With renewed interest in renewable energy, wind power has become a major player in the sustainable energy sector. And one of the main components of the wind-energy strategy is distributed or small wind energy.  

The Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO) defines distributed wind in terms of technology application, “based on a wind plant’s location relative to end-use and power distribution infrastructure, rather than technology or project size.” Think: wind turbines behind the barn, supplying to the dairy farmer or industrial user. 

The collaborative Distributed Wind Energy Association (DWEA) recently concluded its annual meeting, business conference, lobby day in Washington, D.C discussing the overall state of the wind-energy industry. 

Here’s a summary of what happened and an overview of the state of the distributed (or small) wind sector for 2022:

DWEA 2022 Recap | State of Distributed Wind 2022

This year’s DWEA conference started out with a bang, and on Monday, a free pre-conference seminar invited stakeholders in the Distributed Wind (DW) community to discuss Distributed Wind’s 1000 GW, multi-billion-dollar cleantech opportunity. 

Panel discussions contained opinions from experts in the numerous DW market segments, such as: 

• Off-grid energy, 
• Residential wind power
• Wind energy and Agriculture, 
• Commercial & industrial, 
• Public wind
• Community wind 

Next, we heard from a panel discussing the diverse market environments: 

• Financing
• Permitting 
• Tax equity
• Federal policy
• Emerging markets
• Due diligence requirements for investors

The DW22 Business Conference, a cornerstone of the event, provided further information from a leadership panel on the state of the industry, where we heard from US-DOE representatives on the upcoming Distributed Wind Futures Study, the Rural Area Distributed Wind Integration Network Development (RADWIND) program, the Competitiveness Improvement Program as well as new tools for resource assessment at NREL. 

The popular 8-minute “Lightning Round” presentations allowed attendees to give their company’s pitch for products and services, and facilitated open question and answer sessions from the audience. 

In the afternoon, distinguished representatives from the Department Of Energy (DOE) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) joined DWEA’s federal policy director to provide a US government policy and programs update. 

New for this year, we received a primer on Energy and Environmental Justice and an overview of environmental justice opportunities for distributed wind in the Deployment and Environmental Justice panel. 

Distributed wind is a natural friend of energy equity because many distributed wind sites are located in rural and historically underserved communities. Closing remarks were provided by Michael Bergey, President of DWEA, and Bergey Windpower.

Renewable Energy Trends | DWEA Lobby Day

Due to remaining COVID protocols and increased security for President Biden’s State of the Union Address, DWEA’s annual lobby day was performed virtually and included participants from around the world. 

Attendees held meetings with 46 different Senate and Congressional member offices and discussed DWEA’s three key federal policy priorities to consider in upcoming climate legislation:

1. Grow the Department of Energy wind program, with no less than $18 million for distributed wind.
2. Extend the investment tax credit- multi year extensions at 30%, plus refundable, section 25D direct-pay credits.
3. Provide more diversity and balance for the USDA REAP program for underutilized technologies like distributed wind via a Reserve Fund.

The lobby day concluded on Capitol Hill with a reception with Senator Michael Bennet, a longtime supporter of the distributed wind industry. 

Senator Bennet believes that action on federal policy is imminent and will help contribute to increased penetration of distributed wind in a global environment where energy independence is becoming increasingly important.

The final day of the conference was hosted by DOE’s National Renewable Energy Lab representatives Ian Baring-Gould and Brent Summerville. US-DOE and NREL have played key roles in supporting new technologies and product development for Distributed Wind. 

With the new emphasis on deployment and decarbonization of the power grid, NREL requested ideas from the Distributed Wind industry on how best to use NREL’s resources to promote and facilitate projects and programs that will help bring Distributed Wind to scale.

Paul Rowan, Windurance co-founder and Director of Engineering says:

 “I see really great opportunities for distributed wind data. We have an opportunity to do it right. In the early days of utility-scale wind deployment, everyone was always catching up with implementing data acquisition and remote monitoring. Now, with available technologies, we can implement condition monitoring and remote monitoring industry-wide and get it right the first time. NREL support under CIP subcontracts is making that possible. And this conference was filled with those technical leaders convening on the ground floor.”

Windurance and the State of Wind Energy

The conference ended with high hopes for upcoming climate legislation and a consensus-nearing vision for technology development.

It was clear that DWEA members “practice what they preach” – some were pleased to use all-electric transportation during their travels. 

Want to get involved with distributed wind? We need business supporters all over the country! Please complete our survey to help us target legislative policy action in your area.  

With a continued push towards renewable energy, distributed wind, commonly referred to as community (or small) wind, has come into the limelight again as energy prices continue to climb and users seek more control over their own power generation. At a base level, community wind is the integration of very small to very large wind turbines at farms, businesses, public facilities, and even at home, usually “behind-the-meter,” in order to offset traditional electricity costs. 

With the rise in capability and reduction in cost of renewable energy resources over the past decade, the Distributed Wind Energy Association (DWEA for short), was formed as a collaborative effort between manufacturers, distributors, advocates, and industry leaders to promote and foster all aspects of the wind energy industry, including distributed wind.

For the 10th year, DWEA is hosting its annual Distributed Wind Conference in Arlington VA. The Distributed Wind 2022 (DW22) conference offers informative sessions and round table discussions on the benefits of wind energy for local communities, information on its potential applications, opportunities, barriers, and how US policy has affected the wind industry as a whole. 

DW22 aims to generate discussion around the more than 49 million sites where the integration of distributed wind can be used as an alternative form of energy to natural gas, oil, or coal.

Windurance And The Future of Community Wind Policy

Occurring February 28th 2022 through March 2nd, 2022 DW22 will have a number of workshops, moderated question and answer sessions, and seminars discussing:

• The state of the Wind Energy industry,
• Research updates from The Department of Energy (DOE)
• Industry products and services
• Government Policy and programs update
• Environmental Justice and wind energy deployment 

Windurance’s own Dan Clunies will moderate the “U.S. Government Policy and Programs Update” seminar where there will be discussions surrounding updated policy measures from the DEO, USDA, and more. 

“Windurance’s participation in DWEA has created invaluable opportunities for technical collaboration, business development, and policy participation on a national scale. As a technical leader in distributed wind technology, we look forward to joining our colleagues at DW22 to celebrate DWEA’s accomplishments and accelerate deployment of distributed wind to thousands of communities nationally and around the world, many of which have been historically underserved in terms of access to clean energy or its benefits.” 

To get registered for Distributed Wind 2022 or if you have any questions, check out DWEAs website here; or click below for more information on Distributed Wind as a whole:

With a global increase in temperature and an influx in powerful and severe weather, the effects of global warming are increasingly clear throughout the world.

As the impacts of global climate change continue to worsen, the United States government must take action now, and through the Build Back Better initiative, real progress has been made to ensure the affordability and longevity of green technology in the residential/consumer and commercial sectors.

How the Build Back Better Initiative is Shaping the Future of Green Technology

In addition to provisions for social spending that will strengthen the middle class, at a base level, the Build Back Better plan (BBB for short) is a once-in-a-generation piece of legislation that “set(s) the United States on course to meet its climate goals, create millions of good-paying jobs, enable more Americans to join and remain in the labor force, and grow our economy from the bottom up and the middle out.”

But why – and more importantly how, will this be achieved? 

4 Ways the Build Back Better Plan Aims To Combat Climate Change:

Ask any home or business owner – one of the main barriers to integrating clean, renewable energy is the cost and lifespan of the equipment. Though the proposed legislation encompasses a broad spectrum of climate and social spending, this post will focus on four key pillars that will lower the cost of clean energy and rapidly increase deployment:

1. 5-year Production Tax Credit (PTC) | Investment Tax Credit (ITC)
2. 25D Direct Pay: Energy Justice
3. Energy Storage Exploration
4. Additional USDA REAP Funding 

These programs aim not just at reducing the initial cost to the consumer, but also to increase the longevity and lifespan of the equipment, in turn maximizing the lifespan and use of integrated clean energy.  

5-year Production Tax Credit (PTC) | Investment Tax Credit (ITC)

The major goal of the BBB initiative is to expand access to renewable energy sources for all levels of commercial and residential uses, be it a start-up business, low-income neighborhood, or non-profit. 

Widely popular – a proposed 5-year PTC/ITC would lock the previously cascading tax credits for renewables at 30% for a minimum duration of five years. This means the owner gets 30% off on everything! Combine that with the new 10% credit for technology made in America, and 10% for marginalized communities, and some new renewable energy installations could see up to 50% federal incentive on their distributed wind turbine or solar installation.

*A Quick Note on the 5 Year PTC|ITC: Unfortunately, the current wording in the Senate proposes the domestic manufacturing tax credit for SOLAR inverters which, by definition excludes inverters for wind systems. The Distributed Wind Energy Association is working tirelessly to correct this discriminatory provision* 

Direct Pay 25D: Energy Justice

Under the current framework, in 2023 BBB provides a direct payment option for the Investment Tax credit under 25D. This makes the “tax credit” able to be captured by individuals or organizations without a tax liability, such as low-income, non-profit or municipal facility installations.

The inclusion of direct pay is a massive step towards ensuring individuals and organizations of all income levels can capture current incentives to integrate clean energy into their development plan. The Energy Equity program “puts Main Street Americans on equal footing with their higher-income and corporate counterparts.” 

Energy Storage and Improvement Tax Credits: 

For any generator of renewable energy, ensuring that excess energy can be stored correctly is a cornerstone of the overall impact and performance of the wind or solar installation. As battery energy storage costs continue to decline, and other novel energy storage methods become commonplace, these new tax credits provide a foothold needed for those technologies to take root in today’s rapidly-changing electrical grid.

Under the new legislation, the ITC includes expanded coverage of eligible energy storage technology and also secures funding for grants and loans for certain electric cooperatives to purchase and deploy renewable energy systems and improvements.

Additional USDA REAP Funding 

The Build Back Better plan also facilitates increased Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) funding through the USDA, to fund underserved technologies, like Distributed Wind and biogas. 

“A REAP reserve fund supporting underserved technologies, such as distributed wind, would help address climate change and expand domestic manufacturing of clean energy technology, creating jobs and bringing down costs for energy users and others,” said Mike Bergey, Board President of the Distributed Wind Energy Association.

But this bill hasn’t passed the Senate yet and it’s imperative that we continue to show our support. 

Build Back Better Initiative: What You Can Do To Help

Whether you’re a small, low-income municipality, non-profit organization, start-up business, or even a regular residential electricity user, the Build Back Better initiative allows for greater equitable access to clean, renewable energy sources, such as distributed wind, solar, biogas, and geothermal energy. But the bill has hit some roadblocks in the senate.

While the drastic effects of climate change can be seen in almost every environment in almost every corner of the world, it’s not too late to act. If your organization can support, please use this form to be added to the sign-on list. 

The Author, Dan Clunies, is a DWEA board member, 10-year veteran of the oil and gas industry, and former Houston resident who enjoyed motorcycling in the Texas Hill Country. He now works for Windurance, a technology leader in blade pitch control and power electronics for the wind energy industry in his hometown of Pittsburgh.