Detroit, MI - One of the most significant barriers to the growth in deployment of mid-size turbines in the United States is the lack of turbines; there are few mid-size turbines on the market today. To fill this technology gap, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will launch a Mid-size Wind Turbine Development Project in FY 2010 to facilitate the development and commercialization of mid-size wind turbines.

The Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) has just released the 2009 updates for its highly respected and influential rules and procedures for interconnecting and net metering distributed generation.

"You'll find that a lot of wind-energy developers are reluctant to come to South Dakota because they don't know anyone and they don't know about our resources," says Steve Wegman of the South Dakota Wind Energy Association

Washington, D.C. - The U.S. Treasury Department has announced the second round of awards for cash assistance to energy producers in place of tax credits. This provides provides an additional $550 million, bringing the total to more than $1 billion awarded to dateto companies committed to investing in domestic renewable energyproduction.

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The U.S. Department Of Energy webinar "Meeting the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Requirements in the Application", will be held on September 23, 2009 at 11:00 pm EST and will explain the intent of NEPA, its applicability to the DOE Loan Guarantee Program, most significant concerns, and the type of data needed to support the NEPA section of the application.

A new study released by the Minnesota Office of Energy Security shows that the state's power grid could accomodate 600 megawatts of new renewable energy capacity by making upgrades to electric transmission systems. A previous study had shown that another 600 MW could be added to the existing tranmission grid without impacting it's performance.

The Minnesota Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) is providing financial assistance for energy efficiency and/or renewable energy projects requiring technical assistance.

Washington, D.C. - Marking a major milestone in the effort to spur private sector investments in clean energy and create new jobs for America's workers, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced $502 million in the first round of awards from an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) program that provides cash assistance to energy production companies in place of earned tax credits.

This handout is a compilation of Minnesota-specific and federal incentives for wind energy systems. The list is divided into programs that are funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the stimulus bill) and programs that are funded through other sources. This list was last updated August 21, 2009.

The city of Chaska, Minnesota, will soon have an 80-foot-tall wind turbine generating clean, renewable electricity for local residents and businesses. The Pioneer Ridge Wind Turbine is just one of the eleven turbines that will be installed through the Hometown WindPower program created by the Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (MMPA).