In my previous blog, we discussed 5 REASON WHY SMALL WIND INDUSTRY IS SMALL. I’m glad to see that the small wind industry is moving toward the right direction to address quality and service and protect consumers. I signed up a webinar to know more. You welcome to check it out by clicking here.
- Bret Barker, U.S. Department of Energy, will present a DOE program overview, including a certification update and discussion of the implementation of certification standards into ITC/1603.
- Robert Preus, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, will describe the soon-to-be-published Small Wind Turbine Site Assessor’s Guide.
- In addition, an overview of the SMART Wind Consortium, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce, will be presented.
As indicated in the U.S. Department of Treasury’s recently-published2014-2015 Priority Guidance Plan update, new IRS eligibility requirements are expected soon for the Federal investment tax credit for small wind turbines – defined as having a nameplate capacity of no more than 100 kilowatts. The exact details of the requirements are not yet known, but we will disseminate this information once it is announced.
The addition of performance and quality assurance requirements at the Federal level is a good sign that certification is now a trusted and useful tool in protecting consumers and helping to ensure the successful implementation of distributed wind projects in the U.S. This step is a positive move that fits into the overall strategy the distributed wind industry as a whole has been pursuing for many years to strengthen the sector’s credibility and reliability.
As stated in the April 2014 memorandum from Jose Zayas, Director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind and Water Power Technologies Office, “Since 2007, DOE’s WWPTO has made significant investments to establish a process for small and medium-sized wind turbine certification.” Now that wind turbine certification has reached a level of maturity, DOE encourages that “the use of public funds be provided only for wind turbines that have been tested and certified for safety, function, performance, and durability.” [Source: SWCC newsletter]
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