Day 1: Plenary Panel Sessions

8:30-9:00am: Registration & Exhibits Open

9:00-9:30am: Welcome!

Larry Shirley, State Energy Office, NC Department of Administration

Phil Dougherty, Wind Powering America

10:00-11:45am: Regional Transmission and Systems Operation

The Utility Wind Panel presents wind development drivers and challenges from the perspective of various utility groups and companies. Interconnection, markets, systems operation, and capacity are some of the topics that will shed light on reasons why utility companies across the nation and region are opting to develop wind. 

Panel Speakers:          

• Ken Mancini, PJM Interconnection   PPT
• Richard Carson, Tennessee Valley Authority   PPT
• Sam J. Ervin, National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners

11:45-1:00pm: Lunch with Keynote Speaker

Steve Clemmer, Union of Concerned Scientists   PPT

1:00-2:30pm: Regional Wind Development

Wind projects are sprouting throughout the mountains and coastal regions of the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic States, and this panel will introduce projects on the threshold of development as well as those who have been operating for years. The goal of this panel is to uncover some of the more common issues facing wind development in our regions, especially regarding permitting, public response, and bat interaction with wind turbines and pose comments for mitigating these challenges.

Panel Speakers:           

• William Bulpitt, Georgia Institute of Technology   PPT
• Ken Jurman, James Madison University
• Gordian Raacke, Renewable Energy Long Island  (RELI)   PPT

2:30-2:45pm: Break

2:45-4:15pm: Permitting and Other Wind Issues: Challenges to Wind Development

While wind resources are a known quantity, other aspects of developing wind continue to evolve as the industry matures. This panel will explore some of the more recent hurdles and opportunities that face wind development and financing, such as permitting processes and markets.

Panel Speakers:            

• Jennifer DeCesaro, National Council of State Legislators  PPT
• Bonnie Ram, Energetics, Inc.   PPT
• Matt Heck, Community Energy, Inc.   PPT

4:15-5:30: Environmental Considerations

Certainly a hot and important topic today, environmental issues and wind power range from avian issues to visual impacts, mitigation and assessment. The environmental panel will address latest research on these issues and offer information about current methods of better understanding the extent of these concerns.

Panel Speakers:            

• Mark Lotts, James Madison University   PPT
• Curtis Smalling, Audubon Society   PPT
• Jessica Kerns, Western EcoSystems Technology, Inc. (WEST, Inc.)   PPT
• George Sterzinger, Renewable Energy Policy Project   PPT

5:30-7:30: Reception at the Solar House

Welcome and sponsor introduction with Phil Dougherty. Food and beverages sponsored by Earthfare - The Healthy Supermarket.  

Day 2: Technical Sessions and Working Group Meetings

8:30-9:00am   Exhibits open  

9:00-11:00am  Technical Sessions

Technical Session A: Small-Scale Wind Energy

Harvesting small-scale wind energy is an attractive approach for our regions due to the vast area of suitable resources, as well as its ability to transition acceptance of larger wind projects. This 2-hour technical session will cover the ins-and-outs of small wind as experienced by the North Carolina Small Wind Initiative. Southwest Windpower will team-up this panel to introduce their newest product on the market and share the perspective of the small-scale wind industry.

Session Speakers:       

• Dennis Scanlin, Appalachian State University    PPT
• Jay Yeager, Southwest Windpower    PPT

Technical Session B: Off-Shore Wind Energy

All along the eastern seaboard our water-based wind resources are increasingly viewed as the most prime, and lucrative untapped energy resource. These wind resources offer immense power supplies while simultaneously presenting a host of new questions: What is the latest technology?  What can we expect from our off-shore resources? What is the process for permitting off-shore facilities? What about transmission capacity? 

Session Speakers:       

• Bonnie Ram, Energetics, Inc.    PPT
• Bruce Bailey, AWS Truewind    PPT

11:00-12:15: Wind in the Press and Public Relations (working lunch) (for Wind Working Group Members specifically)

Wind power receives both favorable and slanderous imagery in the news and media today, and this working lunch session will offer practical tools to favorably leverage our media sources. 

"Hosting a Blade Event," Gil Melear-Hough    PPT

Great Visuals make great Media Events, and wind turbines are great visuals for promoting wind energy. The problem is that commercial wind farms are often in remote locations, whether they are high mountain ridges or off shore. Wind advocates often have trouble getting media out to these distant locations. The best solution is to take the wind farm to the media! A very successful way to do this is to have a Blade Event, where you bring one of the huge commercial wind turbine blades to an urban location to use as a powerful visual for your press conference. While worth the effort - this will be one of the most challenging media events that you can undertake. Gil Melear-Hough with the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy will share some lessons learned and give some guidelines on how to organize a "Blade Event."

"Fair and Balanced," Ken Jurman will discuss the VA WWG efforts to define wind in the state before the opposition sets the tone; thwarting negativity to present a balanced viewpoint of wind energy. 

12:30-3:00: Look to the Future: Wind Working Group Digest and Strategy Meeting      PPT

(Post your ideas for this meeting on the WWG Forum!)

The Regional Wind Working Group Digest Meeting will serve as a strategy discussion on issues common to the Southeast & Mid-Atlantic States. To make the most of our meeting time, please post your suggestions on productive meeting topics on the WWG forum page.