Links

For a complete listing see my most recent book Wind Power: Renewable Energy for Home, Farm, and Business (2004).

Wind Energy Consultants

Please note that I am not an engineering consultant. I write and lecture on the subject of wind energy and increasingly on other sources of renewable energy as well. I do provide advice to governmental, non-governmental, and advocacy organizations. I can provide referrals to technical consultants upon request, some that I recommend are listed below. Note also that as a free-lance writer I do not sign non-disclosure agreements. While I respect confidentiality, I am under no obligation to do so.

Large Wind Turbines

There are dozens of firms worldwide providing professional services to the wind energy industry. There also a number of planning bureaus in Germany that specialize in siting medium-size wind turbines throughout Europe.

AeroVironment Inc
www.aerovironment.com

BTM Consult
www.btm.dk

Garrad Hassan
www.garradhassan.com

Wind Utility Consulting
tomwind@netins.net

For an interesting and well written commentary on what it's like to own a 1.8 MW wind turbine visit Glen Estill's blog.

Wind Risk also operates a news group on questions of operations and maintenance of large wind turbines at their blog.

Meteorological Consultants

The following are meterological consultants that I have worked with or who have helped me to understand wind resource assessment. They are professionals and because of the boom & bust nature of the wind market in North American can be extremely busy. They can't take the time to answer general inquiries. They do provide wind resource assessments that will withstand the scrutiny of a banker. Wind studies cost from $25,000 USD to $40,000 USD or $25,000 CAD to $50,000 CAD, depending upon the amount of work required.

Nierenberg & Assoc.
ron1230@comcast.net

Resource Assessment & Micrositing
windmet@pacbell.net

Zephyr North
www.zephyrnorth.com

Trade Associations

Remember that trade associations are in business to promote their member's products. You won't find information about the German manufacturer Enercon on the web site of the Danish Wind Turbine Manufacturers Association. Many of the European web sites are offered in English as well as the host language. Some, such as Vindmølleindustrien's extensive web site, are presented in English, German, French, Spanish, and Danish.

RenewableUK (BWEA)
www.renewable-uk.com

Bundesverband Windenergie (German Wind Turbine Owners Association)
www.wind-energie.de

Fördergesellschaft Windenergie (Geman Wind Turbine Manufacturer's Association)
www.wind-fgw.de

Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA)
www.canwea.ca

New Zealand Wind Energy Association (NZWEA)
www.windenergy.org.nz

Vindmølleindustrien (Danish Wind Turbine Manufacturers Assoc.)
www.windpower.org

World Wind Energy Association
www.wwindea.org

One of the best site in Français is that sponsored by the University of Quebec at Rimouski, www.eolien.org

The web site for the French wind energy association is France Energie Eolienne
fee.asso.fr

There are a number of excellent www sites in German. These are often presented in English as well. Some sites use machine translation which leaves a lot to be desired.

Non-Governmental Organizations

There are two organizations in North America that are actively encouraging community-owned or farmer-owned wind development: Windustry in Minnesota, and the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association in Canada.

There are also a number of organizations and environmental groups that support wind energy. One web site that tries to debunk many of the myths surrounding wind power is Greenpeace's Yes2Wind.

Windustry
www.windustry.org

Ontario Sustainable Energy Association
www.ontario-sea.org

Yes2Wind
www.yes2wind.com

Pro Wind Alliance
yesPro Wind Alliance--A voice of reason in the British Isles not connected to any trade association.

World Future Council
World Future Council supports the use of Advanced Renewable Tariffs (feed-in tariffs) to encourage the rapid development of renewable energy. Community ownership of renewables is only possible where effective feed-in tariffs are in use.

LMW at the Folkecenter for Renewable Energy in Denmark.

For testing of small wind turbines and for all around helpfulness on the subject of wind energy no one beats the Alternative Energy Institute at West Texas A&M University. The Folkecenter for Renewable Energy is a long-standing reference source on the success of Electricity Feed Laws and Community Wind development in Europe. The Midwestern Renewable Energy Association has long been an ardent proponent of renewables, not just wind energy.

Alternative Energy Institute
www.windenergy.org

Nordvestjysk Folkecenter for Vedvarende Energi (Folkecenter for Renewable Energy)
www.folkecenter.net/gb

Midwest Renewable Energy Association
www.the-mrea.org/

History of Wind Energy

For an insightful account of the history of the Danish wind turbine industry and the role they played in the development of modern wind energy see Erik Grove-Nielsen's web site at Winds of Change. The site contains one of the best collections of photographs from the period as well as a hard-to-find collection of historical photographs.

Small Wind Turbines

For tips on the design of small wind turbines visit the sites of Scoraig Wind Electric's Hugh Piggott, www.scoraigwind.co.uk, and Windmission's Claus Nybroe, www.windmission.dk.

If you need parts, service, or advice on how to maintain your small wind turbine, you can subscribe to the yahoogroup small-wind-home. There are several knowledgeable participants on this list who offer a wealth of technical information. Once you've subscribed, monitor the list, then, when you're ready, post your question.

There is also a discussion group on small wind turbines (petit eoliens) in French at http://fr.groups.yahoo.com/group/petit-eolien/.