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.

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.

Warm Springs Also Wants a Wind Farm

Wind projects in the air
Two recent proposals for Central Oregon wind farms are gaining support, leading some to believe the industry could be a lucrative one for the area
Lauren Dake – The Bulletin – January 20, 2009

The northeastern edge of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation has been targeted as a potential area for a commercial wind project that could generate enough electricity to power about 27,000 homes.

Placed on what is known as the Mutton Mountain area, the 65 to 75 wind turbines would stand approximately 400 to 574 feet tall and spread across 300 acres.

Wind farms continue to crop up in the Columbia Gorge, with wind that made the area famous for surfers now enticing wind companies. And although Central Oregon may never have the same lure for energy-generating turbines as the Gorge, the Warm Springs project is the second potential commercial wind farm proposal announced recently — and experts think the region may see more.

West Butte Wind Farm Challenged by Sage Grouse

 The 143 page Crook County Conditional Use Permit application for the West Butte Wind Power Project can be view by clicking here. Pacific Wind Power LLC c/o Sarah Rankin. P.O. Box 2028. Bend, OR 97701. Day-time phone: (541) 382-1017 Cell phone: (541) 771-2410

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Can wind-power project fly high in Central Oregon?
Big plans east of Bend may come down to a small bird, the sage grouse

By Tony Fuller - KTVZ.COM – January 12, 2009

Central Oregon’s first commercial wind farm could be up and running as soon as next year, unless it runs into environmental or other obstacles its backers cannot overcome.

The $220 million project would be built on private land 30 miles east of Bend. However, the project is facing some scrutiny over it’s impact on the wildlife habitat.

It could power over 50,000 homes and bring an estimated $1 million annually in property taxes.

One potential obstacle is a small population of sage grouse who reside in the area.

A Wind Farm East of Bend in Crook County?

There’s much to like about this proposed wind farm but what bothers CO Renewable is the gamesmanship of sizing the project to be 104 megawatts so as to slip under the requirement to have State approval.  Projects sized at 105 megawatts and above require permission from the Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council while projects smaller than that only require County approval.  This 1 megawatt below the threshhold simply doesn’t pass the spirit-of-the-law smell test and makes CO Renewable wonder if Pacific Wind Power is trying to hide something.

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Wind farm would be area’s first
Proposed project facing scrutiny over sage grouse habitat
Lauren Dake / The Bulletin – January 10, 2009

A 10,000-acre ranch that stretches into both Crook and Deschutes counties could be the site for Central Oregon’s first commercial wind farm.

Surrounded by junipers and shrubs, 34 to 52 wind turbines approximately 400 to 574 feet tall would occupy about 20 acres of the ranch, perched on top of West Butte, in the southern section of Crook County. Coined the West Butte Wind Power Project, the estimated $220 million project could generate enough electricity to power about 50,000 homes. But some environmental and wildlife groups point out it could also further threaten sage grouse and harm other animals.

Deschutes County Wind Turbine Restrictions Reviewed

Wind Turbine Restrictions Reviewed
By Doug Johnson – KOHD News – June, 24, 2008

Kent Whiteaker is the first resident in Deschutes County to have legally installed a wind turbine on his property, off of Alfalfa Market road. The turbine cost Whiteaker more than twelve thousand dollars after a forty-eight hundred dollar tax credit.

Since he just put up the turbine in February, Whiteaker still is not sure how much he saves on electricity.
Central Oregon Co-Operative does pay for extra energy produced and Whiteaker is glad he installed it.

But getting through the county paper work was not an easy process. “Because this is what we’re supposed to be doing, and the county is making it kinda tough” Whiteaker says. Tough because, the turbine is just over 30 feet, the height limit Deschutes County has for all personal structures.

But those restrictions could soon change. On Wednesday the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners is reviewing options for regulating wind power structures for personal use. According to the county, there are several options for the commissioners to consider. The first requires each applicant to initiate an amendment to the code for each turbine. The second is to amend the code through a legislative process which could be costly. Lastly the county could wait for a model ordinance for small scale turbines from the Oregon Department of Energy. But that ordinance will not be ready until December.

“So at that time Deschutes County might be looking at possibly adopting that particular ordinance, or doing something different upon their own,” says Chris Bedsaul with the county Community Development Department.

Whiteaker hopes the commissioners can come to a decision soon, so that others wanting turbines won’t have the same problems.  “Hopefully it won’t be the same process that I went through,” Whiteaker says.

Are Community-Based Renewable Energy Plants Part of the Solution?

The following article argues for community-based wind farms.  Could similar arguements be made for community-based solar farms?

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Community-Based Wind Farms Put Power in People’s Hands
by Jaymi Heimbuch – Ecogeek.com – June 4, 2008 

National Wind is providing much needed support to communities that want wind power. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the company develops and manages utility scale (50 MW or more) community wind energy projects. It creates local limited liability companies, shareing ownership with the community members and allowing greater ability to generate and maintain wind farms. This is a huge boon for wind development on smaller scales. Rather than massive wind farms that generate huge amounts of power, this company helps communities create their own farms, generate their own power, and not have to rely on big business to do it.

National Wind’s mission is to work with landowners like farmers and ranchers to build wind farms, and work as co-owners with community members. They provide the tools, knowledge, and experience needed to get wind power up and running, including addressing big issues like evaluating and designing the layout, and working with utility companies and government agencies. They’re currently active in Minnesota, the Dakotas, Iowa, Colorado, Montana and Nebraska.

The organization bolsters the outlook of wind power because it puts power generation at the community level, rather than at a corporate level. Working directly with communities is a great way to get people excited about alternative power sources.

They currently have 15 wind energy developments under their belt, and we’ll keep a watch on this company to see how the projects pan out.

Enterprise Zones May Boost Central Oregon’s High Desert Economy

‘Enterprise zones’ may boost High Desert economy
By Tony Fuller – KTVZ.com – April 30, 2008

Property tax breaks can lure more business – and jobs

It’s something we all like to hear, two words: tax break!

For major manufacturers and trade sector employers, it could be exactly what they want to hear when they plan on bringing their company to Central Oregon.

Take companies like T-mobile for example, which qualified for an “enterprise zone” in Redmond, which gives them a break on property taxes. Now the company has become a major employer in the region.

So by designating three new areas throughout the region, as the state did this week, in five or 10 years, hundreds, even thousands of jobs could be on the way.

It’s one of the oldest and frequently used programs in the state.  A tax break that jumps starts economic development in rural areas like, in this case, La Pine, the Bend Airport and Crook County.