. He pointed out that the results of a recent poll shows that 70% of those polled knew what the Pickens Plan was and 78% of them were in favor of the plan. (You can find out more about the Pickens Plan at www.pickensplan.com).

Pointed out during the interview was the fact that some people just don't want wind energy development on or around their land. To that Pickens responded by saying that if you don't want wind energy development then don't do it; plenty of people elsewhere do want it (in the Great Plains for example).

As far as transmission is concerned, Pickens felt like it would work best if FERC was given the power to site the power grid just like they do with natural gas pipelines. He said that this would help with problems that might arise between states otherwise. Being a landowner himself he said that it wouldn't bother him to have a transmission line running through his property because what is good for this country is good for him. He felt like many landowners would share this same sentiment.

Pickens encouraged people to support his plan for energy Independence saying, "If I've got millions of people with me than I am a hell of a lot more important than just a rich guy from Texas."

AWEA WINDPOWER 2009

2009-05-05T21:48:00.003-05:00

The American Wind Energy Association's WINDPOWER Conference started off with a bang. AWEA CEO Denise Bode kicked off the opening ceremonies, pumping up the crowd about the progresses wind energy has made and the possibilities it has to look forward to. Bode stressed one fact much more so than anything else; she explained the impact a National Renewable Electricity Standard would have on the wind industry and urged the crowd to contact their representatives today!

You can find out more about how a National RES will help the wind industry and what you can do to support it at www.powerofwind.com.

The day was filled to the rim with information about the wind industry and included speakers such as Ken Salazar, Secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior; Jon Wellinghoff, Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC); and many more.

I will leave you with this for tonight, but check back for more detailed information on the various speeches given throughout the week.

Don't forget to contact your Members of Congress about passing a National RES!!

Today's Wind Headlines

2009-05-01T16:30:00.002-05:00

Some interesting links:

Panel OKs wind farm power line upgrades

Interactive Renewable Energy Map
Accompanying article

U.S. Department of Energy Again Confirms: RES Would Reduce Fuel Costs, Stabilize Electricity Rates

WIND FACT

"...a nationwide study conducted in 2003 surveyed property near multiple wind farms and found that not only do wind farms not harm property values, but that in some cases the values increased."
Source: Wind Energy Works!: Resources

Q&A with Sharyland Utilities

2009-05-01T08:52:00.003-05:00

Who is Sharyland Utilities? How will the transmission build out process work? Who will be affected and how? Find the answers to these questions and much more below. Answers can be attributed to Jeanne Phillips, Sr. Vice President at Sharyland.

Q&A with Sharyland:

1. How would you describe the relationship between Sharyland and Hunt Transmission? Will it just be Sharyland that will be contacting landowners or will Hunt be involved as well?

Answer: Sharyland Utilities (“Sharyland”) will be the entity responsible for actually constructing and operating the CREZ (Competitive Renewable Energy Zone) transmission facilities. Hunt Transmission Services (“HTS”) will provide local support for all community outreach efforts related to the CREZ transmission project. Depending on the activity related to project development, most contact with landowners will be made by Sharyland; however, HTS will be engaged in keeping local officials and community groups informed of the project’s milestones and progress.

Sharyland is a privately-owned, Texas-based transmission and distribution electric utility located in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). It is strictly a “wires” only company and it is Sharyland that will own and operate the transmission lines that will carry electricity from competitive renewable energy zones in the Panhandle and South Plains to end-use customers in other regions of Texas. Sharyland’s current service territory is located along the Rio Grande border in the south Texas cities of Mission and McAllen. Its corporate headquarters are located in Dallas, and Sharyland is owned by Hunter L. Hunt and other members of his family; it is managed by Hunter Hunt.

HTS is part of a group of privately held companies, which are wholly-owned subsidiaries of Hunt Consolidated, Inc., a diversified holding company engaged in a wide range of interests, including oil and gas exploration and production, real estate development, electric power, ranching, agriculture, and private investing.

2. How should landowners anticipate being contacted?

Answer: Sharyland and its consultants are currently conducting a routing study of the project area. General preliminary routes have already been designated by ERCOT, but it is Sharyland’s responsibility to further refine these routes, taking into account environmental considerations and ERCOT’s electrical planning criteria. When property ownership has been identified, and potential locations for substations and line routes are determined, Sharyland will host several open meetings later this summer around the project area to present preferred and alternative routes for public review and input. Affected landowners will receive direct mail notice of these meetings, and a notice will be posted in the local paper to invite the general public. Sharyland anticipates that notifications for these meetings will be sent mid-summer 2009.

Once the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) approves a final transmission line route, Sharyland will contact the owner of the property to be crossed by the transmission line to purchase an easement to construct, operate, and maintain the new electric transmission lines.

3. What is Sharyland’s plan concerning right of way acquisition?

Answer: Sharyland plans to obtain a nominal width of 175 feet for right-of-ways for its 345 kV transmission lines, although some locations may require less width due to physical terrain and the type of structure used. If possible and prudent, Sharyland will consider using or paralleling existing right-of-way of pipelines, old rail lines, or existing transmission lines. However, until route selection is better defined and landowner preferences are taken into consideration, it is hard to know if the use of existing corridors will be the best option. Initially, Sharyland anticipates acquiring a quarter section (160 acres) for substations (collection stations).

4. What is the best way for a concerned landowner to go about getting answers to questions they may have?

Answer: Sharyland has several resources available to landowners, as well as other interested parties, for inquiries or concerns. The Sharyland web site (www.sharylandutilities.com) is an easily accessible source of information for CREZ transmission project updates and responses to frequently asked questions. For a local contact, Sherry Kunka, HTS Manager for Community Affairs, is available in the Sharyland Amarillo office, and her phone number is 806-679-2504. Another contact point is the Sharyland office in Dallas at 214-978-8958, or toll free at 866-354-3335. All media inquiries should be directed to Jeanne Phillips, Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs & International Relations, at 214-978-8534.

5. What is Sharyland doing to make this process as landowner/community friendly as possible?

Answer: Sharyland is making a long-term investment in electric transmission infrastructure in this wind-rich area of Texas so it is vitally important to solicit and to take into consideration the concerns and suggestions of landowners and communities. Through dissemination of regular project updates, a local presence, personal community contacts, periodic issue forums, and the PUCT’s open meeting process, Sharyland is looking forward to hearing from its new neighbors. Together with landowners and communities, the region’s wind resources can be shared with other Texans and the unique environment of the Panhandle and South Plains can be respected.

6. Will landowners whose land is acquired receive direct benefit? If so, could you outline those?

Answer: Sharyland plans to pay a fair market value for transmission line easements. The fair market value is determined by conducting a market study or an appraisal for the easement to be obtained. A copy of the study or an appraisal report may be provided to a property owner at the time an offer is made to purchase the easement.

7. What benefits will the affected communities see?

Answer: An important aspect to communities and counties where new transmission infrastructure will be built is an increase in tax base. Sharyland will pay local property taxes on the transmission facilities and land that it owns. Sharyland will also pay state and local sales and use taxes for goods and services defined as taxable by state law. Other economic benefits will be the opportunity for local jobs during the construction phase, and potentially permanent jobs for operation and maintenance of the new transmission lines. And because Sharyland is committed to a long-term presence in the Panhandle and South Plains, development of local community programs advocating renewable resources or environmental sustainability may also bring potential benefit.

8. How will those surrounding communities who aren’t going to have transmission built within their county lines be impacted?

Answer: First, Sharyland believes the development of the CREZ resources and transmission lines will have a positive impact on the entire Panhandle and South Plains, whether a transmission line is built in a particular county or not. This region is recognized as having the best wind resources in the entire State of Texas, and now that the PUCT has given the go-ahead for CREZ transmission lines to be built, wind developers and other wind-energy related industries will be more likely to locate in this area. Second, the designated CREZ transmission lines are the major “highways” and other connecting lines (the “driveways”) will need to be built by wind developers. Some of those lines, depending on the distance from a CREZ line, could be in an adjoining county. Finally, as the CREZ transmission project progresses, all counties may see economic benefit as a result of construction and operation and maintenance of the lines.

9. What can the landowners in the area do to help facilitate the process?

Answer: Participate and communicate. Public input is a vital part of route selection, and it is important that landowners and communities participate in the open meetings to be held by Sharyland later this summer. These meetings will be the opportunity to look at detailed maps of preferred and alternative routes, and to offer suggestions or concerns. Also, communicate questions to Sharyland on an ongoing basis so that concerns can be identified and issues are addressed when they arise.

Today's Wind Headlines

2009-04-29T10:14:00.003-05:00

Two news releases straight from Southwest Power Pool (SPP) concerning Extra High Voltage (EHV) Transmission Expansion:

Portfolio of New EHV Transmission Projects Approved: Benefits Will Be Balanced Across SPP Region

Map included with release:

Source: SPP

New Integrated Planning Process Will Focus on Regional, EHV Transmission Expansion

A few other items, FYI:

County hears about wind farm plans

Renewable Energy Myths and Facts

WIND FACT
"The main incentive for wind, the production tax credit (PTC), is an effective policy to facilitate wind power development, as evidenced by the growing use of wind power.

Wind project owners receive tax credits for the energy they produce. Therefore, they have an incentive to use better wind sites and better technology, harvesting the most energy possible from every wind turbine."

Source: Wind Energy Works!: The Economics of Wind

Today's Wind Headlines

2009-04-28T16:22:00.003-05:00

Several links from yesterday and today:

Turbine plans hit headwinds

Renewable Energy Stocks Worth Investing In

Building power lines creates a web of problems

Wind firms describe plans, Wiring could begin in 2010

American Wind Energy Association Releases First Quarter 2009 Report: More than 2,800 MW New Wind Generation Capacity Installed

Al Gore Endorses Green Bank Bill

WIND FACT

"Many individuals are often concerned about the sounds that wind turbines generate. In reality, wind turbines generate about the same amount of noise you would hear from a kitchen refrigerator or a moderately quiet room."
Source: Wind Energy Works: Resources

Transmission Seminar

2009-04-28T13:59:00.004-05:00

Yesterday Class 4 Winds, a wind advocate located in the Panhandle of Texas, hosted a seminar focusing on transmission for renewable energy zones in Amarillo, Texas. The event featured representatives from Sharyland Utilities and Cross Texas Transmission. These companies have both been designated to build out transmission in the Panhandle of Texas as designated by the PUCT. Click here to see a map of where the lines are planned and who will build them.

You will be able to find both presentation on Class 4 Winds' Web site, but here are a couple of the points I felt were important to mention:

Substation placement

When looking at the map (from above) you will see dots which represents the proximity in which a substation or collection station will be built. It is important to note that while this represents the general area in which the station will be built, the actual exact placement of the substation has not been determined. Both Cross Texas and Sharyland pointed out that the dot on the map represents the location ERCOT identified but they have not zeroed in on a location.

Public Meetings

Information meetings similar to the event that took place in Amarillo will take place in the preliminary stages of this process. As the companies begin to map out different routes in which they may build the lines they will notify landowners who will potentially be affected. Maps will be available at these meetings showing the possible routes and landowners will be asked to give feedback. Both presenters noted the importance of getting community feedback to determine what routes would work best for everyone. Many letters have already been sent out to environmental entities, counties, municipalities, etc. to help identify areas to avoid including things such as: cemeteries, center pivots, airports, etc. The main point here is that these companies are looking to work very closely with communities to make sure they minimize the impact these lines may have. Once several routes have been selected they will be sent to the PUCT via a CCN at which time members of the public would have the opportunity to go to the PUCT with concerns and insight.

Acquiring Right of Way (ROW)

Once the PUCT has approved the company's CCN and selected a route the company will then go about securing the necessary ROW. The companies will have the land appraised and will then go about purchasing the land right out or with an option; the most typical type of purchase agreement will be a land easement to last the life of the line. Land will be acquired for substations, access roads, foundations, and the lines themselves. Sharyland's represetative said that they will be sending a group out to visit with landowners post-construction to make sure they is no aviodable damage done to the land.

Dispatch priorities vs. open access systems

One big question that seems to arise with the build out of transmission is, who gets to online and who gets to do it first? Currently under docket number 34577 the PUCT is trying to decide how to handle this situation. Some wind developers would like to see priority given to those who formally participated in the CCN application process and other support an open access system. Those who are actively involved in the process would be asked to post collateral with 45 days of transmission service providers (TSPs) CCN application which would cover cost of transmission improvements. These developers would be refunded if they went online within a year after the system is ready. There is also they issue as to whether or not it is even legal to give priority to one kind of developer, in this case wind. Developers are hoping to get some certainty on this matter sometime this year.

For More information about either of these companies visit thier Web sites at:
www.sharylandutilities.com
www.crosstexas.com

Today's Wind Headlines

2009-04-24T10:28:00.002-05:00

Here is an article on transmission:

Green Superhighway: Overhauling the Grid to Accommodate Renewables

And don't forget the Class 4 Winds transmission seminar is taking place on Monday in Amarillo. See their Web page for more information.

WIND FACT

"Wind energy is one of the most popular energy technologies. Opinion surveys regularly show that just over eight out of 10 people (80%) are in favor of wind energy, and less than one in ten (around 5%) are against it. The rest are undecided."
Source: AWEA - Wind Energy and the Environment

Today's Wind Headlines

2009-04-23T10:01:00.003-05:00

Click on the links below to read about current issues in the industry:

DOE Report: Recovery Package Clean Energy Provisions are Working

Storing Renewable Energy on the Smart Grid

And a couple of items, just FYI:

AWEA Annual Wind Industry Report

Obama Stresses Clean Energy on Earth Day

WIND FACT

"...wind energy has one of the shortest energy payback times of any energy technology. A wind turbine typically takes only a few months (3-8, depending on the average wind speed at its site) to 'pay back' the energy needed for its fabrication, installation, operation, and retirement."
Source: AWEA Wind Energy Potential

Sharyland Feature

2009-04-21T15:24:00.002-05:00

I am working on a feature story on Sharyland Utilities for our upcoming newsletter. If you have any specific questions or concerns that you want addressed please submit them so that I can get those questions answered. Either post a comment on this entry or send them in an email to info@caprockplainswind.com

Any suggestions are appreciated.

Today's Wind Headlines

2009-04-21T11:33:00.003-05:00

A couple of articles for today:

LCRA TSC to Host Transmission Project Open Houses

Luminant Retains Status as Top Wind Purchaser in Texas

Iberdrola Opens Texas Wind Farm, Receives Approval for Vermont Project

WIND FACT

"The entire transmission system of the wind-rich High Plains, which cover the central one-third of the U.S., needs to be extensively redesigned and redeveloped. At present, this system consists mostly of small distribution lines—instead, a series of new high-voltage transmission lines is needed to transmit electricity from wind plants to population centers. Such a redevelopment will be expensive, but it will also benefit consumers and national security, by making the electrical transmission system more reliable and by reducing shortages and price volatility of natural gas. Transmission will be a key issue for the wind industry's future development over the next two decades."

Source: AWEA: Wind Energy Potential

Suggestions Please...

2009-04-21T10:56:00.002-05:00

The April 2009 CPWEA newsletter will be coming out soon and I am currently working on content. I just wanted to give any one who might have suggestions on topics for the issue the opportunity to submit them. You can email them (info@caprockplainswind.com)or leave them as a comment on this post.

If there is anything specific you would like more detail on from the transmission summit please let me know and I will get that information into the newsletter and posted on here. I just received the CD of presentations from the summit and therefore have lots of indepth information from each presenter.

Always feel free to leave comments or send an email with questions, concerns, or suggestions.

Today's Wind Headlines

2009-04-20T15:57:00.002-05:00

A couple of links for you to check out if you're interested:

Community Wind Webconference: 26, 27 May '09

Report Outlines Reliable Integration of Renewables into Grid

WIND FACT

"According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the world's winds could theoretically supply the equivalent of 5,800 quadrillion BTUs (quads) of energy each year--more than 15 times current world energy demand. (A quad is equal to about 172 million barrels of oil or 45 million tons of coal.)"
Source: AWEA (Wind Energy Potential)

Today's Wind Headlines

2009-04-17T16:23:00.003-05:00

A couple of things to look over, FYI:

Growing wind, solar power challenge U.S. grid: study

AWEA Welcomes Findings of NERC Integration Study

Biden Outlines Funding for Smart-Grid Initiatives

The Economic Reach of Wind

American Wind Energy Association Reports Top 20 Wind Producing States

WIND FACT

"Capacity factor is one element in measuring the productivity of a wind turbine or any other power production facility. It compares the plant's actual production over a given period of time with the amount of power the plant would have produced if it had run at full capacity for the same amount of time."

Source: Windustry Wind Energy Basics

Today's Wind Headlines

2009-04-15T15:05:00.003-05:00

A couple of articles for your information:

West Texas districts tops two in wind power capacity

CPS Energy will test viability of electric storage unit

Texas leads in wind energy but faces challenges

WIND FACT

"In 2008 U.S. wind energy grew by over 8,500 megawatts (MW) of new wind power capacity, increasing the nation’s cumulative total by 50% to over 25,300 MW, pushing the U.S. above Germany as the country with the largest amount of wind power capacity installed, according to a new report from the American Wind Energy Assocation (AWEA)."
Source: Windustry

Don't forgot to check out the previous post for an overview of last week's transmission summit in Sweetwater.

A Transmission Rundown

2009-04-15T11:02:00.009-05:00

Transmission Summit Overview

The Transmission Summit held in Sweetwater, Texas on Thursday April 9^th featured an array of speakers representing many of the companies chosen by the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) to build transmission lines throughout the state. In addition to those companies building lines within the Competitive Renewable Energy Zones (CREZ), other speakers included representatives from Southwest Power Pool, Electric Power Engineers and Golden Spread Electric Cooperative.

BACKGROUND

The PUCT began working on the development of a CREZ a couple of years ago in order to help foster wind energy development in the state and most specifically within the Electric Reliability Council of Texas’ (ERCOT) power grid. The idea was basically created in order to break the “chicken and the egg” deadlock that many wind developers were facing. The creation of these zones would allow for more transmission lines to be built to carry energy created by wind farms. Several scenarios were developed but the PUCT eventually decided upon scenario 2 which would essentially allow for around 18,000 MW of wind energy to go online.

After deciding on a scenario the PUCT then chose companies to build numerous transmission lines and substations throughout the state. Fourteen companies in all were chosen to be involved in construction. Please see the map below for the breakdown of scenario two, including the general vicinity of where the lines will be placed and who will be building them.

Source: Texas Wind Energy Clearinghouse (Transmission Summit)

THE PROCESS

The construction of these lines will take place based on which category they have been designated under. Those categories are: default, priority and secondary lines. Default lines consist of already existing lines that will be rebuilt. Priority lines are those the PUCT felt were the most urgent. These lines will be built by Oncor and the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA). Priority lines are indicated on the map above. The rest of the lines are considered secondary lines.

As far as the timeline on these lines goes, each company must submit a Certificate of Convenience and Necesssity (CCN) to the PUCT indicating the routes in which they intent to build their lines. CCNs for default lines are to be filed by June, priority by October and secondary will be sometime the first half of next year. Before submitting their CCN the transmission companies will conduct studies and contact landowners who may be affected by the construction of the line. The company will then define an area and identify several geographically diverse routes in which they could build the proposed lines. Each company will be conducting community meetings in their area throughout the process and will notify landowners of potential routes.

After a CCN is filed the PUCT has one year (although their goal is six months) to decide on which of the various scenarios submitted is best. Once the CCN is approved then the company will begin discussion with landowners for Right of Way (ROW).

Community members will see many immediate as well as long term benefits from the construction of transmission lines in the area including, taxes paid to local communities, the creation of construction, operations and management jobs, significant payments made to landowners with the expansion of wind development in the area as well as environmental benefits.

All of the companies building transmission in the state may have different timelines for completing their projects, but the PUCT would like to see all construction complete by 2013.

SHARYLAND

The construction of transmission lines and substations in our immediate area will be completed by Sharyland Utilities. Sharyland is a privately owned, Texas based transmission and distribution service provider. They are responsible for building four collection stations and 253 miles of transmission lines in Armstrong, Briscoe, Castro, Carson, Deaf Smith, Dickens, Floyd, Motley, Randall and Swisher Counties.

Their tentative schedule for construction was broken down in this way, but is all subject to ERCOT’s plans. They plan to submit their CCN to the PUCT in the first or second quarter of 2010 and plan on receiving approval from the PUCT by the third or fourth quarter of the same year. After receiving approval they will begin working on ROW acquisition, engineering and design of the lines and hope to begin material procurement in the third quarter of 2010. Construction is slated to begin as soon as they receive approval of their routes by the PUCT. The line which is planned to come through the North East corner of Floyd County should be completed in the second quarter of 2012 if all goes as planned.

You can find out more about Sharyland and their current projects on their Web site at www.sharylandutilities.com. They have also set up a toll free number for interested members of the public to call in for more information. If you have questions or concerns and would like to speak with a Sharyland representative call 1-866-354-3335.

SOUTHWEST POWER POOL

Outside of ERCOT Southwest Power Pool (SPP) is the other electric grid which has a footprint in Texas. SPP is a regional transmission organization who, unlike ERCOT, is regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Their purpose is to help ensure power reliability, adequate transmission infrastructure, and competitive electric wholesale prices in their region. SPP is based in Little Rock, Arkansas and has members in nine states, see image of their footprint below.

Source: SPP

SPP is not directly involved in the CREZ process, but their plans for the future of transmission will also help to make it feasible for wind developers to bring their projects to our area. While the SPP is not involved in the acutal construction of transmission they do have a plan for how it should be built out. As a part of SPP’s Transmission Expansion Plan (STEP) they hope to have 285 miles of 765 kV from Woodward EHV (Western Oklahoma) to Tuco EHV (North Western Texas) built. The Tuco station is located just north of Abernathy. This line would be part of a larger “backbone” line would extend all the way up to Kansas and would set up our area for potential connections to the line. EHV is short for Extra High Voltage and the EHV Overlay that the SPP is proposing would be a collection of 500+ kV projects that would be added to the existing system, ultimately reducing backup on the grid. For more about the EHV Overlay visit the SPP Web site. You can read the STEP report in its entirety here.

Right now these plans to build out transmission are just that, plans. The next step is for the SPP to figure out how costs for these lines will be allocated. Visit their Web site at www.spp.org for more information.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Several of the companies who were present at the summit offered ways in which you can contact them directly for more information:

Sharyland Utilities
Visit their Web site at www.sharylandutilities.com
Call their toll free number 1-866-354-3335

Oncor
Questions about transmission can be emailed to transmissionprojects@oncor.com

Lower Colorado River Authority
Visit their Web site at www.lcra.org

Cross Texas Transmission
Web site is under construction but should be up soon at www.crosstexas.org

Electric Transmission Texas
Visit their Web site at www.ettexas.com

Today's Wind Headlines

2009-04-14T11:22:00.003-05:00

Here are several headlines from the last couple of days:

ERCOT REC Program Most Active in U.S.

Google's New Wind/Solar Site Tool

Wind Superhighway Moves Ahead

Renewable energy 'green bank' idea takes root

LCRA given nod for power line project

AWEA Annual Wind Energy Industry Report Reflects Strong Growth in 2008, Dramatic Increase in Manufacturing

New 'smart grid' will change how energy goes from plants to homes

Transmission's Time in Congress

Texas No.1 in Wind Energy, Wind Projects

WIND FACT

What is an interconnection?
"The process of connecting an electrical generator to the electrical power grid or the physical location of the connection of an electrical generator to the electrical power grid."
Source: Windustry Glossary

Upcoming Webinar

2009-04-08T12:15:00.002-05:00

Biofuels Journal is featuring in their Webinar series a presentation entitled "Four Primary Ways the Stimulus Bill will Impact the U.S. Wind & Biofuels Industries" on Tuesday, April 14, 2009 at 2p.m. Central Time.

Click here to find out more informaiton and register. Space is limited.

On Twitter?

2009-04-08T10:44:00.003-05:00

Caprock Plains Wind Energy Association now has a Twitter account. If you already have a Twitter account become a CPWEA follower to keep up with what we are doing.

Check us out at:
www.twitter.com/cpwea

Twitter is a social networking site which provides a live feed of what others are doing. Other wind industry entities have already joined. Check out AWEA's Twitter page at www.twitter.com/awea. Twitter is a great networking tool that makes it easy to keep up with what's going on with anyone you choose to follow.

Find out more about how Twitter works at: www.twitter.com

Today's Wind Headlines

2009-04-07T09:29:00.002-05:00

Here are a couple of recent headlines covering various topics:

Wind Turbines Raise Property Values in Texas

U.S. Commits $2 Billion for Renewable Energy

Wind Power Pushes US Congress to Tackle Grid Issue

Energy Legislation to Test Fractured Democrats

WIND FACT

What is a wind power class?

"A way of quantifying on a scale the strength of the wind at a project site. The Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory defines the wind class at a site on a scale from 1 to 7 (1 being low and 7 being high) based on average wind speed and power density to offer guidance to potential developers as to where wind projects might be feasible."

Source: Windustry, Wind Energy Glossary
Click on the link above to view their entire glossary and search for definitions of other wind related terms.

Today's Wind Headlines

2009-04-03T10:09:00.002-05:00

Since wind farm development is fairly new not many landowners are familiar with how to handle dealings with developers concerning the lease of their land for wind development. This article outlines a couple of things that a landowner needs to know before signing a lease. Check it out:

Lawyers advise taking care in wind-turbine contracts

If you have time and would like a little background information on topics concerning the wind industry then check out these articles from Renewable Energy World:

The Upside in the Downturn: Realigning the Wind Industry

Green Superhighway: Overhauling the Grid to Accommodate Renewables

Wind Farm Design: Planning, Research and Commissioning

WIND FACT

"A comprehensive study of wind development and property values by the Renewable Energy Policy Project in 2003 showed that wind development usually has either no effect or a small positive impact on property values."
Source: Windustry FAQs

What's Coming Up

2009-04-02T16:13:00.004-05:00

There are several events coming up in the next couple of weeks to look forward to. The theme for this month seems to be transmission.

Next week the Texas Wind Energy Clearinghouse will be hosting a transmission summit. The summit will take place on Thursday April 9th in Sweetwater, Texas. Speakers scheduled to present include Calvin Crowder, President of Electric Transmission Texas LLC; Ken Donohoo, Director of System Planning for Oncor; Cameron Fredkin, Director of Project Development for Cross Texas Transmission; Stuart Nelson, Executive Manager of Transmission Services for the Lower Colorado River Authority; Jay Caspary, Director of Engineering for Southwest Power Pool; Jolly Hayden, President of Lone Star Transmission LLC; Mark Caskey, Vice President of Operations at Sharyland Utilities; and several more. In addition to presenters from those companies who will be constructing CREZ transmission, the summit will also feature discussion concerning non-CREZ transmission issues. Check back in the next couple of weeks to find a overview of what happened at the summit.

Class 4 Winds just recently announced a seminar entitled, "Transmission for Renewable Energy Zones" to take place Monday April 27th from 1:00 - 4:30pm at the Ambassador Hotel Ballroom in Amarillo. The seminar is open to the public at a $45 fee for non-members. A Caprock representative will be attending the seminar, but if you are interested in attending you can find registration information about the event here. Speakers for this event will include Brian Almon from the Public Utility Commission of Texas, Mark Caskey from Sharyland Utilities, and Lawrence Willick and Cameron Fredkin from Cross Texas Transmission.

In addition to these two events, Caprock is looking into putting together a very similar seminar in the very near future for Caprock members. Caprock has been in contact with representatives from Sharyland Utilities, who will be building transmission lines in our immediate area. Please check back to find out more details about the events as they get worked out.

One last event to look forward to is the Annual Wind Energy Conference put on by AWEA. WINDPOWER 2009 is scheduled for May 4th - 7th. A Caprock representative will be attending in order to represent and promote our area to wind developers and transmission specialists. Look back for an update in May.

Please don't hesitate to contact our office with questions or concerns about any of these events.

Today's Wind Headlines

2009-04-02T11:36:00.003-05:00

Just a couple of headlines, FYI:

FERC Releases Proposed Policy Statement on Smart-Grid Development

State, Federal Regulators Offer Criteria for DOE Smart Grid Stimulus Funding

Stimulus Dollars Begin to Flow: Here's How, Where and When

Check out AWEA's blog entry about NY residents living nearby a wind farm who say they like it just fine! No NIMBY's in Lewis County, New York

WIND FACT
"Modern wind turbines are up to the task of producing serious amounts of electricity. A popular sized machine in the U.S. today is a state-of-the-art 2 MW turbine that stands as tall as a 30-story building and costs roughly $3.5 million installed. With a good wind resource, this size turbine can produce 6 million kWh of electricity each year, or enough energy to run 600 average American households."
Source: Windustry Wind Basics Series

Today's Wind Headlines

2009-04-01T08:59:00.002-05:00

Today's headlines all focus on a draft of a new energy bill released by Reps. Henry Waxman, D-CA, and Ed Markey, D-MA, click on the links below for more details:

Waxman, Markey Unveil Draft Energy Bill - AWEA Blog

Climate Legislation Introduced in Washington, Includes RPS Provision

US Lawmakers present draft bill on 'clean energy'

WIND FACT

"Wind turbines can be installed amid cropland without interfering with people, livestock, or production."
Source: Windustry Wind Basics Series

Today's Wind Headlines

2009-03-31T08:56:00.002-05:00

All of these articles are covering the wind energy and the recent stimulus package, but they each offer good information. Check them out:

Wobbly wind sector sets sights on stimulus

Renewable Energy Industry Looks to Capitalize on Momentum in Washington

Getting Serious About Clean-Energy Stimulus

WIND FACT
"An operating modern wind farm at a distance of 750 to 1000 feet is no noisier than a kitchen refrigerator or a moderately quiet room." The sounds turbines produce is similar to a light whooshing or swishing sound, and much more quiet than other types of modern-day equipment."
Source: AWEA, Wind Power Myths vs. Facts

Today's Wind Headlines

2009-03-30T09:24:00.005-05:00

AWEA's latest blog post:
Wind Advocates and Blue Dogs Can Work Together

If you would like to receive email updates from various groups involved in wind energy education check out these links to register:

AWEA Wind Energy Mailing Lists

Renewable Energy World Free Weekly e-Newsletter

Wind Today F.Y.I. Wind E-News

North American Windpower Online Products Opt-in

Check out this link to register for a Webinar to be held April 14th:
Four Primary Ways the Stimulus Bill will Impact the U.S. Wind and Biofuels Industries

WIND FACT
"There are two basic designs of wind electric turbines: vertical-axis, or "egg-beater" style, and horizontal-axis (propeller-style) machines. Horizontal-axis wind turbines are most common today, constituting nearly all of the "utility-scale" (100 kilowatts, kW, capacity and larger) turbines in the global market."

Source: AWEA