Electric Program >> Renewable Energy

RENEWABLE ENERGY

The Rural Utilities Service, under the Rural Electrification Act of 1936, as amended, is able to finance projects developed by eligible non-profit utility organizations, such as electric cooperatives and public utility districts, but cannot provide capital to individuals. The Agency is pursuing options for eligible organizations to develop renewable energy, and has financed both photovoltaic and wind powered renewable energy projects developed by current borrowers.

This page provides a partial list of links to other webpages developed by government, industry groups, conferences, events, and other interesting webpages promoting renewable energy.

Check back for updates on conferences and upcoming events.  Also, feel free to contact us with additional information you would like to share, including conferences, workshops, projects and success stories.

• National Renewable Energy Laboratory Brown Bag Series -- Washington DC
• 4th Harvesting Clean Energy for Rural Development -- Portland, Oregon

Rural Business Cooperative Service - http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs
2002 Farm Bill Renewable Energy Site - http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/farmbill/index.html

• Federal Register Notice Announcing 2004 Renewable Energy Grant Program - (Text) (PDF)
  • Correction to the Federal Register Notice Announcing 2004 Renewable Energy Grant Program - (Text) (PDF)
    

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National Energy Policy

The President's National Energy Policy (NEP) provides an evaluation of current energy supply and demand in the United States and forecasts of future energy needs. It addresses methods and technologies for meeting the energy demands of the future. The full NEP is accessible at http://www.whitehouse.gov/energy. Of particular interest is Chapter 6 entitled "Nature's Power" which addresses renewable energy resources. Chapter 6 is accessible at http://www.whitehouse.gov/energy/Chapter6.pdf.

USDA's Commitment

The U. S. Department of Agriculture firmly supports the President's National Energy Policy. Secretary Ann Venneman has on many occasions endorsed the policies, especially with regard to exploration of renewable energy resources to preserve fossil fuels and the environment.

Biodiesel Fuels

RUS Administrator Hilda Legg in further support of the National Energy Policy and Secretary Venneman has written a letter to all RUS borrowers encouraging the use of biodiesel.  For further information on biodiesel, click on the titles below. As we discover new sites, they will be added.

• Biodiesel Handling and Use Guidelines (http://www.afdc.doe.gov/pdfs/5845.pdf)
• Biodiesel Fact Sheet (http://www.afdc.doe.gov/pdfs/Biodiesel_fs.pdf)

NREL Brown Bag Series

At its offices in Washington, D. C., the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) offers lunch time speakers on various topics. The series has currently scheduled three programs on the second Thursday in each month. For more information on the series, visit the NREL website (http://www.nrel.gov/analysis/seminar.html).

Harvesting Clean Energy 4th Annual Conference

The Harvesting Clean Energy 4th Annual Conference was held on January 20-21, 2004, at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon, in conjunction with the 90th Annual Northwest Food Manufacturing & Packaging Exposition. Sponsors of the conference included: Big Bend Electric Cooperative, Benton Rural Electric Association, Franklin County PUD, Washington PUD, Washington Rural Electric Cooperative Association, Inland Power & Light, US DOE, US EPA, Washington State University.  The conference addressed rural issues in the advancement of clean energy initiatives, including success stories from the Washington Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the Grant County Economic Development Council, and several farmers and ranchers.  The group continues to work on promoting clean energy projects.  The 5th Annual Harvesting Clean Energy Conference will be held on January 20-21, 2005, in Great Falls, Montana.

For more information, visit NREL's website (http://www.nrel.gov/news/events.html) or the conference website (http://www.harvestcleanenergy.org).

RUS Electric Program Brown Bag

Periodically, RUS sponsors industry and government representatives to discuss various topics in renewable energy resources.  These presentations should be very helpful in evaluating available and emerging technology in this important field. Some of the presentations included Chris Forbes (solid oxide fuel cells), Glenn Farris (McNeil Generating Station project in Burlington, Vermont) and Chris Lindsey from the Antares Group. For information, contact Sharon Ashurst, Sharon.Ashurst@usda.gov or 202-720-1925.

Biomass Interest Group

The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) sponsored the Biomass Interest Group meetings on May 15-16, 2003, at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. Presentations were made by representatives from the World Bank, national laboratories, utilities, and governments.

For more information about the work and future meetings, contact Dave O'Connor by e-mail at DOCONNOR@epri.com.

Renewable Energy Analysis Program

NREL has developed a renewable energy analysis program. Visit http://www.nrel.gov/reasn for information.

Co-op Startup

Steps to developing a cooperative can be found at http://www.energy-co-op.net. This provides an excellent outline for setting up a business.

State Solar Centers

The following State Solar Centers provide helpful information on photovoltaics and solar applications:

• Arizona Solar Center - http://www.azsolarcenter.com/
• California Solar Center - http://www.californiasolarcenter.org/
• North Carolina Solar Center - http://www.ncsc.ncsu.edu/
• Florida Solar Energy Center - http://fsec.ucf.edu/

EPA Landfill Methane Outreach Program

EPA's Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP) provides assistance to facilitate and promote the use of landfill gas as a renewable energy source.  Information can be found at http://www.epa.gov/lmop/.

Database for State Incentives for Renewable Energy

This database is an ongoing project of the Interstate Renewables Energy Council (IREC), funded by the U.S. Dept. of Energy Office of Power Technology and managed by the North Carolina Solar Center. Located at the North Carolina State University, the NC Solar Center is a program of the College of Engineering's Industrial Extension Service. The site provides useful information by State on incentives and regulatory policy regarding the use of renewable energy sources.  The database can be found at http://www.ies.ncsu.edu/dsire.

Links

Additional information and resources may be found in the sites listed on the pages below. However, we are not responsible for the accuracy of the content of non-Rural Development sites, nor should links to these sites be construed as our endorsement of the views (or products) contained therein.

National Energy Policy

U. S. Department of Energy Homepage

U. S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Network (EREN) 

American Wind Energy Association - Frequently Asked Questions

American Bioenergy Association

American Solar Energy Society

Basin Electric Wind Power Project

EnergyIdeas Clearinghouse

Energy Services Clearinghouse

National Biodiesel Board

National Wind Coordinating Committee (NWCC)

Utility Wind Interest Group, Inc.

Western Regional Biomass Energy Program

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