The passage of the Next Generation Energy Act of 2007 by the Minnesota State Legislature and Tim Pawlenty requires a study of the potential for dispersed renewable generation statewide. The study consists of two parts, Phase I and Phase II, which focus on installing a total of 1200MW of new dispersed renewable energy projects with a minimal impact on the transmission grid.

We hear regularly from people who would like to support community wind energy development but who don't own windy land. Urban dwellers who wish they could do more to promote wind energy and who want to see wind energy development done in a way that benefits local economies will be interested in this article containing information about an intrastate public offering to Minnesota residents interested in investing in wind energy projects in Dodge, Olmsted and Mower counties.

The Southwest Initiative Foundation and the Minnesota Department of
Commerce invite you to attend a meeting entitled The Path to Community
Wind.  Prior to the start of the Dispersed Generation study and at
other key points in the process, the Minnesota Department of Commerce
(DOC) is statutorily required to hold meetings in each of the five

Plus two more dates! (see below)

The Southwest Initiative Foundation and the Minnesota Department of Commerce invite you to attend a meeting entitled The Path to Community Wind. Prior to the start of the Dispersed Generation study and at other key points in the process, the Minnesota Department of Commerce (DOC) is statutorily required to hold meetings in each of the five greater Minnesota transmission planning zones. A portion of this meeting will satisfy the requirement for a meeting mid-way through the first phase of this study. The remainder of the meeting is devoted to providing information about a statewide assistance program for rural wind energy development.

This January 2008 policy brief from the New Rules Project of ILSR highlights how several European countries, and more recently the Canadian province of Ontario, have adopted a simple yet powerful strategy to expand renewable energy and benefit local economies. It is called a feed-in tariff: a mandated, long-term premium price for renewable energy paid by the local electric utility to energy producers. Evidence shows that a feed-in tariff achieves greater results at a lower cost than do other strategies like tax incentives or renewable electricity standards.

Click here to go to the New Rules Project website and download a copy of the report.

Advanced Wind Energy Workshop

NOVEMBER 16
8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Old No. 1 Bar and Grill in Downtown Morris

On November 29th – 30th, the meeting Wind Energy and Transmission: The South Dakota Landscapewill be held in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

The meeting will focus on wind and transmission issues relevant to South Dakota, including the following topics: