Great Lakes Wind Collaborative Quarterly Update

General GLWC News

Great Lakes Wind Collaborative First Annual Meeting Launches Group into the Future

More than 120 Great Lakes policymakers and business attended the first annual meeting of the Great Lakes Wind Collaborative May 6-7 in Buffalo, New York. Meeting attendees included representatives from U.S. and Canadian federal, state and provincial agencies, nongovernmental organizations, wind developers and investors, utilities, consultants, academia and other regional stakeholders.

The Buffalo meeting was an important first step to convene a broad group of Great Lakes stakeholders to help address siting and other challenges of developing wind-generated electric power in the Great Lakes region. The region’s wind capacity has the potential to produce $80 billion in economic activity and 300,000 jobs for the Great Lakes region, according to recent Dept. of Energy findings.

The meeting featured several excellent presentations on various aspects of wind energy -- from an overview of the national wind scenario to the wind industry sharing its knowledge on key aspects of wind development to presentations on offshore, environmental and wildlife issues. Participants also took part in a field trip to “Steel Winds” on the former site of the Bethlehem steel plant on the Buffalo waterfront, the largest urban wind farm in the United States. The meeting included breakout sessions on both the benefits and challenges of a responsible wind future, and discussed the Wind Collaborative’s near-term agenda and long-term priorities.

Presentations and photos from the meeting are available at www.glc.org/energy/wind/conf2008.html

Steering Committee and Advisory Committee Now Formed

The summer is in full swing and the Great Lakes Wind Collaborative (GLWC) committees and workgroups are beginning to roll up their sleeves to do some good work. A Steering Committee was recently formed, which will be the governing board of the GLWC. The Steering Committee will meet approximately eight times per year to guide the day-to-day matters of the Collaborative. Among its duties, the Steering Committee will develop an annual work plan that will address near term objectives and priorities, consistent with available funding resources.

The GLWC’s Advisory Committee, also officially established, will provide guidance and advice to the Steering Committee on behalf of a broader array of interests through review of and feedback on GLWC products and activities, including the GLWC annual work plan and budget. Advisory Committee members will keep their respective Steering Committee member informed of workgroup activities and will elevate issues to the Steering Committee for decisions as needed. The Advisory Committee will meet quarterly.

Rosters for both the Steering Committee and Advisory Committee can be found on the GLWC website (http://www.glc.org/energy/wind/).

Workgroup Highlights

After the GLWC 1st Annual Meeting, five workgroups were formed:

  • Economic Development
  • Environmental Planning, Siting and Permitting
  • Great Lakes Wind Atlas
  • Offshore Wind
  • Transmission

Workgroups have begun to meet via conference call and are starting to tackle near-term work priorities and tasks identified in the GLWC workplan. Wiki web pages for each workgroup are under development that will facilitate exchange of information and work products.

State and Provincial Updates

Indiana

The WIndiana Conference was held on June 17-18. This day and a half event included panels and speakers with optional half day trips to a commercial wind farm and a 50 kW wind turbine installation in Indianapolis. 338 people attended. Conference presentations are available at www.in.gov/oed/2552.htm. In other news, the state’s first wind farm, in Benton County, came online in May. State guidelines for wind developers are under development.

Illinois

Utility scale wind development in Illinois is moving forward at a staggering pace. The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) recently announced that Illinois ranked third in the nation for the installation of new wind energy generation in 2007, behind only Texas and Colorado. Last year, Illinois added 592 megawatts (MW) of new wind power generation, increasing the total state wind generation capacity to 733 MW. In August of 2007, Governor Blagojevich signed into law one of the most aggressive Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) policies in the country, adopting a central plank of his energy independence platform. This renewable energy standard requires Illinois utilities to supply 2 percent of their power from renewable energy resources by 2008, 10 percent by 2015, and 25 percent by 2025, at least 75 percent of which must be generated by wind power. In addition to the 593 MW of wind generation installed in 2007, the RPS is spurring development of an additional 3,400 MW of wind energy projects in Illinois that will establish Illinois as a national leader in wind power generation.

Michigan

Governor Granholm has proposed a 10 percent RPS by 2015. A bill has passed the state House, but has not yet been approved by the Senate. The Michigan Energy Fair took place June 27-29 at the Manistee County Fairgrounds in Onekama, which featured Governor Granholm as keynote speaker. Mike Klepinger, proprietor of Mikinetics, submitted the Michigan Great Lakes Offshore Wind Permitting Dry Run Final Report in partial fulfillment of a contract between the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and the Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association (GLREA). The state is working on establishing a siting council to establish criteria that can be used to identify areas that should be excluded from offshore wind development as well as the best areas for development.

Minnesota

Most wind development, totaling a capacity of 40 MW, is occurring in Southwest Minnesota. The northwestern part of the state is experiencing expansion in wind with a number of projects.

New York

Guidelines for Conducting Bird and Bat Studies at Commercial Wind Energy Projects was released by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Division of Fish, Wildlife & Marine Resources in December 2007. The public comment period expired on March 7, 2008. Staff have reviewed the comments received and are in the process of preparing the final version of the guide. Governor Paterson signed an Executive Order on April 9, 2008 requiring the preparation of a State Energy Plan. Staff from several state agencies are meeting with stakeholders to gather input. Their goal is to have a draft plan by March 31, 2009. A Renewable Energy Task Force Report was issued in February 2008. Meetings with different stakeholder groups are now in process to test the recommendations of the report and to seek input on how to accomplish these goals.

New York’s Net Metering Law, signed on June 19, 2008 by Governor Paterson, authorizes net metering for wind technology of all utility customer classes, including non-residential classes. Previously, the law authorized such systems for residential and farm operations only. The law will also allow non-residential wind electric generators to net meter up to the lesser of their peak load or 2 MW, and increase the maximum size of wind facilities for farm operations from 125 kW to 500 kW. Caps on net metering enrollment in utility service territories will also be increased.

Seven wind farm projects, totaling 740 MW, are under construction. Eighteen wind farms, totaling 1,925 MW, are under active review. Total annual wind production on the grid as of December 31, 2007 is 873 GW, which is less than 1 percent of the total energy on New York’s grid. As of summer 2008, the total “approved” production is 424.4 MW.

The NYISO Wind Forecasting System is a new centralized wind forecast system that will help grid operators determine the quantity of wind power that is available on a daily basis. A report estimating the total in-state wind capacity that can be supported by the grid is expected to be released in the summer or fall 2008.

Ohio

Governor Strickland signed legislation creating one stop shopping for wind project licensing. Under legislation adopted in June as part of a state budget reconciliation bill, all wind power projects exceeding 5 MW will now be permitted by the Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB). The legislation also establishes setback and buffer requirements. The legislation pre-empts regulatory oversight at the local level for OPSB- approved projects. Local governments will retain authority over projects less than 5 MW.

American Electric Power (AEP), Ohio’s largest energy utility, reacted to the state’s adoption of renewable energy portfolio standards by issuing a request for proposals (RFP) for 300 MW of Ohio wind generation capacity to be interconnected to the AEP grid by December 2011. The RFP may be found at: http://www.aep.com/newsroom/newsreleases/default.asp?dbcommand=DisplayRelease&ID=1471.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources Office of Coastal Management has begun drafting rules which would regulate the issuance of submerged lands leases for wind power projects in Lake Erie. The proposed rules would establish long term leasing rates and royalties and would impose a “duty to develop” the sites by leaseholders.

Ontario

Ontario is developing an integrated power system plan to increase renewables to 40 percent by 2025. The province also announced changes to its feed-in tariff for their renewable energy program. The province has also proposed changes to limit the number of projects (to one) that any one developer can connect to a transfer station. The changes will also restrict where projects can be located until transmission upgrades take place. Sixty onshore and 16 offshore wind projects are in testing or environmental permitting stages. Many more projects are under development. The World Wind Energy Conference took place in Kingston June 24-26. The Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) 2008 conference will be held October 19-22 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania has 10 active wind sites, totaling more than 175 turbines and 300 MW. An additional 65 wind sites have been proposed. Pennsylvania's Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard requires that 18.5 percent of the electricity sold in Pennsylvania come from alternative energy resources by 2021. The Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) Wind Energy Voluntary Agreement has been signed by 19 companies and has been in effect since April 2007. During the first year of the agreement, from the surveys conducted per the agreement, the 2nd largest Indiana bat maternity colony and the first lactating silver-haired bat were discovered in Pennsylvania. Currently, many sites are conducting various pre-construction bird and mammal surveys and a few sites are conducting post-construction mortality surveys. The PGC is planning to release an annual report summarizing the agency’s Wind Energy Voluntary Cooperative Agreement. The first year’s report is slated to be released later this summer. The PGC Wind Energy Voluntary Cooperative Agreement can be found at www.pgc.state.pa.us. Some exhibits on the web page contain pre- and post-construction protocols for bird, bat, and mortality monitoring.

Quebec

Québec is moving forward regarding the selection of 15 projects that will generate 2,000 MW of wind energy. Eight different promoters and two turbine manufacturers (Repower and Enercon) will be developing these projects within the eight regions of Québec. These firms were selected through the bidding process initiated by Hydro-Québec Distribution and approved by Régie de l’Énergie.

Two draft regulations were issued on May 14. each for a block of 250 MW of wind energy from Aboriginal projects and from community projects, totaling of 500 MW. Hydro-Québec is responsible for the call for bids expected to be held in fall 2008. From the first call for bids launched in 2003 for a total of 1000 MW, two wind farms are operational (total of 210 MW), one is under construction in Carleton, Gaspésie for 110 MW, and six need more environmental analysis before proceeding with the construction of the wind farms.

Wisconsin

The Governor’s Global Warming Task Force identified an evaluation of the issues and regulations for developing wind energy offshore in the Great Lakes as a priority item. The Public Service Commission was directed to open a docket on the subject, and work in cooperation with the Department of Natural Resources and the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands. This effort, led by a group called “Wind on the Water” (WOW), includes a Human Environment working group that is evaluating the biological and physical issues to be addressed in reviewing applications for such facilities. Other groups include Engineering/Economics, Legal Issues, and Community Involvement. WOW has targeted late Fall, 2008 for providing its report to the Governor.

Upcoming Events

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.