CPWEA Annual Meeting to Feature Speakers From Tres Amigas and OwnEnergy

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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Press Release - The WINDPOWER Experience

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...

Show Me the Transmission

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...

PR - Wind Expo Draws A Crowd

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.”

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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...

Texas Renewables

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

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

Wind Symposium

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 .

Windy Landowners Seminar

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

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

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

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.

Windflowers

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...

Membership Meeting 2009

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...

Talkin' Wind

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.