GP: News from AWEA: Wind Advocacy Group Launches Small Wind Campaign

["Tom Gray" <tomgray@igc.org>]

American Wind Energy Association
www.awea.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 2, 2002

Contact: Kathy Belyeu (202) 383-2520, (202) 903-5989
Heather Rhoads-Weaver (206) 328-2441
Tom Gray (802) 649-2112

WIND ADVOCACY GROUP LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO
EDUCATE CALIFORNIA CONSUMERS
New California Laws Make Owning a
Home Wind Energy System Cheaper and Easier

The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), together with the California
Energy Commission (CEC), launched a campaign this week to educate consumers
about the benefits of owning a small wind system and the state incentives
that exist to encourage California consumers to generate their own
electricity.  Several California state programs have recently come into
effect that make installing a home wind system cheaper and easier than ever
before.  To educate customers on the new opportunities to invest in
self-generation, AWEA sent out a mailing this week to 65,000 rural
California households that could benefit from owning a home wind system.
The Association has also added resources to its Web site at
http://www.awea.org/faq/ca_shock.html .

Even in moderately windy areas, small wind systems are the most economical
way for consumers to generate their own electricity.  Home wind systems are
typically connected to the utility wires, so that when the wind is blowing,
it reduces the amount of electricity purchased from the utility company, and
during low-wind periods, the utility provides power as usual.  These systems
therefore do not need batteries.  During high wind periods the home's
electric meter will actually turn backwards.

With the help of California incentives, a typical payback period will be six
or seven years; after that, the wind power system generates virtually free
electricity for the rest of its 30-year useful life.  Since the savings are
tax-free, this is equivalent to earning a return of 25% or more on a taxable
investment.  "There just aren’t many investment opportunities that good
these days," notes Kathy Belyeu of AWEA.  In addition, wind power does not
create any by-products that pollute the air and water, nor does it
contribute to global climate change.
California leads the nation in programs to make buying and installing a home
wind turbine easier:

*	California Energy Commission rebate

The California Energy Commission currently offers a rebate of 50% on the
purchase price of a home or small business wind energy system.  Three
manufacturers of home wind energy systems have been approved by the CEC to
receive the credit.  For more information, contact the CEC Energy Center at
(800) 555-7794, renewable@energy.state.ca.us , or
www.consumerenergycenter.org/renewable .  A brochure with detailed
information is available for download at
http://www.awea.org/smallwind/documents/WindGuide_final.pdf .

*	State tax credit

New legislation offers consumers who install home or small business wind
energy systems a 15% tax credit on the net costs (after rebates) for systems
installed by December 31, 2002.  A credit of 7.5% of net costs is available
for systems installed after January 1, 2003 and before December 31, 2004.

A typical system that is large enough to meet the average electricity needs
of an energy efficient house costs approximately $16,000 to install after
the CEC rebate and state tax credit.  A 10-kW system, for example, can
reduce the owners' monthly electric bill by as much as $150 - $250.

*	New zoning law

California has enacted legislation that will simplify and standardize small
wind systems zoning ordinances across the state.  Existing height
restrictions and other permit requirements have made installing small wind
systems difficult.  The new law requires California cities and counties to
enact ordinances that allow wind turbine tower heights of at least 65 feet
on any property sized one acre or more, allowing consumers to take advantage
of the better wind speeds at greater heights.  The bill also defines
appropriate setback, noise, and engineering analysis requirements.  If
cities and counties fail to act by July 1, the law states that small wind
turbines will receive a permit by default, provided that they meet the
state's minimum requirements.

*	Net metering

California utilities are required to allow customers with small wind systems
to send any excess power generated back to the utility, receiving credit for
it at the same retail electric rate paid by the customer.  Since California
allows net metering on an annual basis, the excess power generated in
high-wind months can, in effect, be banked with the utility for use in
low-wind months.

More information is available from the following sites:

American Wind Energy Association
http://www.awea.org/smallwind

Mailing sent to 65,000 households available for download at :
"California Wind Power for Energy Independence" flyer (387 kb)
(http://www.awea.org/smallwind/documents/CWCFINAL.pdf)

Fact sheet on installing small wind energy systems in Solano, Kern, San
Bernardino, and Los Angeles counties (95 kb)
(http://www.awea.org/smallwind/documents/ca_factsheet2.pdf)

Fact sheet on installing small wind energy systems in Alameda, Sonoma, Santa
Cruz, and San Luis Obispo counties (82 kb)
(http://www.awea.org/smallwind/documents/ca_factsheet1.pdf)

Flyer on the California Energy Commission's 50% cash rebate for small-scale
renewable systems (38 kb)
(http://www.awea.org/smallwind/documents/RenewablesBuydownflyer.pdf)

Plus more than a dozen “success stories” of residential-scale wind turbine
installations
(see samples below) accessible from http://www.awea.org/smallwind  .

California Energy Commission
http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/renewable

Map of California wind resource potential
http://www.energy.ca.gov/maps/windmap.html

Manufacturers with CEC-approved home wind systems

Bergey Windpower, 405-364-4212, http://www.bergey.com
Southwest Windpower, 928-779-9463, http://www.windenergy.com
Wind Turbine Industries, 209-267-1303, http://windturbine.net

SAMPLE CUSTOMER INTERVIEWS

Tehachapi, CA (Kern County) David Colley has seen a 30-50% decrease in his
electricity bills since installing a 10 kW Bergey turbine in March 2001.
Colley lives in an all-electric house built by his parents in 1979. Despite
taking various measures to make his home more energy efficient, Colley’s
electricity consumption ranged from 1,200-2,562 kWh/month. With Southern
California Edison’s recent rate increases and 5-tiered rate structure,
Colley found himself paying anywhere from $150 per month in the summer to as
much as $465 per month during the coldest winter months.

Nestled among the hills on a 2.5-acre property, the Colley house is cooled
in summer by the winds that blow fairly constantly year-round. Why not,
thought David Colley, take advantage of those winds to generate electricity?
Permitting was not an obstacle. Colley’s neighbors were comfortable with the
installation, which consists of a 10 kW turbine on an 80-ft. guyed tower,
erected on a hill about 80 feet from the house. The installation itself
presented no problems. The first storm shut down the system because of
damage to the inverter box; the manufacturer (Trace) responded quickly,
repairing the inverter at no charge and building a protective box around it.

During its first year of operation, Colley’s small wind system cut his
winter electricity bills by about $150-$200/month. With the California
Energy Commission’s 50% rebate and the state tax credit, Colley estimates
that his wind turbine will pay for itself within seven years or less.


Scotts Valley, CA (Santa Cruz County) – Larry Gilliam and his wife “got
interested in the whole idea of wind power” while visiting Palm Springs. “We
took a tour of one of the small wind farms in San Gorgonio Pass,” explains
Gilliam. “The big thing on my mind was reliability.” After reading about the
California Energy Commission’s 50% rebates, Gilliam contacted a dealer. He
decided on a 10 kW turbine. Height restrictions were an early obstacle to
permitting, but a special wind energy zoning ordinance “leftover from the
last energy crisis” provided the solution. With the help of his County
Supervisor, Gilliam was able to obtain a building permit for his 80-foot
self-supporting lattice tower, the first of its kind in Santa Cruz County.

Gilliam hired a contractor to pour the foundation. Gilliam and his son put
the tower together on the ground. In September, 2001, they brought a wind
contractor to help erect the tower, using a crane. The electrical
connections were completed by the end of September, and PG&E signed off on
the interconnection and the net metering agreement shortly thereafter.

The Gilliams’ system began operating in October, 2001. While below-average
wind levels in their area have resulted in lower-than-expected generation
figures for the first six months, the Gilliams have managed to cut their
monthly electric bill from $120 to about $80, and are hopeful that they will
see still higher savings over the life of the system.
____________________________________________________________________________
_

AWEA, formed in 1974, is the national trade association of the U.S. wind
energy industry.  The association’s membership includes turbine
manufacturers, wind project developers, utilities, academicians, and
interested individuals.  More information on wind energy is available at the
AWEA web site:  www.awea.org



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