Small Wind Turbine Webinars
Here you will find webinars about small wind turbines that NREL hosted.
Distributed Wind Site Analysis Tool
NREL and the American Solar Energy Society Small Wind Division co-hosted this webinar (Text Version).
Speakers: Shawn Shaw, The Cadmus Group
Date: January 5, 2012
Run Time: 1 hour
Mr. Shaw provided an overview of the Distributed Wind Site Analysis Tool (DSAT) to discuss why it is needed, what it really is, how it came to be, and what and how it does it. The remainder of the presentation is about performance prediction, the sources of data, how they're used, how the tool performs against other tools, how it performs against reality, and the future for DSAT.
Overview of the Distributed Wind Energy Association and its Activities
NREL and the American Solar Energy Society Small Wind Division co-hosted this webinar (Text Version).
Speakers: Mike Bergey, Bergey Windpower Company, Distributed Wind Energy Association
Date: November 3, 2011
Run Time: 1 hour
Mr. Bergey presented an overview of the Distributed Wind Energy Association (DWEA) organization including its history, mission and goals, and structure. Mr. Bergey also discussed each of DWEA's committees: Federal Policy Committee (structure and objectives, current initiatives); State Policy Committee (structure and objectives, target states, second tier, and policy tracking activities); and, Permitting and Zoning Committee (structure and objectives, fact sheets, national partnerships, installation map, and mentoring program).The webinar wrapped up with an open discussion on participant needs, barriers and target states, and a question and answer session.
Tools and Techniques for Assessing Energy Yield Potential for Small Wind Turbines
NREL and the American Solar Energy Society Small Wind Division co-hosted this webinar (Text Version).
Speakers: Shawn Shaw, The Cadmus Group
Date: September 1, 2011
Run Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Mr. Shaw discussed some of the challenges of estimating the energy output of small wind turbines. These systems, typically installed at the residential and light commercial scales, do not have the benefit of expensive meteorological studies to make accurate energy yield predictions. Instead, there are various computer models, rules of thumb, and assumptions made to calculate annual energy yield. However, these approaches are not always consistent with actual, measured, performance data. In addition to discussing these general challenges, tools, and techniques, Mr. Shaw demonstrated the use of online tools, such as the Small Wind Energy Evaluation Tool (SWEET) to improve the accuracy of pre-installation performance predictions.
Shawn Shaw, senior associate with The Cadmus Group, has 10 years of experience working in the renewable energy field and has worked extensively with distributed wind energy projects and programs in the northeastern United States. In particular, Mr. Shaw has focused on performance monitoring, funding program design and evaluation, site assessment, and the development of tools and resources to help improve the accuracy of pre-installation energy yield predictions.
Small Wind Policy Comparison Tool
NREL and the American Solar Energy Society Small Wind Division co-hosted the webinar (Text Version) to review initial results from a financial analysis tool designed to identify distributed wind policy best practices as part of a U.S. DOE-funded project that can rank states based on their current incentives and market environments, and calculates impacts on project economics for various levels of a national feed-in tariff (FIT).
Speakers: Laurel Varnado, North Carolina Solar Center; Jen Banks, North Carolina Solar Center; Heather Rhoads-Weaver, eFormative Options, LLC.
Date: July 12, 2011
Run Time: 1 hour
"Power Through Policy: 'Best Practices' for Cost-Effective Distributed Wind" helps advocates, utilities, and policy makers to better understand what policy improvements are most needed for small wind turbines up to 100 kW, and where. The tool and accompanying guidebook, to be released in mid-2011, show which policy combinations have the most (and least) impact on the bottom line.
The tool's demo showed how sensitivity analyses can be conducted on various policy options and assumptions to determine impacts and optimal scenarios and guide efficient use of public and ratepayer funds supporting small wind technology.
Case studies were presented to compare and contrast existing policies and "what if" scenarios in one state with another. The webinar highlighted attractive markets and policy targets that offer the quickest return on investment, encouraging states to build on lessons learned with incentives to improve support for small wind.
Wind for Schools
NREL and the American Solar Energy Society Small Wind Division co-hosted the webinar (Text Version) which presented on Wind Powering America's Wind Application Centers.
Speakers: Jerry Hudgins, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Ruth Douglas Miller, Kansas State University; Katherine Keith, University of Alaska
Date: May 12, 2011
Run Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners Current and Planned Activities in Small Wind Credentialing
NREL and the American Solar Energy Society (ASES) Small Wind Division co-hosted the webinar (Text Version), which covered the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners' (NABCEP's) current and planned activities in small wind credentialing.
Speaker: Ezra Auerbach, North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners
Date: March 3, 2011
Run Time: 25 minutes
The following topics were covered.
Small Wind Installer
The program is launched and a handful of people have attained the certification. The eligibility criteria was revised to be more inclusive;Small Wind Site Assessor
A Joint Task Analysis has been completed and is now available to educators and other interested parties. Funding needs to be found for an exam to be developed. It is anticipated this will be a financial "joint venture" between the stakeholders who feel that a site assessor credential is needed and NABCEP;Small Wind Entry Level
NABCEP is committed to developing a set of learning objectives and exam for Small Wind Entry Level. NABCEP intends to use the Joint Task Analysis from Small Wind Installer and Small Wind Site Assessor to find common knowledge areas that entry level learning objectives should cover; and,General NABCEP
Why programs are successful and plans for duplicating successes in small wind.
Estimating Small Wind Turbine Energy Output and Economic Performance
NREL and the American Solar Energy Society (ASES) Small Wind Division co-hosted the webinar (Text Version), which taught methods for estimating wind turbine energy production and economic performance.
Speaker: Tony Jimenez, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Date: November 4, 2010
Run Time: 1 hour
The presentation started with an overview of wind characteristics and energy potential before describing the techniques used to evaluate wind turbine energy production and economic performance. Publically available sources of wind data were also discussed.
Wind for Schools Project and a Roadmap for Development of a Wind Workforce
NREL and the American Solar Energy Society (ASES) Small Wind Division co-hosted the webinar (Text Version), which provided an overview of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Wind for Schools project and an overview of a draft Wind Workforce Roadmap being developed by DOE and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
Speaker: Ian Baring-Gould, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Date: September 2, 2010
Run Time: 1 hour
An overview of the DOE Wind for Schools project, what this activity entails, and how states or schools can become involved. The webinar also provided an overview of a draft Wind Workforce Roadmap being developed by DOE and NREL to outline the needed activities to ensure that the nation has the educational infrastructure in place to allow 20% of the nation's electrical energy to come from wind sources.
Small Wind Certification Council
NREL and the American Solar Energy Society (ASES) Small Wind Division co-hosted the webinar (Text Version), which provided an overview and status update on the Small Wind Certification Council (SWCC).
Speaker: Larry Sherwood, executive director, Small Wind Certification Council
Date: July 13, 2010
Run Time: 1 hour
Interested buyers of wind turbines for home, farm, and small business use are faced with choosing from more than 450 product choices from nearly 200 suppliers. Most of these systems have neither been tested nor independently evaluated, essentially leaving early customers to serve as beta or prototype testers, thwarting the small wind market. The SWCC has recently opened its doors and started reviewing applications for independent certification and turbine labels that will help protect consumers from poor products and allow easier comparison shopping.
Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency
NREL and the American Solar Energy Society (ASES) Small Wind Division co-hosted the webinar (Text Version), which introduced the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE).
Speaker: Amanda Vanega, DSIRE
Date: May 6, 2010
Run Time: 1 hour, 23 minutes
For everyone in the small wind industry, understanding the constantly changing state and federal incentives is a challenge. This is especially true for those new to the field. Fortunately, the DSIRE resource is available to help keep track of policies and incentives. Through this webinar, participants learned about the DSIRE database and how to use it effectively. In addition, the webinar provided an overview of emerging policies, incentives and trends, as well as answered questions.
