Wind Resources
Welcome to the Resource Library! From this page, you can search for and access just about everything on our web site. You can enter any term you'd like in the left-most search box, or use our pre-defined lists of search terms to jump start your search. You can enter a value in as many (or few) of the search categories as you'd like. (Scroll to the right if you can't see the submit button.)
"Broadening Wind Energy Ownership by Changing Federal Incentives" from the New Rules Project
This April 2008 report from the New Rules Project discusses how simple changes to the federal production tax credit (PTC) and SEC registration process for cooperatives could significantly reduce barriers to community ownership of wind.
Download the report from the New Rules website here: http://www.newrules.org/de/ptc-wind-ownership.pdf
"Community Supported Wind Power" from Mother Earth News
This June/July 2007 article in Mother Earth News covers the basics of community wind and talks about the challenges to community wind in the U.S.
Click here to read the article on the Mother Earth News website.
"Locally Owned Energy Projects: From Conception to Completion" by David Kolsrud
Publication by a developer/farmer/consultant on all the factors to consider and steps to take in proceeding with a community-owned renewable energy project. The paper is aimed at projects in general and is not specific to wind energy. The information is presented in more of a check-list format, rather than as explanations of each step.
"Repowering and Used Turbines" from Leonardo Energy
As the first generations of wind turbines reach the end of their original deployment, there is growing interest in the used turbine market.
Just as you would be cautious and need to do due diligence when purchasing a used car, caution is of the utmost importance in considering used turbines.
"Wind Energy Guide for County Commissioners" from NACO
This guide from the National Association of Counties was released in November, 2006. According to the NACO website, "this publication is designed to provide county commissioners, planners,
and other local county government officials with a practical overview
of information required to successfully implement commercial wind
energy projects in their county."
"Zoning for Small Wind: The Importance of Tower Height"
This presentation from the U.S. Dept. of Energy goes through the importance of tower height in small wind energy.
Click here to download a PDF version of this presentation from the USDoE website.
20% Wind Energy by 2030
Read the recent report released by the Department of Energy that outlines how wind can support up to 20% of our nations electrical demand by 2030. The report can be found here.
20% Wind Energy by 2030: A Briefing by Environmenal and Energy Study Institute and AWEA
Briefing reports on the feasibility of the U.S. Department of Energy report "20% Wind Energy By 2030: Increasing Wind Energy's Contribution to U.S. Electricity Supply" are now available online.
2008 Farm Bill Renewable Energy Programs
The four titles that primarily affect renewable energy are described here.
2008 Wind Energy Center Partner Registration Form
Click on the link below to download a PDF copy of the 2008 Wind Energy Center Partner Registration Form.
A Comparative Analysis of Community Wind Power Development Options in Oregon
This report was prepared for the Energy Trust of Oregon by Mark Bolinger, Ryan Wiser, Tom Wind, Dan Juhl, and Robert Grace, and published in August 2004. It provides an examination of potential community wind project ownership structures in the Northwest and the types of support needed to make them viable.
A Survey of State Support for Community Wind Power Development
A Survey of State Support for Community Wind Power Development by Mark Bolinger of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, published March 2004.
Accelerated Depreciation
With accelerated depreciation, wind projects can reduce the assessed value of their equipment on their financial balance sheets over a shorter period of time than other real assets.
Aggregation
Bundling several wind energy projects together so that they are treated as one larger project (when purchasing turbines, interconnecting, or maintaining a project, for example,) in order to spread out costs over more turbines or projects. This can have the effect of improving project economics.
Akron-Westfield Community School District, Akron IA: Community Wind Project
This school district has a 600kW turbine. Read more about the district on their web site. Read this brief news article about the turbine from Wind Powering America.
Algona, IA: Iowa Distributed Wind Generation Project
There are three turbines in Algona, Iowa owned by a consortium of municipal utilities.
Read about this community wind project in an AWEA news release and on the Algona Municipal Utilities web site.
Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT)
AMT can be thought of as a different tax system with different rules and deductions; taxpayers must compute their taxes under both the regular tax and AMT rules and then pay the greater of the two. The purpose of the AMT is to prenvet those in the higher tax bracket from getting by from year to year tax free.
America's Schools Use Wind Energy to Further Their Goals
This brief fact sheet from NREL lists school wind energy activities by state.
American Wind Energy Association
The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) is the U.S. wind energy trade association. Their website includes useful factsheets and up-to-date information on the wind energy industry.
