South Dakota Program for Small Wind and Solar Projects Begins Critically Important Step
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) is seeking public input on a program that aims to increase the amount of electricity generated by small renewable energy projects, known as distributed generation.
ELPC recently helped South Dakota enact interconnection standards, the rules necessary to help small energy producers connect to the grid. ELPC Policy Advocate Matt McLarty said that gathering public input on its Small Renewable Energy Initiative is a ”critically important step.”
“If South Dakota is going to see its potential fully develop, especially in wind, this is a critical step to layer businesses, as well as small producers, to start a dialogue and get this going,” McLarty said.
Read coverage of the initiative in the Argus Leader
the public can comment on the initiative through this website
Tags: Interconnection Standards, Renewable Energy, Repowering the Midwest, South Dakota
July 12th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
I am “just” a concerned citizen with no expertise in this area, and only a limited understanding of the inter-relatedness of governmental bodies, regulatory agencies, and advocacy groups on this issue. Nonetheless, this seems to me a significant step forward in the direction of harnessing abundant, clean resources for South Dakota’s energy needs — and a much wider geographical area, potentially. I have wondered for some time why it seemed to the casual observer that “nothing was happening” in comparison with other states, and given our utterly obvious potential for generating wind-based power. Certainly there is information “out there” if one takes the initiative to “look it up,” yet I still think sparse coverage in the media has contributed to our general “cluelessness.” Those of us who live in the metro Sioux Falls area have a lot to learn from those “in the field” who would be the direct participants. I appreciate Matt McLarty’s dynamic enthusiasm as an advocate in this area.