Compiled by Staff

Campbell Hill Wind Farm Now Online

Duke Energy’s 99 MW Campbell Hill Windpower Project in Wyoming is now on line. The 66 wind turbines will supply electricity to PacifiCorp under a 20-year power purchase agreement. Completion now gives Duke Energy a total wind energy capacity of 733 MW.

Duke Energy recently brought its 151 MW Notrees Windpower Project in Texas and 42 MW Silver Sage wind project in Wyoming on line. The company is also planning to build the 200 MW Top of the World Windpower Project in Wyoming in 2010. In November, Duke Energy received a $22 million Department of Energy grant to design and build a large-scale wind power storage at the Notrees site.

Money Available to State Residents for Home-Based Renewable Energy

The Wyoming State Energy Office (SEO) is using more than $2.2 million in federal funding to launch a program that will assist homeowners in defraying the cost of installing renewable energy systems.

The funding is part of the $3.1 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) appropriation to the U.S. Department of Energy to fund state programs that prioritize energy savings, increase the use of renewable energy, and create or retain jobs.

Wyoming homeowners may apply to the SEO for grants of up to $10,000 or 50 percent of project costs, whichever is less, for installing photovoltaic (solar), small wind, and ground source heat energy systems at their homes. Grant awards are based on project size, will be allocated on a first-come basis, and are not retroactive for systems already installed or under contract to be installed.

“This round of federal funding will expand the state’s already successful photovoltaic program, giving residents more than one way to implement a renewable energy system at their home,” said Shannon Stanfill, SEO program manager. “Additionally, residents who install one of these systems may apply for a 30 percent tax credit from the federal government, bringing further savings at tax time.”

Applications are available Dec. 1 and may be downloaded HERE.  Applications may be electronically submitted, or mailed to: Wyoming State Energy Office, 214 W. 15th St., Cheyenne, WY, 82002.

For questions regarding the program, and details on the provisions for each renewabl energy system, contact the State Energy Office toll-free at 1-888-232-5390.

Natrona County Eases Some Wind Regulations

By Tom Morton/Star-Tribune

Residents living in certain remote areas of Natrona County will be able to erect taller domestic wind turbines after the county commission approved changes in regulations.

However, Casper Mountain residents still will need to go through a public hearing process if they want to erect a tower and turbine, said Gene Wallace of the county’s development department.

A year ago, the commission approved regulations allowing domestic turbines, known as “small wind energy systems,” in a variety of zoning districts, Wallace said Wednesday.

Towers — only with a maximum height of 45 feet — in those areas fell under the category of a “permitted use,” meaning residents could erect them after obtaining the necessary building and related permits. Those who have wanted towers sometimes have met resistance from their neighbors, who have said the towers and turbines would affect their views of the mountain and the plains.

Read the Complete Story Here. 

Wyoming Lags on Distributed Energy Generation

Wyoming is one of several states that are still lagging behind when it comes to buying renewable energy from customers, according to a report from the Network for New Energy Choices, an advocacy group promoting equitable and safe energy choices.

The report analysed the performance of individual states in two areas: net metering, and interconnectivity.

Net metering makes it possible for customers producing their own renewable energy to sell that power back to the grid when they have a surplus. Interconnection measures how easy the state makes it for a customer to connect their power-generating equipment and meter to the grid.

Sixteen states received a failing ‘F’ grade in one of the two categories outlined by the report. Georgia, Idaho and Indiana scored ‘F’s for net metering.

When it came to interconnection, far more states were lacking. Arkansas, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, Utah and Wyoming all scored an F for interconnection, as did Georgia.

An F for net metering means having a policy that deters customers from taking part, while an F for interconnection means that a state has thrown up many barriers to connection.

“Few to no generators will experience expedited interconnection, and few to no state best practices are adopted,” the report’s scorecard said, describing an F score.

However, Georgia wasn’t the worst state in either category; eight states had no statewide net metering at all, including Alabama, Alaska, Mississippi, South Dakota, and Tennessee. And ten had no interconnection standards. Several states excelled, however, with A scores for net metering, and Bs for interconnection. These included California, Colorado, Maryland, New Jersey, Oregon, and Pennsylvania.

“The actions of these states provide a framework to understand what laws and regulations drive a renewable energy industry,” said Kyle Rabin, director of the NNEC.