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Wind Power for the Community
EcoVert Wind Turbines Offers A Unique Solution Perfect for Community Wind Power Projects
Community wind is a growing sector of wind development driven by the leadership of municipal governments, financial incentives, and the strong desire to have energy independence.
Community wind projects can be lead by local small business owners, companies, local educational institutions, as well as Native American Tribes, rural electric cooperatives, municipal utilities, and churches. Often these projects are smaller pilot projects, leading the way to more comprehensive solutions later.
EcoVert Wind Turbine Offers Benefits Unique to Communities
EcoVert series of innovative vertical-axis wind turbines offer truly special advantages for community wind power projects. They were specifically designed for ultra-quiet and super reliable operation. Other important benefits EcoVert offers communities include:
- Low capital cost because each turbine is uniquely sized for your project
- Wind resistance, including hurricane force winds, that opens up a wide range of locations as possible sites
- High reliabilty and low maintenace costs reduce your financial risk and exposure to skyrocketing operations costs seen on other designs
- Sleek look and innovative design fit right into your environment and send a strong signal about the future for your community
Learn more about how EcoVert can serve your community, the benefits and features to make your project successful.
The General Landscape of Community Wind
Any land owners, including community governments, in areas with substantial wind resources can benefit by leasing their land to large wind developers who sell the wind energy. Other communities have installed their own wind turbines on a smaller scale to prove the concept and take a leadership role. These projects are great investments for local communities. They allow a leadership role to gain energy independence and protect the environment. Smaller community projects across the country are showing that energy independence is a series of small successful projects, not one all-or-nothing investment.
One of the hallmarks of Community wind projects is that they come in all sizes, from a single turbine to an industrial sized wind farm. Smaller projects are by far the norm. Community wind projects have been installed throughout the country and are in the planning stages in every state.
Community Wind Financial Incentives
The stimulus package passed in 2009 by Congress has helped boost the financial return for projects and jump-start many community wind projects to move ahead. According to a report from the Environmental Energy Technologies Division of the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, qualifying wind projects can choose either a 30% investment tax credit (ITC) or a 30% cash grant in lieu of the production tax credit (PTC) that wind has historically received.
To qualify for the 30% Investment Tax Credit, projects must be placed in service by the end of 2012. To qualify for the 30% cash grant, projects had to be operational by the end of 2010, or else must have begun construction by then and be placed in service by the end of 2012. Future similar programs are extremely likely as the government continues to invest in wind energy. The key lesson is that advanced planning is essential to be ready when the right incentives package is available for your community.
The analysis highlighted the importance of the 30% cash grant for passive investors in community wind projects. Although the window of opportunity is small, the incentives are real and help significantly for communities already in the final planning stages for a project.
Checklist to Bring Wind Energy to your Community
Here is a simple, five-step checklist to start your thinking on how to help bring a community wind project to your hometown.
- Assemble a key team of professionals, including an engineering firm, an attorney, and a budget specialist in your community. Start building consensus and getting a placeholder in your budget at least 24-48 months in advance.
- Research the wind levels and property locations that may be suited for your project. Some of the key factors to examine are size of property, zoning, average wind speeds, environmental issues, and distance from transmission lines for connection to the power grid.
- Seek financing for the wind project. Some frequent investors include wind energy lenders and tax-equity firms. Private investors may also be an option in your community.
- Select contractors to construct the community wind project and negotiate a power purchase agreement with your local utility company if net-metering or selling power back to the utility is a part of your project’s return on investment.
- Execute your plan by purchasing the property, conducting the required environmental studies, and starting your final land use permit application process.
Ready to Learn More on How You Can Benefit with Wind Power?
Call us at 866-820-0434 or contact us to get your questions answered and to get the full details and benefits of wind power and the EcoVert line of wind turbines.
