MINNESOTA STATE ENERGY OFFICE COMMUNITY WIND ACTIVITIES:HOW STATE PROGRAMS CAN HELP COMMUNITIESREALIZE A COMMUNITY OWNED WIND ENERGY PROJECT

摘要

School districts, municipalities, and grass roots organizations have become the focus of several wind program activities offered through the Minnesota Department of Commerce, State EnergyrnOffice (MN SEO) Wind Program. The two main areas of focus have been resource assessmentrnvia portable tip-up wind monitoring towers and a recently authorized grant program forrncommunity owned wind projects.rnResource assessment has been the primary activity of the wind program since its inception.rnRecently the MN SEO has focused on community owned projects, with the intent of providing arncommunity organization the necessary data to justify a project. With minimal marketing ofrnmonitoring equipment availability, the demand for this program has soared. This paper willrndiscuss the needs and expectations of community organizations, as well as the realities of thernprogram to meet these expectations. Accurate data provides a piece of the puzzle, but what otherrnresources do community organizations need to realize their goals of a fully developedrncommunity wind energy project?rnDuring the 2003 state legislative session the Legislative Commission on Minnesota Resourcesrn(LCMR) awarded the MN SEO a grant to provide financial assistance for the development ofrncommunity owned wind projects. Two community wind rebates of $150,000 were awarded tornprojects with a combined capacity of 5.2 MW. How effective was this program, and did thernselected projects meet the original intent of the Department’s proposal? This paper intends tornanswer these questions, as well as address some of the economic difficulties communityrnorganizations face when trying to install wind, and how state incentive programs can help overcome these difficulties.