Municipalities, authorities and school districts can now apply to participate in the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority’s Small-Scale Community Wind Project.

The deadline for applications is May 12.

PEDA will select the 15 best proposals to receive Southwest Windpower's next generation small-scale wind system for permanent deployment at a public building or facility. Appropriate sites could include town halls, libraries, court houses, visitor centers or any other public building that will enable local communities to see and learn about the system.

In some cases, an applicant may designate a site on privately owned land for the proposed project, if the privately owned site is better suited for the project than property owned by the applicant. If it does so, a letter of authorization from the landowner must be included with the application.

The Southwest Windpower system includes a 1.8kW turbine, a 35-foot tower, an inverter, concrete foundation, wiring, an installation manual and technical support from the manufacturer. Department of Environmental Protection technical staff, PEDA and Southwest Windpower will review the applications to ensure that the selected sites can support a wind project.

PEDA is looking to deploy wind systems in locations highly visible to the public and with applicants that have the financial and technical wherewithal to properly install and maintain the system and those that include a substantial outreach and education component.

In order to qualify, a proposed site must have class 2 winds or better (or an average wind speed of 12 mph or more). If you do not have the site-specific wind speed data, please refer to the interactive evaluation tool at Pennsylvania Wind Map to determine the estimated class of wind at the proposed site.

Applications may also be obtained by visiting PEDA’s website or by contacting Lawrence Middleton by phone at 717-783-8411 or by e-mail at lmiddleton@state.pa.us . Official notice in PA Bulletin.

4/7/2006