PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release Monday, April 12, 2010

Contact: Noel LaBine 763-477-3086

Alternative Energy event held at River City Extreme
on April 8, 2010

The Wright County Economic Development Partnership held their monthly noon luncheon seminar at the River City Lanes Extreme Entertainment Center in Monticello on April 8 th . This event was on alternative and renewable energy applications. Steve Nelson spoke about wind energy. Randy Hagen from Solarskies collector manufacturing in Starbucks talked about solar collectors. Jeff Rutz talked about funding sources, and Bill Glahn of the MN Dept. of Commerce talked about new initiatives being taken to provide another source of funding for renewable energy projects. PALO Companies, a distributor and installer of energy-efficient geo-thermal energy systems, was the sponsor of this event.

 

Steve nelson started the panel presentations with information about how to go about the process of developing a small wind powered electrical generating plant, which is anything under 100,000 Kilowatts. A typical application is a 20 kilowatt plant. There are several points to keep in mind when developing such a plant. 1.) The site needs to be studied to see if there is enough wind to justify the location of a wind generator. 2.) The wind study should take into account seasonal variations. 3.) The site location should be removed from trees or other wind obstructions. 4.) Soil types need to be analyzed to determine what kind of base would be needed for the wind tower. 5.) What government permits are needed for approval of the structure? 6.) Approval is needed from local zoning authorities and the local electric utility. 7.) Are the neighbors Okay with it? Because of the complications that can be involved with this process it is best to have a reputable and experienced contractor assist with this process. After all this information is gathered, the project should also be analyzed for the expected length of time it will take to get a return on your investment.

Randy Hagen of Solar Skies, a solar thermal manufacturer from Starbucks , MN spoke about the use of a solar collector that uses fluid to gather heat and a heat exchanger to distribute the heat within the building. The most efficient use of their system is for the production of hot water. In Hawaii these types of renewable energy sources are mandated. As a result of this mandate, they sell a lot of units in Hawaii where the most efficient use is to have potable water in the pipes and the water is directly heated. The Solarskies' systems use flat plate collectors that work well even in cool weather with cloudy skies. Their systems are used in conjunction with back-up systems for periods of time like mid-winter when not enough solar energy is collected to meet user needs. Also, a 45 degree pitched roof is needed for optimum collecting ability at this parallel. Some of the local users of their product include Carlton College , which uses the flat plate collectors to meet their hot water needs. Also, their product is an excellent source for heating swimming pools. The Kalihari Resort water park in the Wisconsin Dells uses their application. Green houses are another natural fit for their product and Randy showed pictures of a greenhouse in Portage , MI , and a V.A. clinic in Brainerd , MN . Wigwam Mills in Sheboygan , WI has proved a payback of 9 years on their investment.

Jeff Rutz of Intertec talked about financing of renewable energy products. Most utility companies have financing programs including Wright Hennepin Electric and Xcel Energy. In order to qualify for the financing programs it is important that the appliance have an energy star listing and be approved. The dealers that sell these products need to be reputable. If these conditions are met, then the person, who will own the finished product, needs to have enough tax liability to be eligible for any tax credits that are offered by the state. In MN rebates have already been used up. A positive result of the MN rebate program is that all recipients of those rebates will have to allow the state to track the cost of the application, installation and ultimate pay back time. There are also some commercial incentives to installing renewable energy devices. Ten percent of the cost of the product is available as a credit, which involves some complex requirements including the need to show energy savings. Also, there are USDA grants for ag-based or rural businesses. There are also SBA grants for renewable energies and those are judged based on expected savings. Minnesota also offers a modified accelerated depreciation schedule so you can depreciate the entire cost of the project in five years.

Bill Glahn of the MN Dept. of Commerce talked about some far reaching efforts to help implement more renewable energy products. One of the ideas is the Smart Grid. The other is some pending Minnesota legislation. The Smart Grid is any effort to optimize energy sources on the regional electrical network grid. There are several players jockeying to get a position for this effort. The contenders include Google, Honeywell, and Microsoft. These participants would be brokers that would pay more or less for energy depending upon demand. For instance, if your renewable energy source was producing electricity during peak demand times, it is conceivable that you could get more value for that energy. This entire idea is still in the beginning stages. The other idea that Bill Glahn talked about was the pending Minnesota legislation that would allow local units of government to bundle the potential renewable energy applications from a larger group of residential and commercial building owners, and then finance them with bonds that would put a special assessment on the owners property for a period of something like fifteen years. If approved the entire process would be voluntary.

The Partnership exists to enhance the business climate of Wright County and to help create more jobs in Wright County . The strategies the Partnership uses to achieve its mission include being an information resource and finding technical assistance; aiding business development, providing financing resources, and providing business information and training through seminars and workshops. Also, the Partnership markets Wright County to business site locators, and maintains an excellent website, which includes a listing of commercial and industrial property available in Wright County (see www.wrightpartnership.org ). The Partnership also assists with Workforce Development and has gathered economic statistical information, which is available on its website.