Renewable energy standard legislation (already enacted in Montana and 18 other states & the District of Columbia) helps promote rural economic development. It requires a percentage of the electricity sold to come from renewable energy sources. Supporting it will be a huge service that the coops and municipals can provide for member owned utility customers.

Coops have passed a national resolution supporting cost effective renewable energy. Whether a project is cost effective is viewed differently by those who want a project to be cost effective “now” or “in the near term future.”

According to Robert Thresher, director of the National Wind Technology Center in Golden CO, “The goal of the Wind Program is to help industry develop land-based technologies that will produce electricity at these lower wind speed areas [13 mph average] for 3 cents per kilowatt-hour by 2012.” [Bracketed material added.]

Further, fossil fuel that may be cost effective now may not be cost effective shortly as prices rise because electric and natural gas concerns are linked. Over the past 14 years, an unprecedented 350%+ surge in natural gas usage to produce electricity has contributed to rising natural gas and electricity prices. [2] Farmers feel the pain for another reason because natural gas accounts for 90 percent of fertilizer costs. [3]

If we continue on our current path, the Energy Information Administration projects U.S. imports of liquefied natural gas will increase nearly ten times over today's levels by 2025, further exacerbating US energy price and balance of payments deficit problems. [4]

            For more information on how individual rural economies have benefited from wind energy development, click on URLs below:

Clean Energy Basics: Wind Energy for Farmers and Ranchers
This URL is the definitive link to NREL's (National Renewable Energy Lab's) information resources (published December 24,2004) to help farmers and ranchers learn about small wind energy systems and opportunities for letting utilities put large-scale wind turbines on their farms or ranches. It also contains links to other useful sites. http://www.nrel.gov/clean_energy/farmer_wind.html - 10.8KB

Wind Power: Economic Development for Rural Communities
This August 26, 2004 brochure provides rural stakeholders with information about wind energy projects and rural economic development, including case studies and resources for those interested in bringing wind energy to their communities.   http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy04osti/33590.pdf - 1091.6KB

Wind Powering America (WPA): Clean Energy for the 21st Century (Tri-fold Brochure) (Revised)
This September 22, 2004 revision incorporates new wind facts from the American Wind Energy Association, as well as wind FAQs for consumers, updated wind resource maps, and a list of WPA publications.  http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy04osti/35873.pdf - 819.2KB

Quantifying the Economic Development Impacts of Wind Power in Six Rural Montana Counties Using NREL's JEDI Model
Published September 22, 2004. The overriding project goal was to illuminate economic development opportunities from wind project development for six Montana counties (Blaine, Cascade, Glacier, McCone, Park and Prairie Counties) using an objective economic modeling tool.  http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy04osti/36414.pdf - 946.2KB

Job and Economic Development Impace (JEDI) Model: A User-Friendly Tool to Calculate Economic Impacts from Wind Projects (Brochure)
This quadfold, April 19, 2004, brochure provides an overview of JEDI, a free online tool to calculate the economic impacts from wind projects. The brochure lists the features of the tool, and the inputs and outputs that a user can expect.   http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy04osti/35872.pdf - 1039.4KB

Craig Cox compiled the March 2004study, Economic Development Benefits Resulting From the Lamar, Colorado Wind Farm. It is posted on the Colorado Governor's Office of Energy Management and Conservation (OEMC) website: http://www.state.co.us/oemc/events/cwade/2004/presentations/cox.pdf

Rural Economic Analysis - Jennifer Moehlmann
Presentation to the NREL Energy Analysis Forum, November 9-10, 2004.  http://www.nrel.gov/analysis/forum/docs/2004/moehlmann.ppt - 63.0KB

Rural Economic Development Overview
Published August 6, 2004.  Rural Economic Development Overview by Roya Stanley on State and Local Initiatives about ethanol in Iowa, and wind in Idaho, Wyoming and Colorado, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Slide (14) show presented July 22, 2004. http://www.nrel.gov/stateandlocal/docs/rural_econ_dev.ppt - 840.5KB

Renewable Energy for Water Pumping Applications in Rural Villages; Period of Performance: April 1, 2001-September 1, 2001
This report introduces conventional and renewable energy sources for water pumping applications in rural villages by reviewing the technologies and illustrating typical applications.  http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy03osti/30361.pdf - 2480.0KB

SOLAR SYSTEMS:

Become One In A Million: Partnership Updates -- Million Solar Roofs and Interstate Renewable Energy Council
The Million Solar Roofs Partnership Update is an annual (July 13, 2004) report from all the Partnership and Partners who participate in the Million Solar Roofs Initiative. Colorado information begins on page 13; Montana information on page 27. Montana has committed to installing 1000 solar roofs by 2010; Colorado to install 5000 per the Colorado Renewable Energy Society and 500 in northern Colorado through Trees, Water & People in Fort Collins. Wyoming does not appear to be participating. The City of Boulder, CO expects to install 250. The City of Aspen, Holy Cross area has approximately 430 already installed solar roofs including 9 schools. The Delta Montrose Rural Electric Cooperative has committed to installing 500 solar roofs in its service area by 2010. http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy04osti/36113.pdf - 1561.3KB

hybrid (sOLAR AND WIND, ETC.) and distributed generation power systems:

HOMER - Analysis of Micropower System Options
Published February 22, 2005. HOMER (Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables) is the free optimization computer model for distributed power, a computer model for evaluating design options for renewable and conventional hybrid and distributed generation power systems.  http://www.nrel.gov/homer/ - 8.6KB

Rural Energy Training
Published January 9, 2005, Discusses rural energy training and other projects the US is conducting to help China. http://www.nrel.gov/international/china/rural_energy_training.html - 16.9KB