CNMI Green Power Alliance www.cnmipower.com
Newsletter #2007-02
July 31, 2007
MISSION: We are an alliance of consumers and producers who are focused on promoting, adopting, creating, and advancing the use of the CNMI's natural resources as sources of alternative energy.
In this issue: New net metering regs and comments sought; wind power talks by Jim Thomas, Chuck Jordan and Joe Butters; AWEA small wind slide show; steering committee being organized; next meeting August 19.
Hi everyone!
The second public meeting of the CNMI Green Power Alliance took place Sunday July 29 6PM at Coffee Care. Things are really moving forward! Seventeen people attended (the same number that attended the first meeting) with seven new first time attendees.
NEW GREEN POWER REGS POSTED FOR YOUR COMMENTS. First item on the agenda was a presentation of the first draft of the regulations for Public Law 15-23 (PL 15-23) by Assistant Attorney General Alan Barak, followed by discussion. A link to the initial draft of the regulations is posted on the website for review.
Alan requested that feedback in the form of your suggestions, comments, or questions be posted on Bulletin Board (BB), which is now linked to the cnmipower.com website. It is intended that this BB will serve as an online public discussion group and speed up the process of getting the regs completed and published in the CNMI Register. The sooner you can review the draft regs and post your feedback the better, as Alan wants to get the regulations published in the CNMI register mid August for general public review. The regs to implement this law are critical to the overall benefit the law will have, and this is an unusual opportunity for us to have input.
Once the regs have gone through the review process and are published a second time in the Register, they will go into effect. This could happen as soon as mid September.
IT'S IMPERATIVE THAT ALAN GET THIS FEEDBACK IN ORDER TO CREATE THE REGULATIONS FOR PL 15-23. MONEY IN YOUR POCKET FROM LOWERED CUC BILLS
DEPENDS ON YOUR PARTICIPATION. IF THERE'S SOMETHING YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND, PLEASE EMAIL ALAN OR ME FOR CLARIFICATION...
DON'T MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY TO EFFECT REAL CHANGE HERE IN THE CNMI…
THE BULLETIN BOARD* LINK TO POST YOUR COMMENTS IS…
www.cnmipower.com/bb
*To post comments on the BB, click the “Sign in” link on the upper right of the BB home page. The first time you sign in, you will need to click “Apply for membership” on the bottom right to create your user name and password. Initially, it may take some time for your user name and password to become active. As we develop the BB further, this process will become more immediate.
WIND POWER TECHNOLOGY FOR THE CNMI. The second Item on the agenda was a presentation/discussion of wind power led by Jim Thomas, Chuck Jordan, and Joe Butters.
JIM THOMAS of Windsock, Inc., (located on Middle Road in Chalan Lau Lau… windsockinc@pticom.com) discussed wind power in general and some of the special concerns for using wind power in the CNMI. Grid-tied or battery charging systems are available and will affect design and cost. He stressed the need to get a system certified by NEMA, or ISO, or UL, or another US DOE approved agency, in order to have a safe system that CUC will approve. He has been working with GE Wind Power’s China division on developing a wind power generation system specifically designed to meet the rigorous demands of the marine environment we have here in the CNMI. He has been trial testing prototypes at his home, and hopes to bring in units for commercial distribution once the regulations are in place.
CHUCK JORDAN (Marianas’ Coffee - Weaning people of the Marinas off bad coffee one cup at a time… marianascoffee.com) discussed his experience with wind power dating back to his days in Yap in the 1980’s as an energy planner. Yap installed a wind generator that was effective but rusted out after only a year or two, and then became useless. He stressed the need for doing your research before investing, and getting a reliable system geared towards a marine environment, designed with ways to protect your system if a typhoon occurs.
He mentioned that Saipan installed an experimental trial wind power system in Kagman many years ago that blew down in a typhoon before it was stabilized and was destroyed. He currently has an effective solar hot water system and a ? “Flowtron” solar powered pool cleaning unit that works well. He has been researching options and plans to install a hybrid solar/wind system to help power his residence and business on Mt. Tapochao as soon as the CUC regs are in place.
Chuck also mentioned that Tina Sablan of DEQ is working with a group that is planning a grant-funded GREEN BUILDING DESIGN COMPETION. Further details about this competition will soon be posted on the cnmipower.com website.
JOE BUTTERS described what is available at the Family Outlet on Middle Road in Guala Rai, near the Sherwin Williams paint store (Jason Jang, manager…jansonjang@yahoo.com, 234-8986). He has wind generation systems among other green energy items in stock and invited people to stop by, see what is available, and speak with him or manager Jason Jang about their products.
AWEA SMALL WIND SLIDE PRESENTATION. I prepared a slide show presentation on wind power for the meeting, but due to time considerations, it was not shown. I recommend that those interested go the AWEA link on the cnmipower.com website to access the slideshow. Once at the AWEA website, click on the “Small Wind” top menu tab. In the next window, find and click the link to download the slide show “Wind power 101, and Wind power 102-104. It is a very good introduction to wind power, about 40 slides long in total. The Small Wind window page also has a link to equipment manufacturers. Visiting these sites can be educational. You may learn what products are available, current costs, and access useful links to other sites of interest.
STEERING COMMITTEE. We discussed the need to create a steering committee for the CNMI Green Power Alliance. Those considering participating on the steering committee included Ron Smith, Ken Kramer, Scott Crockett, Barry Wonenberg, and Daniel Lamar. A steering committee meeting will be arranged, and the outcome will be discussed at the next meeting. You can contact Dan Lamar if you want to lend some time or suggestions to this effort.
NEXT MEETING. The next general meeting of the CNMI Green Power Alliance is scheduled for Sunday August 19, at 6 PM, again at Coffee Care. Agenda items include follow-up discussion of the regulations to implement PL 15-23, report on the outcome of the steering committee meeting, followed by a presentation/discussion on Solar Energy. Please email me if you have suggestions on suitable persons to present and lead the discussions on Solar Energy.
Please forward this newsletter to others you think might be interested, and encourage them to visit our website and register.
Daniel Lamar danielclamar@gmail.com
CNMI Green Power Alliance
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