NaturEner

72 Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} The fruits of nature   Interest in the potential of renewable energy is growing, and Jane Bordenave talks to Bill Alexander and Chris Hodge of NaturEner about their current projects, overcoming challenges and their vision for the future.   ItÔÇÖs an exciting time for NaturEner, which develops, owns and operates wind energy farms.  The Montana Alberta Tie Line, a massive energy transmission line that will carry 230 kilovolts of electricity between Montana and Alberta, has just been given the final go-ahead. As Bill Alexander, chief development officer at NaturEner, explains, this will have a tremendous impact on the company. ÔÇ£The Tie Line will now enable the construction of a very large project in Montana, a 309-megawatt project.ÔÇØ As well as giving the local area access to clean energy, this project will also have a positive effect on the local economy, bringing jobs and new infrastructure to the area.   Benefits like these show how far NaturEner has come since its inception in Spain during the 1980s, when it first began developing hydroelectric facilities. Later, NaturEner moved into wind and solar power, developing 14 wind farms. NaturEnerÔÇÖs presence in North America began in 2006 with the founding of NaturEner USA, LLC in the United States and NaturEner Energy Inc. in Canada. The mission of both companies is to develop and deliver viable amounts of clean energy to the US and Canada. In order to ensure they can do this at maximum efficiency, they have taken on board people who have the experience and vision necessary to see every project through.  The team at NaturEner is made up of 40 people, including Alexander and his colleague Chris Hodge, director of commercial operations, who between them have over 20 yearsÔÇÖ experience in the energy industry. The ability to draw on decades of experience in the European market combined with team expertise has helped NaturEner overcome many of the challenges that face renewable energy producers in North America.  ÔÇ£Europe is many years ahead of North America in terms of the development of renewable energies,ÔÇØ says Alexander, ÔÇ£so the experience that weÔÇÖre drawing on from Europe is very, very helpful in avoiding some of the pitfalls and mistakes that other development companies might be making.ÔÇØ   However, one challenge that experience could not overcome has been equipment supply. When NaturEner was first established in North America, equipment supply was lagging behind demand and opportunity, and it was the greatest problem the company faced. Fortunately, there are now enough parts manufacturers in the US to keep up with demand. However, there are still no manufacturers producing parts on an industrial scale in Canada, meaning that parts have to be imported from the US and Europe.┬á   As supply issues have waned, new issues have emerged. ÔÇ£The major obstacle that we find today is the availability of transmission to markets that are aggressively pursuing the increase of renewables,ÔÇØ affirms Alexander. To overcome this, one of the most important advances NaturEner has made is its ability to take from the utility companies some of the difficulties associated with connecting wind farms to the grid. In Montana, the company has developed and certified the first wind-only Balancing Authority in North America. This development means it can sell energy from its facilities into the grid, taking care of all the integration issues itself. This strategy is a major asset to the companyÔÇÖs operation, as without this help utilities can often be reluctant to link to renewable power sources. The complexities involved and additional expense to the utility companies would, without NaturEnerÔÇÖs support, mean that projects would be shelved for years.  ItÔÇÖs this preparedness to go the extra mile that has enabled NaturEner to stay consistent throughout the economic downturn. It is also the knowledge and ability to adapt that made it the first company to qualify under the cash grant program, part of the US economic stimulus. As Hodge explains, there were several factors that made NaturEner ÔÇ£first in the queue.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£The primary factor was the viability of the assets themselves, and we followed the regulations as they came out very closely. We were able to adapt to the new regulations and make sure that the projects qualified under those new guidelines. The way that we had commercially integrated into the grid meant that, as the new regulations came out, we were able to take advantage of them.ÔÇØ  However, the economic situation is still uncertain. While things are no longer getting worse, the sector is in what Hodge describes as ÔÇ£a steady state,ÔÇØ with everyone waiting to see what will happen next before making a move. Over the next six to twelve months NaturEner expects to get a better picture of which markets are going to pick up again and what increase in activity there will be in the renewable energy sector. Nevertheless, the downturn has also presented opportunities for the company. There is a desire for new solutions to old problems, and NaturEner is poised to take advantage of this, providing answers to the difficulties of energy constraints in North America.  NaturEnerÔÇÖs main focus in North America has been, up until now, the production of wind energy. However, the company is now looking to expand its portfolio by producing new solar power plants as well. Geographically and technologically, this will take it outside its current sphere of operation. ÔÇ£There are some complementary aspects of wind and solar,ÔÇØ says Alexander, ÔÇ£but realistically there are places that are very attractive for solar that are just not attractive for wind, and weÔÇÖll continue to pursue those individually.ÔÇØ The payoff from this course of action is that NaturEner will be able to sell renewable energy to a greater number of locations across North America.  When asked what the future holds for NaturEner, Alexander responds that the future is bright. ÔÇ£Our goals include bringing online in the neighborhood of 300 megawatts of new projects each year, and weÔÇÖre on track to do that.ÔÇØ As social and political pressure grows for more energy to come from renewable sources, NaturEner will bring its experience to bear to fulfill the increased demand. *┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á *┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á *