Solar and Wind Expo's Bob Dixson's Greenburg, Kansas Windfarm named "Wind Project of the Year"

The Greensburg Wind Farm in Greensburg, KS, has been named "Wind Project of the Year" by RenewableEnergyWorld.com, a leading renewable energy publication. This award recognizes the project's community benefits and unique financing model. Jeff Bernicke, president of NativeEnergy, accepted the award at the Renewable Energy World Conference and Expo in Tampa, Florida.

RenewableEnergyWorld.com said: "To recognize the perseverance of the people of Greensburg, Kansas, and the leadership of companies involved in developing and marketing the project, the 12.5 MW Greensburg Wind Farm is the 2011 'Wind Project of the Year.'"

In May 2007, a massive tornado leveled Greensburg, destroying 95% of the town. In the face of this tragedy, the citizens of Greensburg decided to rebuild as "the greenest town in America." This plan—spearheaded by non-profit Greensburg GreenTown—included construction of the Greensburg Wind Farm.

The wind farm was financed in part through NativeEnergy's innovative Help Build™ carbon offsets. By purchasing Help Build™ offsets, companies and individuals across the U.S. provided critical upfront funding for project construction. In return, they received a share of the project's long-term verified greenhouse gas reductions. Major project supporters included: Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Ben & Jerry's, Brighter Planet, Stonyfield, CLIF Bar, Aveda, Clean Air-Cool Planet, and Reverb.

"When NativeEnergy first brought the Greensburg Wind Farm to us, we were excited to be early supporters," said Paul Comey, vice president of Environmental Affairs at GMCR, Inc. "Upon visiting the site and meeting the community, we realized we could make a difference. By purchasing carbon offsets from the project, we are mitigating our carbon footprint while helping Greensburg along its journey to become the greenest community in America."

"I've seen first-hand the tremendous progress that the people of Greensburg have made in their commitment to becoming a truly green community, so being awarded 'Wind Project of the Year' is a fitting recognition," said Chuck Bennett, vice president of Earth & Community Care at Aveda. "This tremendous honor reinforces my belief that Aveda's support for the community and the wind project has been very well founded."

Jeff Bernicke, president of NativeEnergy, noted, "We are honored that the Greensburg Wind Farm has been named 'Wind Project of the Year.' This project demonstrates that well-planned environmental initiatives can have local economic and social advantages too. This was truly a community project—from the way it was financed to the benefits it offers."

The project, which began operating in March 2010, consists of 10 new wind turbines, 1.25 MW each. The project developer, owner, and operator is Exelon Wind, LLC (formerly John Deere Renewables, LLC). The wind farm's exceptional community benefits include job creation, lease revenues for local farmers, and greenhouse gas reductions. It is expected to reduce nearly one half million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide over its 20 year life.

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The Solar and Wind Expo 2010: Large, interested crowds see cool exhibits, hear informative speakers – and ride Segways

It’s hard to believe it’s been a week since The Solar and Wind Expo 2010 wrapped up on a beautiful spring day at the Timonium Fairgrounds north of Baltimore. Throughout the three-day event, we saw large, steady crowds keeping the show’s vendors occupied, with attendees saying they were excited by what they saw and learned, and vendors commenting that visitors to their booths seemed well-informed and serious about renewable energy.

Among the highlights inside and outside Exhibition Hall:

• ATR’s innovative solar tracking device, where you could see, right before your eyes, several pole-mounted panels turning to face the sun from sunrise to sundown;

• The candy-red Tesla roadster that drew constant “oohs” and “ahhs” just sitting on the exhibition floor, and even more excitement when it left noiselessly for brief but thrilling rides, courtesy of owner Bill Harris;

• The numerous excited attendees zipping around on Segways, provided by SegZone;

• The many folks touring the Living Zero Home set up just outside the Exhibition Hall (by Daylight Solar) to get tons of energy-saving ideas, and checking out the solar-powered carport (Timber Rock) next to the home;

• The futuristic-looking Extreme Bug-E – a sleek, three wheeled electric motorcycle pulling a trailer covered with solar panels – that Charlie Garlow unveiled at the Expo and will drive across the U.S. in June;

• The visitors taking advantages of free rides to the Exhibition Hall in all-electric e-Cruisers;

• The steady flow of attendees checking out the powerful and sleek-looking Endurance wind turbine propeller prominently displayed by Atech Energy; Astrum Solar’s online calculator; Groundloop/A+ Solar’s combined wind, solar and geothermal exhibit; the Electric Vehicle Association of D.C.’s all-electric Toyota RAV-4; the U.S. Department of Energy’s informative exhibit; Green Rider’s snazzy collection of electric bikes and scooters; Viridian’s innovative model for buying renewable energy and getting off the grid; and the many other informative and interesting exhibits throughout the Expo.

The Expo was also fortunate to land three wonderful and gracious main speakers. Malcolm Woolf, director of the Maryland Energy Administration, in addition to giving a very informative presentation about Maryland’s extensive renewable energy activities (and participating in our press conference) stuck around for much of the afternoon, making himself available for the numerous folks who wanted to speak with him.

Our great keynote speaker, Mayor Bob Dixson of Greensburg, Kansas, kept a large crowd enthralled with the story of how his town was utterly devastated by a tornado three years ago, and then decided to start rebuilding as the first all-green town in America, with environmental stewardship as its guiding principle. It was one of the most inspiring talks we’ve ever heard (and one of the most inspiring people this writer has ever met), and any community or city that wants to become truly sustainable can look to Greensburg as a wonderful living laboratory and example. (For more information, visit www.greensburggrows.com.)

Paul Scott, vice president of Plug In America, first related the gripping story of how electric vehicles (EVs) such as General Motors’ EV-1, started catching on like wildfire in California in the late ‘90s, only to be squashed – literally – by the car manufacturers (also told in the documentary, “Who Killed the Electric Car?”). He then spoke of how the new generation of EVs, such as the Nissan Leaf, Chevy Volt and Tesla that are coming out now, are picking up where the EV-1 left off and paving the way for a transportation future based on renewable energy. California is already developing a network of charging stations where EV owners can recharge their vehicles, and other states are going to have to do the same for EVs to truly take off and reach their potential.

And last but certainly not least, let’s not forget the many informative, well-attended seminars – all given by experts – held throughout the Expo, such as “Solar 101,” “Wind Energy 101,” “Geothermal 101,” “Intro to Going Green,” “Green Building Design,” “Why Now is the Time to Go Solar” and “Will a Wind Turbine Work for Me?”

make green a reality!

http://www.thesolarandwindexpo.com/