Massachusetts Wind Working Group - Previous Meetings

MWWG at October 2009 meeting

Meetings are open to the public.

• May 11, 2012

  
  

  A meeting of the Massachusetts Wind Working group took place on May 11th at Mt. Wachusett Community College in Gardner, MA. (View agenda here). 45 people attended.

  The meeting featured a panel on Long Term Contracts with the following presentations:

  • Berl Hartman, Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2): Blown Away by Long Term Contracts
  • Dwayne Breger, Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources: Massachusetts Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (RPS): Program Status and Overview of Section 83 Long Term Contracts
  • Ryan Chaytors, First Wind: Long Term Contracts: Challenges and Opportunities

  There was also a presentation on Regional Procurement by Seth Kaplan of the Conservation Law Foundation: Procurement of Renewable Energy, Regional and otherwise...

  This was followed by an excellent presentation on the Mt. Wachusett Community College wind turbines, followed by a tour. Speakers included Ed Terceiro, Executive Vice President Emeritus & Resident Engineer; Robert LaBonte, Vice President of Finance & Administration; and William Swift, Director of Facilities Maintenance & Mechanical Systems.

  View the speaker bios here

   

• February 1, 2012

  
  

  A meeting of the Massachusetts Wind Working group took place on February 1st at the Emerging Enterprise Center at Foley Hoag, Waltham, MA. View agenda here. 82 people attended. View List of Attendees

  The meeting featured a presentation on the recent report, "Wind Turbine Health Impact Study: Report of the Independent Expert Panel". The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) convened a panel in collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) to report on potential health impacts of wind turbines. The panel was composed of physicians and scientists with broad expertise in areas including acoustical noise/infrasound, public health, sleep disturbance, mechanical engineering, epidemiology, and neuroscience. Three of the expert panel members participated in a panel presentation about the report at our meeting. The panel discussion was introduced by Alicia McDevitt, Deputy Commissioner for Policy and Planning at MassDEP. Download her presentation. An overview of the major findings of the report was then presented by the panel members. Jim Manwell, Professor, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, UMass Amherst, spoke about Ice Throw and Shadow Flicker; Sheryl Grace, Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering at Boston University, on Noise and Vibration; and Wendy Heiger-Bernays, Associate Professor of Environmental Health at the Boston University School of Public Health, on Health Effects. Download the panel presentation.

  The agenda also included a presentation by Sister Maryann Garrity about the wind turbine located at Mt. St. Mary's Abbey in Franklin, MA. (Download pdf | Download photos) and a showing of the film "Islands in the Wind" about the Fox Islands Wind Project in Maine

• October 6, 2011

  
  

  A meeting of the Massachusetts Wind Working group took place on October 6th at the Emerging Enterprise Center at Foley Hoag, Waltham, MA. View the agenda here. 62 people attended.

  The meeting featured a panel on “Stakeholder Engagement” which included the following presentations:

  • “Land-based Wind Energy: A Guide to Understanding the Issues and Making Informed Decisions”– Aviva Rothman-Shore and Walker Larsen, CLF Ventures
  • “Issues Affecting Public Acceptance: NEWEEP Conference Report” and NEWEEP survey Results –Deborah Donovan, Sustainable Energy Advantage
  • “Improving Stakeholder Engagement on Wind Siting and Policymaking” – Dr. Jonathan Raab, Raab Associates

  The agenda also included a report by Rose Forbes on wind energy projects at the Massachusetts Military Reservation on Cape Cod and a presentation by DOER Commissioner Mark Sylvia on the proposed Wind Energy Siting Reform Act (summary of the act at http://www.mass.gov/dcr/news/publicmeetings/forestry/wind%20energy%20siting%20act%20summary.pdf)

  For speaker bios: Click Here

  Massachusetts Clean Energy Center announcements:

  1.) MassCEC plans to release a Community Scale Wind solicitation focused on Feasibility Study projects by the end of the month. Also, Design and Construction funding will be available on a limited rolling basis for projects that are ready to begin construction before December 31st, 2011.

  2.) MassCEC plans to release a Commercial Wind Wind Resource Monitoring solicitation by the end of the month.

• June 29, 2011

  
  
  A meeting of the Mass. Wind Working Group was held on June 29th, 2011, hosted by the Mass. EOEA at 100 Cambridge St., Boston. 75 people attended the meeting. The meeting focused on Payment in Lieu of Taxes: PILOT Agreements.
  • Gary Blau of the MA Dept. of Revenue described the regulations governing PILOT agreements in a presentation: Property Tax Considerations for Massachusetts Wind Power Projects. A panel of speakers who have negotiated and executed these agreements, including Neil Habig of Iberdrola Renewables and Mary Beth Gentleman of Foley Hoag, LLP, then spoke about their experiences with PILOT agreements.
  • Neil Habig's presentation was on the Hoosac Wind Farm PILOT Negotiation Experience.
  • Mary Beth Gentleman talked about PILOTs: Minimizing Cash Flow Uncertainty.
  • Shawn Shaw of the Cadmus Group then presented the results of a MassCEC and DOE-funded study comparing data from Met Towers, SODAR and LIDAR to Wind Map data at a number of sites: Reducing Uncertainty in Resource Estimates for Massachusetts Wind Projects.

• March 30, 2011

  
  
  Wind Energy Project Development: Tales from the Front. At the Emerging Enterprise Center at Foley Hoag, Waltham, MA
  • Steven Clarke, Assistant Secretary for Renewable Energy, gave a presentation on Wind Energy Progress in Massachusetts
  • Christopher Menge, Sr. Vice President / Principal Consultant, Harris, Miller. Miller and Hanson, Inc., talked about the results and current status of the Falmouth Wind Energy-Sound Impacts Study
  • The main program consisted of a panel presentation on Siting Challenges: Tales from the Front. Speakers were Keith Mann of Future Generations Wind who spoke about his proposed wind turbine project in Plymouth, MA, and Stephen Barrett of Minuteman Wind who spoke about the wind project in Savoy, MA.
  • Silas Bauer of the New England Wind Energy Education Project announced their upcoming one-day conference/workshop on June 7, 2011, at the Best Western Royal Plaza in Marlborough, Massachusetts. The conference/workshop will focus on presenting balanced information relevant to issues of importance to individuals and communities affected by wind energy proposals throughout New England, including environmental and economic benefits as well as siting concerns.
  Announcements
  • Orlando Martinez of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center announced that the CEC will be releasing a Wind Site Assessment Grant of Services in the next few weeks that is available for commercial wind projects, which means those projects of more than 3 turbines and with exposure to the wholesale power market.
  • Martha Broad of the CEC announced that Block 6 of the Community Scale Wind Solicitation will be released within the next few weeks. The solicitation is for Feasibility Studies and Design and Construction grants.

• April 7th, 2010

  
  Net Metering-Working Effectively with the Utilities under the New State Net Metering regulations. At National Grid in Waltham, Massachusetts.
  

  Main Program Presentation:  
  Tim Roughan, Director of Distributed Resources at National Grid
  Joe Feraci, Senior Engineer at NSTAR
  Please note: Slide 12 has been revised after a discussion between Gerry Bingham (DOER) and Tim Roughan (National Grid). This was done to clarify that there was not a moratorium on 2MW projects on 13 kV line. The wording in the slide raised some concerns on this question and was perceived by some as a change in utility interconnection policy.

  Also at the meeting:

  • Peter McPhee and Leigh Cameron of the MA Clean Energy Center discussed Commonwealth Wind’s new Commercial Wind RFI. The Commonwealth Wind: Commercial Wind Initiative is seeking information from developers or other parties associated with land-based wind electrical generating projects that are greater than 2 MW and that supply the wholesale electric market. The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to obtain information that will help MassCEC determine how best to structure the Commercial Wind Initiative to provide wind project developers with appropriate levels and types of funding and other technical assistance at the appropriate development stage. Responses are requested by April 28th, 2010. See: http://www.masscec.com/index.cfm?cdid=11112&pid=10225     
  • Ken Kimmell, General Counsel of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, provided an update on the status of the Wind Energy Siting Reform legislation
  • Silas Bauer of Sustainable Energy Advantage (SEA) provided an update on the New England Wind Energy Education Project (NEWEEP), a project funded by U.S. Department of Energy Wind Powering America program. It is a two-year project that resulted from a joint proposal by Sustainable Energy Advantage, LLC and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). NEWEEP is comprised of an 8-part webinar series (Webinar #1 announcement) and one in-person conference. To sign up for more information on NEWEEP please go to: http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/ne_signup.aspx                                 

• October 8th, 2009

  
  Net Metering - Final Regulations and Tariff - Implications for Wind Energy development in Massachusetts. At Aeronautica Windpower, Inc., Plymouth, MA
  • Jonathan Klavens of the Klavens Law Group reviewed the final regulations and tariff details for Net Metering
  • John Harper of Birch Tree Capital illustrated how the new scheme could affect financial models in several project scenarios
  • Brian Kuhn of Aeronautical Windpower discussed net metering opportunities for projects using mid-scale wind turbines.

• September 16th, 2009

  
  Wind Energy Siting Act at Foley Hoag Emerging Enterprise Center, Waltham, MA
  An in-depth session on the Wind Energy Siting Act currently being considered by the state legislature. We were pleased to have a panel including Ken Kimmel, Executive Office of Energy & Environment, Susan Reid, Conservation Law Foundation, and Rob Garrity, MA Climate Action Network.
  The meeting began with:
  • Wind Energy in New England: Update by Bob Grace of Sustainable Energy Advantage, and
  • Brief Preview of just-finalized Net Metering Regulations and Tariff by Jonathan Klavens, Klavens Law Group, P.C.
  • Introduction of DOER's new Regional Green Communities Coordinators

• May 13th, 2009

  
  Wind Turbine Tour, a 600 kW turbine at Holy Name Central Catholic Junior/Senior High School, Worcester, MA

• January 21st, 2009

  
  Topic: Financing Municipal Wind Projects. Ed Bodmer presented on A Financial Analysis Framework for Municipal Wind Projects.

• October 22, 2008

  
  Topic: Green Communities Act and a tour of Aeronautica Windpower in Plymouth, MA

• June 25th, 2008

  
  Topic:Innovative Financing and Ownership Models for Community Scale Wind Projects. Dana Harris of NewPath Energy spoke on MassWind and Wind Project Funding; Kevin Schulte of EOS Ventures discussed their experience with community projects; and Margaret Downey of Cape & Vineyard Electric Coop spoke on their experience with Financing and Ownership Models for Community Scale Wind Projects (Q&A notes)

• April 16th 2008

  
  Topic: Muni's on Fire for Wind Energy: The Templeton Story and Offshore Wind and Chapter 91: Impacts on Development in the Coastal Zone

• January 22nd 2008

  
  at the Mass Division of Energy Resources. Topic: The Green Communities Act

• Sept. 26th at UMass Boston

  
  The Commonwealth's New Direction for Wind Power; Policy, goals, strategies, programs & permitting
  Speakers: Philip Giudice, DOER, and Greg Watson & David Cash, EOEEA
  Governor Patrick envisions Massachusetts taking the lead in renewable energy. Three key policy makers in the states new office of energy and environment will join us to speak about implementing this vision:
• Philip Giudice, Commissioner of the Division of Energy Resources (DOER)
• David Cash, Undersecretary for Policy, at the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EOEEA), and
• Greg Watson, Senior Advisor for Clean Energy Technology at the EOEEA, and Vice President for Sustainable Development of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative

• May 30, 2007

  
  at Mass Maritime Academy in Buzzards Bay.
  Subject: Birds, Wind and Energy with speakers:
  • Mass Audubon scientist Taber Allison on the current research on avian/wind interaction, including the broader context of climate change and habitat impacts of fossil fuel use.
  • And Dr. Lucy Vlietstra, Marine Science professor at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, presented her findings on " Potential Impact of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy Wind Turbine on Common and Roseate Terns".
  • Afterwards, MMA's Rick Gurnon offered a tour of their 660-kW Vestas V47, installed last Spring.
• Tour of ISO New England control room where the participants were given ISO New England an overview of what ISO New England is and what it does: Mar 28,2007 in Holyoke.

• Feb 21, 2007

  
  at Mass Bay College, Wellesley. Topic: Utility Interconnection of Wind Power, with speakers:
  • Sally Wright of UMass RERL talked about Grid Interconnection;
  • Henri Daher of National Grid presented on Transmission and Wind Energy;
  • David Forrest of ISO New England talked on the process for Interconnecting Wind Projects;
  • Fran Cummings, MTC's DG Collaborative presented on Wind Power Interconnection;
  • Ed Kremzier of National Grid discussed the two wind projects connected to National Grid systems;
  • George Aronson from CommonWealth Resource Management Corporation discussed the developer's perspective
  ( Minutes)

• Nov 9, 2006

  
  at UMass Amherst. Topic: Policy Options for Renewable Energy Incentives: the view from Europe, by Dr. Jim Manwell, Director of the UMass Renewable Energy Research Laboratory. Followed by an open house at the Renewable Energy Research Laboratory, with a demonstration of RERLs SODAR mobile wind resource monitoring equipment (Sonic Detection and Ranging device).

• August 29, 2006

  
  at the Mass Division of Energy Resources. Topic: Cooperative Development of Copenhagen's offshore wind project, a presentation by Jens Larsen, engineer and organizer of Middelgrunden, the cooperatively owned offshore wind power project in Copenhagens harbor. He also offered us some more material, including this more technical presentation on operations & maintenance, and this article on Middelgrunden Wind farm and this one on local financing. Minutes

• May 31st, 2006

  
  Location: Waltham, Minuteman Wind. Topic: Recent Installations in Massachusetts:
  • David Beck from Jay Cashman Inc. presented on Mass Maritime
  • Dr Jim Manwell, Director of the UMass Renewable Energy Research Laboratory presented on Hull Wind II.

• January 18, 2006

  
  Mass Division of Energy Resources, Boston. Dr Tony Rogers presented on Noise and Wind Turbines ( Agenda, Minutes)

• Wednesday, September 28, 2005

  
  National Grid USA. Updates on the Mass RPS change, Community Wind and other projects ( Agenda, Minutes)

• Wednesday, June 8, 2005

  
  UMass Amherst, MA., kick-off meeting of the subcommittees (Agenda, Minutes, including activities of the 5 Subcommittees)

• Wednesday, May 11

  
  at the Mass DOER., Boston, Brian Braginton-Smith presented on the current state of wind power in Massachusetts and the subcommittees were formed (Minutes)

• April 1st

  
  MTC in Westborough, Introduction to the WWG and drafting of its mission (Agenda, Minutes).

• Formation meeting

  
  minutes, Mar 7, 2005, in Boston

For More Information

Contact Jody Lally at the Wind Energy Center: 413-545-3914