Renewable energy conference set for Hereford

Texas

Renewable energy has moved into the forefront of the national agenda, and that is good news for the Great Plains region. While a great deal of local attention is focused on large wind farms and ethanol plants, tremendous possibilities also exist at the residential and business level for solar, biomass, and bio-diesel, as well as wind energy. In response to these prospects, a Community-Scale Renewable Energy Workshop will be held in Hereford on March 13 at the Community Center to give information and resources for renewable energy options. The event is being organized by Ogallala Commons, a nonprofit resource development network, with additional sponsorship by Deaf Smith and Swisher Rural Electric Cooperatives, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union-Cooperative Development Center, and Xcel Energy.

"The event will be a clearinghouse of information for anyone interested in developing renewable energy at the residential, community, or farm and ranch level," notes Darryl Birkenfeld, Director of Ogallala Commons. "While not every town will have a large-scale wind farm, any community and its residents can take feasible steps to create renewable energy projects. Though some innovators favor applications that are off-the-grid, there is now great potential for grid-tied systems. We will explore net-metering from the perspective of local utilities, but also from the experience of area residents who are actually doing it."

Doors will open at 8 a.m. with exhibit and information booths by local projects, community colleges, and companies. The morning program begins with an overview of wind energy basics by Byron Neal from the USDA-Bushland Station, and a view from the grid by Bob Bryant of Gold Spread Cooperatives and Sherry Kunka of Xcel Energy. A Practitioners Panel will give information and experience regarding community-scale wind, solar, methane, hydrogen, and bio-diesel projects. A second panel will explore the economics of small types of renewable energy and efficiency projects, as well as government programs and industry developments that can make such projects more feasible.

A highlight will be afternoon bus tours of utility-connected wind generators at the Tony and Dottie Neal residence in Bovina and the Bill Paetzold farm near Hereford, as well as a grid-tied 3kw solar electricity generation system in Nazareth.

Registration for the workshop is $35 per person, or a $25 early bird discount for those who register by March 2. Anyone interested can view a brochure and register online at www.ogallalacommons.org (click on the Events button). For more information, contact Darryl Birkenfeld at 806-945-2255 or darrylb@amaonline.com.

B

7

2/19/07

5 Star OK

Date: 2/15/07

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