Great Lakes Wind Collaborative Quarterly Update

GLWC Headlines
Experienced Leadership to Move the GLWC Forward
The Great Lakes Wind Collaborative (GLWC), entering its second year of operations in 2009, is a binational organization that brings together stakeholders from federal, state, local, nonprofit, industry, utility, academic and other interests from the Great Lakes states and provinces and provides a forum for dialogue, analysis and exchange of information to build consensus around wind energy issues...

While much of 2008 was spent getting the GLWC off the ground, the GLWC is well-positioned for 2009 to support sustainable wind energy development in the Great Lakes region. In no small part, this is due to the commitment and leadership of the GLWC Steering Committee, chaired by Terry Yonker, President of Marine Services Diversified; as well as the support of its Advisory Committee, co-chaired by John Sarver of the Michigan Energy Office, Mark Sinclair, Executive Director of the Clean Energy States Alliance, and Jennifer Keyes, Renewable Energy Manager at the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.

Under their leadership, the GLWC will help the states and provinces of the Great Lakes collaborate toward realizing a renewable and more secure energy future. Interested parties can learn more or become GLWC stakeholders at www.glc.org/energy/wind.

GLWC Reaches Out to Obama, Harper
The GLWC sent letters to President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper February 13 alerting them to the work of the Collaborative and urging them to consider the Collaborative as a regional partner in advancing the development of wind energy.

These letters were sent just one week before the two leaders met in Ottawa, and urged them to ensure that clean energy was part of their discussion. At their meeting on February 19, Obama's first international visit, he and Harper launched a new "U.S.-Canada clean energy dialogue" which "commits senior officials from both countries to collaborate on the development of clean energy science and technologies." The GLWC has lent full support for such a dialogue and has voiced hopes to be part of that discussion.

GLWC Makes the Case to DOE: The Great Lakes Region Is Poised to Advance Wind
In response to the U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) funding opportunity announcement released in December, 2008, the GLWC builds the case that the Great Lakes region is uniquely positioned to help lead and realize 20 percent wind energy by 2030 with three project proposals:

  • Best Practices for Siting and Planning. Total budget $99,678; in-kind contribution $48,000 (48%); Number of support letters from project partners - 12
  • Online Wind Mapping Toolkit for the Great Lakes Region. Total budget $249,336; in-kind  contributions $81,000 (32.9%); Number of support letters from project partners - 11
  • Workforce Development. Total budget $399,746; in-kind contribution $113,500 (28.4%); Number of support letters from project partners - 10.
The 20 percent wind energy by 2030 scenario documented in the 2008 recent report by the U. S. Department of Energy estimates the potential wind production capacity of the 8 states in the Great Lakes region at about 250 gigawatts (GW) offshore and 110GW onshore.

The region's commitment to wind can be measure by the increasing investment in wind power energy production witnessed during recent years. Wind power contributed 68 percent of all new electric power generating capacity in the Great Lakes states in 2007; up from 24 percent in 2006, 6 percent in 2005, and 1.2 percent in 2000-2004. As of the end of 2008, the Great Lakes states had just over 4,500 MW of wind energy capacity in operation. According to a technical report by Wind Powering America, achieving 8,000 megawatt (MW) in wind generation capacity among the eight Great Lakes states would create more than 87,000 jobs, generate $9.7 billion in economic output. On the environmental side, the 8,000 megawatt capacity is estimated to save more than 11 million gallons of water and 23 million tons of CO2 emissions each year.

As demonstrated by pulling these 3 proposals together and the partnerships behind them, the GLWC is fully committed to the advancement of wind power in the Great Lakes region and stands ready to assist the Great Lakes states and provinces, federal agencies and wind stakeholders with planning and decisionmaking to scale-up domestic wind energy resources in the region in a sustainable, environmentally-sound way.

Change is in the Wind: Great Lakes Wind Collaborative 2nd Annual Meeting
The second annual meeting of the Great Lakes Wind Collaborative will be held at the We Energies headquarters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on June 10 -11, 2009. This meeting will include updates on past, current and future wind activities from state and provincial leaders, as well as discussions about the Collaborative's activities over the course of its first year of operation. In addition, the agenda includes presentations on offshore wind energy development, transmission challenges and opportunities, as well as the role of the maritime industry in transporting wind turbine components.

The meeting will highlight what it means for the Great Lakes to serve as a model region for renewable energy development, with presentations from the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) and the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA). The first day of the meeting will conclude with a field trip to a local wind facility. Registration is now available online at www.glc.org/energy/wind/conf2009.html. If you have any questions, please contact Kristina Donnelly (kdonnelly@glc.org; 734-971-9135). For groups or individuals interested in being a sponsor for the event, a sponsorship form is on the website.

GLWC Fundraising Campaign Underway
In order to sustain the GLWC in both the near-term and the long-term, we are seeking funds for base operations, workgroups and special projects. The Steering Committee has developed the following tiered structure for voluntary annual contributions:
  • Foundations: $10,000 - and up
  • Wind Industry, Electrical Utilities, and Trade Associations: $5,000 - $10,000
  • Federal, State, Provincial and Municipal Entities: $2,500 - $5,000
  • Not-for-Profit, Non-Industry Organizations, and Academic Interests: $1,000 - $2,500
  • Individual Contributions: Accepted at any level
Because the Great Lakes Commission is a 501(c)1 organization, is tax exempt under an Act of Congress and serves as an instrumentality of the U.S. , the Commission is eligible to receive contributions on behalf of the GLWC that may be deductible as charitable donations in both the U.S. and Canada. Checks can be made payable to the "Great Lakes Commission" with a note in the memo field indicating "GLWC" and sent to the following address:

Attn: John Hummer
Great Lakes Commission
2805 S. Industrial Hwy., Suite 100
Ann Arbor, MI 48104-6791

Multiple year payments can be made as a single payment for purposes of administrative efficiency. Consistent with the Great Lakes Commission's recordkeeping practices (and as supported by GLC auditors), GLWC funds are maintained and administered as separate accounts from other funds received by the Commission. Any amount beyond $10,000 can be used to support specific GLWC priorities and will be administered accordingly. If your agency or organization wishes to make a larger contribution to support a specific GLWC activity, please contact John Hummer (jhummer@glc.org) or Victoria Pebbles (vpebbles@glc.org ) directly to discuss and prepare a special letter/MOU or invoice accordingly.

Thank you in advance for your consideration of funding and support for the GLWC.

State and Provincial Updates
Indiana
The state's Office of Energy Development (OED) is convening its annual conference July 21-22, 2009, at the Indianapolis Convention Center. Four additional Wind Working Group meetings will convene in 2009. A wind supply chain workshop hosted by the Northeast Indiana Green Build Coalition (NIGBC) will take place in Fort Wayne. OED plans to organize additional workshops in Indiana, if the Fort Wayne workshop is successful. Two to three workshops could be conducted in the coming six months. OED is also working with county commissioners and other stakeholders on tax issues related to wind energy development. Hammond Port Authority is exploring the proposal to construct a couple of small turbines. However, the turbines are proposed in a location known to be a major migratory pathway.

Illinois
No updates at this time.

Michigan
Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association held the Michigan wind conference in Detroit, March 3-4, 2009. It was well attended with 800 people the first day and 600 people the second day. The second day had an offshore focus. The Wind Energy Resource Zone Board is moving ahead with frequent meetings. The Board is receiving help from Michigan State University Land Policy Institute to map out the wind resource in the state. The Michigan Green Jobs Conference will take place in Lansing on May 11. Kalamazoo County Community College is starting a 1-year certification program for wind turbine technicians and will be the national training headquarters for Entegrity, a leading manufacturer of commercial scale wind turbines. The college holds a Sky Stream, 50kw turbine and utility-scale turbine in the lab. The Governor has charged the Great Lakes Wind Council to develop siting criteria that can be used to review applications for offshore wind development. The Council must develop a report to the Governor by September, 2009. Their first meeting took place on March 25 in Lansing.

Minnesota
Minnesota uses a production tax, not a property tax, to capture greater long-term local economic benefits from wind development. Different wind productions (0-2MW, 3-12MW and 12+ MW) are all taxed at different rates. 100MW would be taxed $300,000 per year. The state finds that this type of taxing structure is more sustainable over the long-term. A case in the appellate court is underway concerning a developer suing a county government. Counties can permit wind development up to 25MW. Wind farms over 5MW are permitted by the state, which also establishes a setback of 5 rotor diameters of the site perimeter. The issue in court pertains to whether the smaller developers needed to comply with the setback requirements. The developer had a permit for 205MW by the county, but did not provide for the setback. The county still had not adopted the state standard. The developer is suing the county for not having updated setbacks.

The state is working through transmission issues with the state of North Dakota; in particular, contested case hearings of 4-5 wind projects from WindWatch. To address some of the issues related to these case hearings, a white paper on the health effects of wind turbines may be developed by the state. If the state conducted a literature search on health effects, it would be sent to the Center for Disease Control for review.

Many applications for wind projects have been submitted to the state, and several proposed projects are in the permitting process.

New York
The Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Galloo Island project is completed, and public comment on the project will be accepted until May 29, 2009. The Proposed Action will consist of the installation and operation of up to 84 wind turbines for the purpose of generating 252MW of electricity. Galloo Island is located approximately 8 miles west of the Village of Sackets Harbor in Lake Ontario. The New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation issued its final "Guidelines for Conducting Bird and Bat Studies at Commercial Wind Energy Projects" in January, 2009 and is available on the GLWC wind wiki bibliography at http://wiki.glin.net/display/GLWCC/Wind+Energy+Bibilography. During the first quarter of 2009, four commercial wind farms became operational bringing the state to an installed capacity of 1,274MW. On February 19, 2009, the combined output of all wind energy facilities reached 1,000MW or nearly 5 percent of total system demand.

Ohio
Ohio has completed a submerged lands wind turbine placement favorability analysis. The state has a grid map of the areas in Lake Erie that are suitable for development, The 20 criterion mapped include mostly environmental concerns, but also shipping. More information about the map is available online at http://www.ohiodnr.com/LakeErie/WindEnergyRules/tabid/21234/Default.aspx.

The state's Agriculture Financial Commission has approved tax credit bond financing using energy conservation bonds to create a pool of funds for smaller wind development projects. The state is negotiating submerged land leases for Lake Erie. Developers would pay a nominal amount of money to secure the area while they are getting all their certificates and permits. If they get all the paperwork in on time, then they could apply for a permit to lease the land.

Ontario
The Green Energy and Economy Act was introduced at the end of February (Bill 150) to bring renewables online faster. The Act fosters a culture of conservation. The Act focuses on demand-side management and energy efficiency, making Ontario a leader in efficiency and renewables. The Premier has been quoted saying the Act will bring 50 thousand jobs over the next three years. The Act advances the provincial climate change agenda. The legislation would institute feed-in tariffs for renewable energy. This gives developers priority to hook up to the grid. Fifteen provincial statutes would be amended to streamline the approval process. The Act includes municipal planning and energy efficiency standards. There is a provision for domestic content for renewable energy products. It would amend five significant statutes to remove barriers to energy efficiency and renewable energy. It is the top priority going into this legislative session. The Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure website has more information at http://www.mei.gov.on.ca.wsd6.korax.net/english/energy/gea/. The provincial government is conducting outreach to interest groups through a public consultation process.

The Ontario Power Authority has recently issued draft guidelines for the proposed Feed in Tariff. Highlights include; a guaranteed right to connect, pricing to support on and offshore wind, roof and ground based solar, run of river and storage based waterpower and farm and forest based biomass. For more information visit: www.powerauthority.on.ca/FIT/.

Pennsylvania
No updates at this time.

Quebec
Within the province of Québec, a 2,000MW block of wind energy was awarded to 8 different developers in 8 regions. The final approval from the Régie de l'Énergie was received at the end of October 2008. The developers, using 2 turbine makers (Repower and Enercon), were selected through the bidding process initiated by Hydro-Québec in September 2005.

In October 2008, the Québec Government approved 2 regulations related to 2 blocks of 250MW of wind energy from Aboriginal and community projects. Hydro-Québec is responsible for the call for bids; the call of bids was expected to be held at the end of 2008 but was postponed until May 1, 2009.

From the first call for bids launched in 2003 for a total of 1,000MW, 3 wind farms are now operational (total of 210MW). Five other projects are at different stages such as environmental analysis or public consultation.

Wisconsin
Governor Doyle received the offshore wind report from the Public Service Commission (http://psc.wi.gov/globalwarming/05ei144/documents/wowreport11509.pdf) last month. The state is working with Midwestern Governors Association on any regional responses. The affected agencies are awaiting directions from the Governor for any follow-up actions.
 
Upcoming Events
See the GLWC web site for links to these events and more at www.glc.org/energy/wind/events.html
 

Great Lakes Wind Collaborative l Quarterly Update archive
The Great Lakes Wind Collaborative (GLWC) is a group established to build consensus and identify and address issues affecting the planning, development, and operation of wind power facilities in the Great Lakes region.
For more information, contact: John Hummer, Collaborative support staff,
Great Lakes Commission, 734-97-9135, jhummer@glc.org.