Date: 5/8/2012

On April 25, Colorado's Wind for Schools project was honored with a Wirth Chair Award for its work in integrating wind energy into classrooms throughout the state.

The award from the Wirth Chair in Sustainable Development at the School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado Denver honors environmental and sustainable development achievements across Colorado. Alice Madden, Wirth Chair in Sustainable and Community Development, believes that this year's awards highlight a diverse group dedicated to the advancement of a sustainable future.

"In keeping with this year's theme, I was looking for people who are doing work in education. Obviously, Wind for Schools does that at both the K-12 level and in higher education," Madden said.

According to Colorado Wind Application Center Director Mike Kostrzewa, the award represents not only the program's 2012 accomplishments but also the many accomplishments since its inception. Kostrzewa estimates that the Colorado Wind for Schools project has reached in excess of 3,000 K-12 students and has also provided hands-on experience to more than 50 higher-education students who have helped design and install projects.

"This is recognition of the work we've done for the past 4 years, and it comes at a good time for us because our funding has really dropped off," Kostrzewa said. "Our 4-year contract with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory is coming to a close, so this award comes at a time when we're trying to raise private funds to keep the program going. This kind of award should help publicize the work that we do, how important we think it is, and hopefully we'll get the chance to raise more funding to keep it going."

Since 2009, the Colorado Wind Application Center at Colorado State University and the Colorado Governor's Energy Office selected nine rural schools to participate in the Wind for Schools project: Arriba-Flagler Consolidated School District High School in Flagler, Burlington High School in Burlington, Kit Carson High School in Kit Carson, Stratton High School in Stratton, Walsh High School in Walsh, and Wellington Middle School in Wellington, Ponderosa High School in Parker, Nederland Middle/Senior High School in Nederland, and Park County RE-2 School District in Fairplay.

Colorado Wind for Schools State Facilitator Tom Potter said that the award represents the work of many, including Mona Newton, formerly of the Governor's Energy Office, and Colorado Representative Andy Kerr, who was key in initiating the legislation that provided state support for Wind for Schools in Colorado.

"The award brings to the attention of many the fact that this is a true success story for the legislature and their intent to educate and train Colorado kids in renewable technologies," Potter said.

The Wirth Chair is named for former U.S. Senator and Undersecretary of State Timothy E. Wirth. This year marks the 13th anniversary of the award and celebrates the "Creators of a Sustainable Future." Other recipients were the Colorado Foundation for Water Education, Veterans Green Jobs, the Denver Sustainability Park, the Colorado Alliance of Environmental Education, and the late David Getches, former dean of the University of Colorado School of Law.

The U.S. Department of Energy's Wind Powering America initiative, based at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, helped to launch the Wind for Schools project in 11 states (Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, Alaska, Arizona, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia) to address workforce development needs and public resistance to wind energy deployment. The general approach of the Wind for Schools project is to install small wind turbines at rural elementary and secondary host schools while developing Wind Application Centers at higher education institutions. Teacher training and hands-on curricula are implemented at each host school to bring the wind turbine into the classroom through interactive and interschool wind-related research tasks. The students at the Wind Application Centers act as wind energy consultants. They assist in the assessment, design, and installation of the small wind systems at the host schools, which prepares them to enter the wind workforce once they graduate. More information about the Wind for Schools project is available at the Wind Powering America website.

Date: 4/30/2012

This analysis responds to a request from the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy to estimate the direct and indirect jobs and economic impacts of projects supported by the §1603 Treasury grant program. The analysis employs NREL's Jobs and Economic Development Impacts (JEDI) models to estimate the gross jobs, earnings, and economic output supported by the construction and operation of the large wind (greater than 1 megawatt) and solar PV projects funded by the §1603 grant program.

Date: 5/1/2012

Source: Seanica Reineke, National Association of Farm Broadcasting News Service.

Audio with Larry Flowers, American Wind Energy Association deputy director for distributed and community wind (MP3 3.1 MB) Download Windows Media Player. Time: 00:03:19.

With Farm Bill discussions continuing, the Renewable Energy for America Program still faces uncertainty. American Wind Energy Association deputy director for distributed and community wind Larry Flowers says REAP made it into 2012—though at a much reduced level—due to work by the program's stakeholders.

Flowers says the program gives agricultural producers and rural businesses incentives to invest in renewable energy. REAP provides a 25-percent maximum grant and an equal amount of potential loan guarantees. Flowers says that makes if affordable for rural communities.

"As far as the wind industry goes, this allowed the small wind industry and the community wind industry to engage rural America, which has enormous wind potential, has a need for economic development and is interested in some self-reliance. And so it really did put together incentive packages that made a good match between small and community wind and rural America."

There are many applications for wind energy in rural America, Flowers says, including for irrigation, dairy processing, animal confinement operations, and energy around the farm. He says REAP provides farming operations incentives to reduce energy costs that have been growing over the years while also guarding against the fluctuation of energy.

"As some of the older coal plants get retired, the newer generation that comes on, whether it be coal or natural gas or renewable energy, is more expensive than these old, retired coal plants. Energy prices are going up and with fossil fuel, of course, they're variable, they're renewable energy, they're predictable because the fuel is free."

Flowers says it's important to engage the full spectrum of options for wind energy and renewable energy in the rural sector. The large wind farms provide great economic development to rural America and are important for rural America's future, Flowers says, but the smaller community wind projects also need to play a role with independence, security, economic development, and environmental benefits.

One of the important changes to REAP, Flowers says, is that it now applies to educational facilities. He says education is critical for a robust and sustainable renewable energy future. Wind for Schools is a program that goes along with this renewable energy education.

"We train teachers and we provide the kids with curriculums so they can see these options as they move into the workforce. It also, hopefully, interests them in the opportunity that renewable energy, and wind in particular, offers these folks as they go from high school either into the trade or right into the workforce in construction right out of high school or on to college. There's a whole broad array of wind occupations that are out there, and by putting small wind turbines at rural schools through the REAP program and introducing curriculum, we can excite the next generation about a robust wind future and their role in it."

Policy is another point of importance, Flowers says, because it determines what will happen. He says it all comes back to renewable energy stakeholders—including those in the wind industry and rural America—letting their lawmakers know REAP is an important piece of America's energy future. People can't just think someone else will speak up, Flowers says, but everyone has to do their part in securing a prosperous energy future.

Date: 4/24/2012

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory published Distributed Wind Case Study: Cross Island Farms, Wellesley Island, New York. Installing a small wind turbine can sometimes be challenging due to economics, zoning issues, public perception, and other barriers. Persistence and innovation, however, can result in a successful installation. Dani Baker and David Belding own Cross Island Farms, a 102-acre certified organic farm on Wellesley Island in northern New York. In 2009, they took their interest in renewable energy to the next level by researching the logistics of a small wind installation on their land to make their farm even more sustainable. Their renewable energy system consists of one 10-kilowatt Bergey Excel wind turbine, a solar array, and a propane-powered generator. This case study describes funding for the project and the installation process.