SDWEA sponsors wind energy meeting

April 17th, 2009 by

Last night I attended a community wind energy meeting, sponsored by the South Dakota Wind Energy Association (SDWEA), in Clear Lake, SD.  After a short presentation by the organization’s executive director, Steve Wegman, the event was opened up for Questions and Answers.  A lot of good discussion followed.  Some of what I learned is listed below: 

The SDWEA is a new organization (formed in Jan. 2009) for the purpose of spurring wind development in South Dakota.  During his presentation, Wegman emphasized the organization’s desire to bring together all parties (developers, landowners, utilities, concerned citizens, etc…) to advance the cause of wind energy.  The organization also wants to emphasize the importance of local economic development in rural South Dakota where most wind development occurs.  You can learn more about the SDWEA (including joining the organization) at their website.

We heard bits and pieces about the Green Power Express. It is a bold plan, and would most likely benefit wind development in SD. The SDWEA hasn’t taken an official stance on the plan yet because the details are still unfolding.  Following the meeting, however, I heard some skepticism from a few industry insiders concerning the likelihood of this project getting off the ground. 

With the majority of individuals present being landowners and citizens, it wasn’t surprising that much of the conversation revolved around landowner issues.  The SDWEA definitely wants to help educate landowners on issues like leases and easements, and has created list of resources for landowners on their website (click here). 

There was an interesting discussion on the topic of community and cooperative wind development.  In short, the conversation centered on whether it makes sense for landowners to try to develop wind projects themselves, or whether it’s better to let wind developers pay them for the placing turbines on their land.  Wegmen did a nice job of explaining the issue using the concept of “risk vs. reward”.  Landowners can and do develop their own cooperative wind projects.  This type of venture offers the greatest risk to the landowner because it takes a lot of money just to get the idea off the ground; and there’s no guarantee the project will succeed.  But the financial reward is also greater if the project does succeed.  Even with the risk, Wegmen recommended landowners consider this option if for no other reason than it is a good learning experience.    They can always work with a developer later on if their efforts don’t pan out. 

I thought one of the best ideas thrown out by someone in the crowd was the recommendation that the SDWEA look at the possibility of advocating for the use of public dollars as seed money to help landowners seeking to get cooperative ventures off the ground. 

Overall the evening was filled with good information, and I appreciate the SDWEA’s sponsor the event.  They have another meeting scheduled in Murdo, SD for April 22. I hope the association continues meetings of this nature throughout the year, and I hope citizens take advantage of the opportunity to educate themselves about this important topic for rural South Dakota.

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