PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Northwest SEED is building partnerships to mobilize consumers and maximize local benefits from harvesting "home grown" energy resources – wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, low-impact hydro, conservation, and bio-based products – while maintaining reliable electric service and creating new revenue streams and high quality jobs throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Modeled on High Plains SEED, Northwest SEED supports and develops creative programs, policies, and financing approaches to build rural economies and meet the region's power needs through affordable, distributed "green" generation.
As a diverse network of individuals and organizations, Northwest SEED is working to engage and build support among rural communities, Tribes, utilities and businesses to ensure local participation, accountability, and long-term benefits of truly sustainable energy. Key objectives include:
- Establishing and publicly disseminating high-quality resource maps.
- Demonstrating cooperative business models for decentralized clean energy facilities.
- Strengthening rural renewable energy and conservation and incentives through federal farm policy reform.
Northwest SEED is working with partner organizations to develop novel approaches and incentives such as "virtual" net metering to aggregate multiple users, co-ops to link rural producers and urban consumers, and clean energy distribution line upgrade funds to increase the reliability of rural electric grids. Northwest SEED also provides technical assistance for landowners and farmers to negotiate contracts with clean energy developers and pursue financing for cooperatively-owned installations. Rural utilities, elected officials, tribal representatives, and farm management organizations will also benefit from essential up-to-date information to help expedite siting processes and purchasing contracts for these new abundant and harvestable "crops."
These efforts and others will ultimately help build a clean, affordable and reliable energy supply throughout the Pacific Northwest.
We are pleased to announce that the NW Cooperative Development Center and Northwest SEED (Sustainable Energy for Economic Development) have successfully negotiated a three-year funding contract with the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Over the next 12 months, we plan to coordinate the installation of at least ten small wind turbines (10 kilowatts each) on farms, ranches, and rural facilities serviced by public utilities to demonstrate that distributed, locally owned wind turbines producing power to meet site loads are feasible and cost-effective.We are currently seeking wind turbine host sites, members of the Green Tags Buyer's Co-op, and angel investors for the project.
OUR WIND CO-OP
