Expo Aftermath

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

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

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.

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The More the Merrier - Exhibitors

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

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

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

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...