brudenell...
Per this page, at Hearthmakers Energy Cooperative:
"The first large scale use of wind generated
electricity began in the early 1980s in Denmark
and California. Both of these initiatives were
strongly supported by government programs."
"Today, wind power is the fastest growing energy
technology in the world — according to NEG Micon,
wind power has grown at an average rate of 22%
annually since 1990, and 40% annually since 1995.
Denmark is the world's largest manufacturer of
wind turbines, with a market share of 53%."
"Canada has 150 wind turbines installed, of which
133 of are located on a newly developed site on
the Gaspé Peninsula in Quebec. This wind farm
will generate 100 Megawatts of electricity.
Canada's other major wind farm is now being
developed by Vision Quest Windelectric Inc.,
and consists of fourteen wind turbines in the
Pincher Creek area in the foothills of the
Rocky Mountains."
http://www.hearthmakers.org/services/wind.php
Hearthmakers is part of the 'Greater Kingston
Trade Winds Project', whose site is here:
http://tradewinds.hearthmakers.com
It is evident from links and information on
this page, that government subsidy is a big
part of the funding of such projects:
"Federation of Canadian Municipalities
Announces Funding of $200,000 for Trade
Winds Projects"
"The Greater Kingston Trade Winds Project
has received two separate grants from the
Green Municipal Enabling Fund."
"The Green Municipal Enabling Fund (GMEF) is
a five-year, $25 million fund that provides
grants to support feasibility studies."
"GMEF expects to support up to 150 studies a
year to assess the technical, environmental
and/or economic feasibility of innovative
municipal projects. Grants cover up to 50
per cent of eligible costs to a maximum
grant of $100,000."
http://www.fcm.ca/pcp/gmefcrit-e.html
and:
"More Than $400,000 in Federal Funding
Announced to Support Community Development
in Rural Canada"
Local workshops seem an integral part of
developing interest and initiative:
"Kingston, July 12/ — Thirty-eight business,
technology and environmental leaders met at
St.Lawrence College this week to consider
steps for bringing renewable energy projects
to Kingston. The workshop discussed the
actions necessary to making Kingston a model
community in the use of new energy
technologies"
http://www.hearthmakers.org/tradewinds/news/20020712.php
***************************************************
Soliciting the support of environmental organizations
also seems to be a necessary component of the process:
"'Businesses and municipalities in southeast Pennsylvania
can now buy wind energy for a significant portion of
their electric needs with a minimal, or no, increase
in their electric bill," stated Nadia Adawi, the Energy
Cooperative's director of operations. "By switching to
us for their electricity supply and applying the
savings to purchasing wind power, we can help offset
the slightly higher cost to generate wind power.
The Energy Cooperative is proud to partner with
Community Energy to bring this innovation to our
customers.'"
"...Clean Air Council provided technical assistance
to the borough during the decision-making process
that ultimately led to the wind energy purchase.
"Clean Air Council urges everyone to follow the
lead of Media and purchase wind energy," said
Joseph Otis Minott, Esq., executive director of
the Council. "Wind generation facilities emit no
health-threatening pollution, add to the local
tax base, and provide much needed revenue for
family farmers. The Council applauds the Energy
Cooperative and Community Energy for creating more
options for customers looking to buy wind energy'"
"Clean Air Council is a regional environmental
group that focuses on clean energy policy in
addition to its air pollution and transportation
programs." www.cleanair.org
http://www.newwindenergy.com/regional/mid-atlantic/press_release/borough_of_media_press.htm
***************************************************
New Wind Energy's site is here:
http://www.newwindenergy.com/index.html
"New Wind Energy™ from Community Energy, Inc.
is electricity supplied from newly developed
wind resources. New wind turbines are the
fastest growing and most cost-effective
renewable energy technology, producing
electricity with no fuel and no pollution.
Community Energy, Inc. was formed by people
committed to protecting our environment, and
to the development and promotion of NEW clean,
renewable energy. Community Energy, Inc.,
brought the first commercial wind turbines
online in Pennsylvania in December 1999, and
is currently working to bring the largest wind
farm east of the Mississippi online in 2002."
"New Wind Energy is Sold in Blocks at a Fixed
Premium Price"
"New Wind Energy is sold in affordable blocks of
pure wind energy. Customers choose the amount of
wind energy they would like to purchase as part
of their ordinary electric supply with no change
in reliability. The price for each block of New
Wind Energy is set at a fixed premium over
conventional supply, currently $2.50 for each
100 kWh of wind energy. The more blocks customers
purchase, the more wind turbines are built."
http://www.newwindenergy.com/common/nwe.html
"In partnership with a utility supplier and
environmental partners, CEI brought the first
wind plant on line in the competitive Pennsylvania
market in 1999, and sold the output immediately.
In the fall of 2001, CEI subscribed the five
largest wind energy purchases nationally for the
output of two new wind-farms adding 24 megawatts
in the mid-Atlantic. These marketing arrangements
have resulted in 140 megawatts of new wind
generation under contract-about five times the
previous capacity east of the Mississippi. The
Company built its marketing program on a
pioneering wind energy marketing effort that
attracted 20,000 residences, 500 businesses, and
two-dozen governmental entities."
http://www.newwindenergy.com/common/aboutcei.html
***************************************************
The mE3 site (Minnesotans for an Energy-efficient
Economy) has a HUGE number of related links, including
at least two pages of non-Minnesota links, a page of
links to publications on the subject, and Federal
Government Resources:
http://www.me3.org/issues/wind/
I therefore searched this abundant site for information
on establishing cooperatives.
Here's the rsesults of a project to determine the
feasibility of "farmer-initiated and owned wind
energy developments in Minnesota":
http://www.me3.org/projects/seed/localfease.html
"The project began with three outreach meetings..."
"...One of the key research questions involved the
appropriate legal structure for farmer-owned wind
businesses. A Minnesota law passed in 1995 provided
production incentive payments to small wind project
of 2 MW or less owned by individuals or agricultural
cooperatives. The law is important because farmers
and other small investors do not have tax liabilities
large enough to take full advantage of the federal
tax credits offered for wind development. Research
conducted through this project found that in most
cases, a cooperative is an inappropriate legal
structure for a wind business. Limited liability
corporations (LLCs) and limited liability partnerships
(LLP) were identified as two business forms that
could be structured to accommodate local ownership,
equitable decision-making and no taxation at the
corporate level."...
..."Advocates here have looked to northern Europe
for possible windpower development models. Much
of the wind power development there is being done
in small clusters of wind turbines by cooperatives
of farmers who own the windy land"...
..."A 1996 study of the economic impacts of wind
development in southwest Minnesota done by the
Southwest Regional Development Commission confirmed
this presumption. The study documented the benefits
of local ownership to the local economy. Local
investors would retain the return on investment and
energy sales profits in the local economy, creating
between 25 and 150 more jobs and adding $700,000 to
$4.3 million in additional value added, over a large
corporate wind farm model."
"Minnesota lawmakers have shared the belief that rural
areas in the state would benefit more from smaller,
locally-owned wind projects, and have put a number
of provisions in place over the years that support it."
"The project had its roots in three renewable energy
conferences held in rural Minnesota in the fall of
1995 and early winter of 1996. Over 150 local
landowners, economic development professionals,
state and local officials, and others attended the
Wind Across the Prairie conference held in southwest
Minnesota."
The document goes on to discuss the outcomes for 3
specific groups of farmers who centered in 3 geographic
areas, and were interested in forming cooperatives.
The outcomes were varied, with a number of obstacles
particular to each group, and several obstacles in
general, being identified, including the following:
* Legal Structure
* Getting the Policy Supports Right
* Difficulty Raising Local Equity
* Difficulty in Securing Local Debt Capital
* Lack of a Model
* Lack of Technical Support
* It's Never Been Done Before - First Project
Requires More Time and Resources
* Utility Expectations
* Existing Wind Leases
Necessary 'next steps' were identified:
1. Policy changes to ensure a growing market for
renewable energy
2. Policy changes to support locally-owned and
farmer-owned wind developments
3. Work with utilities to promote renewables
4. Look ahead to future opportunities
5. Develop one or more projects
6. Funding for Technical Support
7. More in-depth research
8. More education for farmers, local educators,
lenders, and others
9. Resource information more available to farmers
Further recommendations created as a result of this
study can be seen at the conclusion of this page:
http://www.me3.org/projects/seed/harvestwind.html
***************************************************
One thing that becomes evident is that support is needed
from the state govenment in formulating an energy
restructuring program that allows a successful integration
of sustainable resources:
"Energy efficiency, renewables, and environmental
policies are needed in restructuring because the
public benefits of energy efficiency and renewables
are not reflected in electricity prices (or
conversely the external costs of fossil fuels and
nuclear). This is a fundamental market failure
that puts energy efficiency and renewable energy
at a competitive disadvantage and causes consumers
to underinvest. Without supportive policies, it
will become even more difficult to capture these
benefits under a competitive electricity industry
focused on the bottom-line. Evidence of this is
the decrease in utility spending on public benefits
programs over the past five years as utilities cut
costs to prepare themselves for potential
restructuring."
http://www.me3.org/projects/dereg/LEETFcomments2.html
Searches done, via Google:
"wind energy" cooperative
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22wind+energy%22+cooperative
"cooperative" site:www.me3.org
://www.google.com/search?num=50&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&safe=off&q=%22cooperative%22+site%3Awww.me3.org&btnG=Google+Search
"establishing cooperative" site:www.me3.org
://www.google.com/search?num=50&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&safe=off&q=%22establishing+cooperative%22+site%3Awww.me3.org&btnG=Google+Search
"forming cooperative" site:www.me3.org
://www.google.com/search?num=50&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&safe=off&q=%22forming+cooperative%22+site%3Awww.me3.org&btnG=Google+Search
forming cooperative site:www.me3.org
://www.google.com/search?num=50&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&safe=off&q=forming+cooperative+site%3Awww.me3.org
establishing cooperative site:www.me3.org
://www.google.com/search?num=50&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&safe=off&q=establishing+cooperative+site%3Awww.me3.org&btnG=Google+Search
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