PV Powered Looks to Double in Size

Future is sunny for PV Powered
With new investment, it’s ready for major growth
By Andrew Moore – The Bulletin – June 05, 2009

Thanks to the extension of a crucial government tax credit and a recent multimillion-dollar investment, Bend’s PV Powered is ramping up for growth that could double or triple the company’s size in the next two years and firmly cement Central Oregon as a center for renewable-energy technology, according to CEO Gregg Patterson.

The privately held company, which manufactures electrical devices called inverters that are a critical component of solar energy systems, has recently hired a handful of workers and is likely to hire as many as 10 more in the coming weeks to handle growing demand for its products, Patterson said.

The company laid off several workers in the fall but is now up to 55 employees, the majority of whom work out of a roughly 100,000-square-foot plant in northeast Bend that used to be a lumber products factory. The company currently uses only a small portion of the facility for its engineering and assembly work but expects to grow into the building as demand dictates.

Bend’s Insufficient Infrastruction Discourages New Renewable Energy Companies

The following quote found in the article says it all.

If an Intel Corp. or a large solar panel manufacturer were to decide it wanted to locate a manufacturing plant in Bend with its current sewer and water capacity, the city would not be able to accommodate the company, said Roger Lee, the executive director for Economic Development for Central Oregon, which promotes growth in the region.

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Bend’s future growth could be hindered by insufficient infrastructure
By Jeff McDonald - The Bulletin – May 1, 2009

The global recession will eventually turn around, but Bend’s pressing road, sewer and water needs could pose a more long-term problem if efforts to update them are not successful, economic development and city officials say.

Many systems are in need of upgrades and expansions after years of rapid growth, according to business groups, who say they’re working with city leaders to address the issue.

If an Intel Corp. or a large solar panel manufacturer were to decide it wanted to locate a manufacturing plant in Bend with its current sewer and water capacity, the city would not be able to accommodate the company, said Roger Lee, the executive director for Economic Development for Central Oregon, which promotes growth in the region.

“We are not ready,” Lee said about the potential to recruit a large utilities user like Intel or some renewable energy companies. “It has become very clear for a lot of (recruitment) projects that we have looked at in the last 12 months.”

Why Doesn’t Central Oregon Have a Renewable Energy Zone like the Columbia Gorge?

Why Doesn’t Central Oregon Have a Renewable Energy Zone?

Five Oregon and Washington counties that straddle the Columbia River have joined forces and become the Columbia Gorge Bi-State Renewable Energy Zone. Those counties are: Hood River, Sherman and Wasco Counties in Oregon and Klickitat, Sherman and Skamania Counties in Washington.

They claim that because it’s “centrally located in the Pacific Northwest, the Columbia Gorge is an ideal location for renewable energy production, manufacturing, and research. They go on to say that “The area offers qualities such as a broad inventory of industrial property, mutli-modal transportation, renewable energy technology training, a favorable business climate, and an unbelievable quality of life.” They go on to invite the reader to “explore the links above to learn about this world-class renewable energy region and opportunities to invest your business.  Including:

Workforce training – Affordable industrial lands – Quality of life
Favorable business climate – Multi-modal transportation”

Why Not Central Oregon?

Is there any reason why the counties of Central Oregon (Crook, Deschutes, and Jefferson) couldn’t join forces and do the same?  It would be so easy to simply reword the above description/sales pitch to read:

Located in the heart of  Oregon, Central Oregon is an ideal location for renewable energy production, manufacturing, and research. The area offers qualities such as a broad inventory of industrial property, mutli-modal transportation, renewable energy technology training, a favorable business climate, and an unbelievable quality of life. Explore the links on our website to learn about this world-class renewable energy region and opportunities to invest your business. 

It should be noted that Central Oregon does have one county – Crook – that has a Rural Renewable Energy Development Zone designation.  Although that is an admirable effort much more could and should be done to establish Central Oregon – and all of its counties –  a leader in renewable energy development and education.

Solar-Powered South Florida City – Why Not Central Oregon?

Coming soon to the Sunshine State: the sunshine city
By Michael Grunwald – Time Magazine – April 9, 2009

An NFL lineman turned visionary developer today is unveiling startlingly ambitious plans for a solar-powered city of tomorrow in southwest Florida’s outback, featuring the world’s largest photovoltaic solar plant, a truly smart power grid, recharging stations for electric vehicles and a variety of other green innovations. The community of Babcock Ranch is designed to break new frontiers in sustainable development, quite a shift for a state that has never been sustainable, and lately hasn’t had much development.

“Some people think I got hit in the head a few too many times,” quips developer Syd Kitson, who spent six years in the trenches for the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys before entering the real estate business in the mid-1980s. “But I still believe deeply in Florida. And the time has come for something completely different.”

To anyone familiar with southern Florida’s planning-nightmare sprawl of golf courses, strip malls and cookie-cutter subdivisions named after the plants and animals they replaced, Kitson’s vision for his solar-powered, smart-growth, live-where-you-work city of 45,000 people east of Fort Myers is breathtakingly different. That’s why the press conference held today revealing his development plans for the historic Babcock Ranch property will feature representatives from the Audubon Society, the World Wildlife Fund and the Sierra Club.

A Wind Farm Turbine Manufacturer Coming to Pendleton?

The first question that came to mind was why isn’t Central Oregon fighting to get these “unnamed” renewable energy businesses? Central Oregon has the same “cheap real estate” and “people hungry for jobs” as the area around Pendleton. Is Central Oregon missing the “Cowboy up!” attitude of the folks in Pendleton and La Grande?

The following is excerpts from the article.

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Pendleton optimistic despite loss of RV plant
Several firms have shown interest in the site since Fleetwood announced its closure
By Richard Cockle – The Oregonian – March 31, 2009

The loss of a Fleetwood Travel Trailers of Oregon plant and its 253 jobs is bringing both pain and optimism to this Eastern Oregon rodeo and wheat town.

Sales clerk Mary Bonifer ran her fingers over a tooled leather belt in the Hamley & Co. store downtown while fretting about the idled workers and their families. She’s also worried about the impact of so many lost jobs on the rest of her town, population 16,830.

Still, a “Cowboy up!” attitude seems to pervade Pendleton, the home of the annual Pendleton Round-Up rodeo.

And there’s a chance that another manufacturer will move to the Fleetwood site. Within days of the company’s March 9 closure announcement, City Hall got at least 10 calls from distant corporations interested in Fleetwood’s two manufacturing buildings and 10 acres, said Tracy Bosen, economic development director for Pendleton.

“There are a lot of businesses that see these particular economic downturns as opportunities to relocate,” Bosen said. “Real estate is cheap, people are hungry for jobs, and cities and communities are willing to negotiate.”

The companies interested in Fleetwood’s buildings, which are just under 100,000 square feet each, include a wind turbine manufacturer, Bosen said, though he declined to name it. Eastern Oregon is fast becoming “wind turbine alley,” and the huge machines — many manufactured overseas — are going up by the hundreds around Pendleton, he said. “If there is a silver lining in this, a great facility has come open and it is available,” Bosen said.

Houk agreed, saying Pendleton is short on industrial space to attract outside companies. The Fleetwood site, he noted, is on flat ground that adjoins Interstate 84 and Union Pacific Railroad lines.

Fleetwood posted losses of $65.3 million in 2007 and $16.8 million last year. Even so, the closure announcement, in the midst of a national economic meltdown, was a shocker. It also left 162 workers jobless at a Fleetwood RV plant in La Grande, 50 miles to the east.

West Butte Wind Power Project OK’d by Crook County Commissioners

Again a proposed wind farm is projected to generate just under 105 megawatts so that it skirts getting approval from the state and only needs approval from the county.  This technique, while effective, is simply a way to “beat the system” and might, in the long run, be self-defeating for both the wind farm and renewable energy in general.

 

Region set to get its first wind farm
By Lauren Dake / The Bulletin – Published: March 27, 2009

A $220 million commercial wind farm that would be the first in the region and could bring 100 jobs to Crook County has received the initial go-ahead from Crook County planning commissioners.

“We’re excited and proud to be the first renewable energy wind project in Central Oregon,” said Sarah Rankin, the project coordinator for the developers of the West Butte Wind Power Project. “It looks like things are going forward, and I think this project will be a source of pride for the whole community.”

Planning commissioners voted 6-0 on Wednesday evening to approve the application. A document will be prepared by the Crook County Planning Department within the next two weeks that will be considered the official stamp of approval. Because the project will generate fewer than 105 megawatts of power, it only requires an OK from the county.

Bend’s PV Powered Gets a Presidential Shout-Out

Obama gives a shout-out to PV Powered
By Keith Chu – The Bulletin – March 24, 2009

In a White House speech on his renewable energy agenda, President Barack Obama listed PV Powered among a handful of innovative renewable energy companies transforming the U.S. economy.

“So these are the stories that are being told all across our country,” Obama said. “I visited … PV Powered, a company developing more reliable solar technology in Bend, Oregon.”

Obama toured the facility last May, as part of a campaign swing. The company makes components for solar-power systems.

PV Powered Vice President Erick Petersen missed Obama’s speech but said he’s as encouraged by the president’s policies as by his speeches. “For me, it’s the president has clearly spoken and said renewable energy is critical, and the money will flow,” Petersen said. “I can’t think of a better pitchman.”

A provision in the stimulus bill to guarantee some loans for renewable energy projects will be particularly helpful, given the dry credit markets of late, he said.

While Petersen is bullish on the company’s outlook for 2009, he said it’s still too soon to know whether that will translate to more jobs at PV Powered.

“We do expect the stimulus plans to have a significant impact on the solar industry in the second half of the year and expect our business to pick up as a result,” Petersen said in an e-mail. “We have been on a reduced work week through this slow period, and after we get back … to a full work week, we will assess the need to hire any new employees early this summer.”

Can Christmas Valley be a Renewable Energy Hub?

If a disaster hits Oregon, Christmas Valley could be a refuge
By Keith Chu – The Bulletin - March 15, 2009

Excerpt:
Christmas Valley’s former military radar site could be a camp for disaster victims — as well as a renewable energy hub — if the state of Oregon gets its way.

The 2,622-acre site once held an Air Force radar complex designed to watch for threats across the Pacific Ocean. But the machine was shuttered in 1990, only a few months after it was finished. Since the Air Force announced it would close the radar station in 2005, the military, the Bureau of Land Management and the state have envisioned developing the site for solar or wind power.

The site is about 95 miles southeast of Bend and far from any large population centers.

The Christmas Valley site once sported 216 antennae that varied in height from 35 to 135 feet, according to earlier reports by The Bulletin. What’s left is several empty buildings and a lot of empty space.

U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Hood River, and Lake County and state officials have eyed the land for renewable energy because of the massive transmission lines already in place. Those lines can transmit up to 200 megawatts of energy at a time, according to the Bureau of Land Management.

Small Utility-sized Wind Farm Company Lands in Bend

Joining Central Oregon’s green wave
Mike Costanti brought Western Community Energy, his renewable energy business, from Bozeman to Bend last summer. Here, he hopes to hire more people.

By Andrew Moore / The Bulletin - March 1, 2009

Green jobs. Economists and government officials mention them a lot these days as representing the nation’s burgeoning renewable energy industry and in the hope that their development can help the country regain its economic footing.

In Bend, there are a number of renewable energy companies, including IdaTech, InEnTec and PV Powered — and now Western Community Energy, which moved here last summer from Bozeman, Mont.

“We chose Oregon because of the variety of state incentives,” said company principal Mike Costanti. “Oregon gets wind, and we like that.”

Proving there’s more to green jobs than hype, the company — which builds and operates small-scale wind power farms — plans to more than double its staff this summer as it moves to meet the growing demand for renewable energy.

Lots of Renewable Energy Jobs but Training is Scarce

Columbia Gorge Community College currently offers a 1-year Certificate and a 2-year Associate of Applied Science (AAS) Degree in Renewable Energy Technology (RET). It’s too bad that Central Oregon Community College doesn’t offer something similar that’s focused on solar, geothermal or woody biomass – all renewable energy sources that are abundant in Central Oregon. 

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Wind power jobs are abundant, but training is scarce
by Mark Larabee, The Oregonian – February 9, 2009

Last spring, Vestas Wind Systems donated a 12,000-pound turbine hub to Columbia Gorge Community College in The Dalles so students enrolled in the wind technician training program could get their hands on the very equipment they would one day maintain.

Today, it sits in storage near Portland International Airport waiting for completion of a new lab building.

The irony isn’t lost on Dan Spatz, the school’s resource development director. The college, which runs the only certified wind technician training program in the West, needs more money to meet a huge demand for skilled workers, both Spatz and industry leaders say.

And while he’s thankful for a $400,000 state grant for the lab, he’s concerned that Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s proposed budget didn’t include $8 million toward a $19.5 million, 23,000-square-foot training center.

One thing that did make it into Kulongoski’s spending plan is up to $19 million cash to entice Vestas to expand its North American headquarters in Portland. Vestas is the world’s leading supplier of wind power.

In this economy, no one is sure what will remain in the state budget, but that only makes the competition for the shrinking pot of money all the more fierce as Oregon tries to position itself as a leader in renewable energy.