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
- Find out what I'm doing, Follow Me :)
An Event, An Interview, An Exciting Day!
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!
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
Just a couple of links of interest for today, enjoy:
The Money is Blowin' in the Wind
Amarillo 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
The Money is Blowin' in the Wind
Amarillo 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
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
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
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!
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
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
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
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.
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.
