Goals

The Consortium will provide a forum for a coordinated approach for developing wind energy systems beneficial to California's unique topology.  The Consortium will provide expertise to the California Energy Commission to help supplement and support wind energy development programs specific to California. Consortium members will include representatives from California's wind energy industry, California Energy Commission staff involved in wind energy development, representatives from Department of Energy and National Renewable Energy Laboratory's wind energy programs, members of the environmental community involved with environmental impacts from wind energy, and representatives from the academic community conducting wind energy research.

In addition, the Consortium has a goal to support the existing wind industry by maintaining a wind database, developing a wind energy technician training plan, preparing White Papers on current industry issues, and developing a wind anemometer loan program plan.

The Consortium addresses the PIER program objectives of improving the cost effectiveness of wind energy technologies and reducing environmental risks and cost of California electricity.  It also contributes to the PIER program objective of maximizing "market connection" for project research results by actively interacting with the wind industry and other interested parties.

The Consortium is intended to be an ongoing entity supported by a variety of groups.  To achieve the overall goals, the objectives are to:

• Organize and manage a diverse consortium advisory board to provide immediate expertise in areas pertaining to wind energy technology including design, operation/maintenance, generation and modeling (see People)
• Establish a physical focal point for wind energy related questions/activities in the state
• Support, maintain and enhance the existing California Wind Performance Reporting System (WPRS) with web-accessible production data and annual trend analysis reports summarizing production, capacity and turbine technology (see WPRS)
• Develop plans and guidelines for a statewide wind-engineering technician training program to ensure California maintains a competent and current wind energy support base (see Technician Training Program)
• Develop a series of targeted papers to evaluate wind resources and electric power generation capabilities in the state.  The focus is on scenarios for improving affordability and reliability with better resource management, understanding of peaking demands, transmission and delivery needs and combining hybrid distributed generation with energy storage options (see Windplant Optimization)
  
• Develop plans and guidelines for a statewide wind anemometer loan program to assist with new wind resource siting needs and to support field verification of Geographic Information System models. (see Anemometer Loan Program)

The type of collaborative effort proposed here does not currently exist anywhere in the nation.  Given the notable amount of installed wind-based power and the potential for significant quantities of additional wind-based electric power in the state, the Consortium can play a critical role in helping to shape the way wind energy will help the state in meeting electricity needs.