MINNESOTA STATE ENERGY OFFICE COMMUNITY WIND ACTIVITIES: HOW STATE PROGRAMS CAN HELP COMMUNITIES REALIZE 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 Energy Office (MN SEO) Wind Program. The two main areas of focus have been resource assessment via portable tip-up wind monitoring towers and a recently authorized grant program for community owned wind projects. Resource assessment has been the primary activity of the wind program since its inception. Recently the MN SEO has focused on community owned projects, with the intent of providing a community organization the necessary data to justify a project. With minimal marketing of monitoring equipment availability, the demand for this program has soared. This paper will discuss the needs and expectations of community organizations, as well as the realities of the program to meet these expectations. Accurate data provides a piece of the puzzle, but what other resources do community organizations need to realize their goals of a fully developed community wind energy project? During the 2003 state legislative session the Legislative Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCMR) awarded the MN SEO a grant to provide financial assistance for the development of community owned wind projects. Two community wind rebates of USD150,000 were awarded to projects with a combined capacity of 5.2 MW. How effective was this program, and did the selected projects meet the original intent of the Department's proposal? This paper intends to answer these questions, as well as address some of the economic difficulties community organizations face when trying to install wind, and how state incentive programs can help overcome these difficulties.