Randy Manion doesn’t take credit for the current wind energy boom, but he is pleased that the Department of Energy has recognized his efforts to help Western customers add renewable resources to their portfolios.

DOE's Wind Energy Program presented Manion with the 2005 Outstanding Program Leadership Award at its May 11 program review meeting in Golden, Colo. In a June 26 letter, DOE Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program Manager Stanley Calvert praised Manion for developing strong relationships with utilities, and educating those utilities on the value of wind power.

"It feels good to be recognized at any level; praise and compliments keep you working at 110 percent," said Western's Renewable Resources Program manager. "It's also a nice confirmation that I'm doing a good job for the Department."

Manion has done a good job for DOE—and for Western—since 1996, when Western established itself as the connection between DOE, renewable energy developers and our wholesale customers. "The goal of the program is to help customers interested in purchasing renewable resources to fully evaluate their options," explained Manion.

The program provides customers with technical assistance and marketing information on renewable resources. It also directly supports DOE's Strategic Plan and the Wind Powering America Program, Manion added. "By helping utilities diversify their generation, the program indirectly supports Western's Integrated Resource Planning and Energy Planning and Management Program, too."

Partnerships extend program's reach

The growing interest in renewables over the last few years has kept Manion busy. In 2005, he represented the Wind Energy Program at more than 10 national and regional utility conferences and events.

"I enjoy representing Western and DOE's Wind Program at these events," he said. "It allows me the opportunity to meet and talk with hundreds of utility representatives each year—from energy services representatives to the CEOs of large public power and cooperative organizations, from rural cooperative board members to public power city council members. It's a rare opportunity to network with so many people in the utility industry."

Some of those exhibits were at events sponsored by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and the American Public Power Association. The partnerships Manion formed with the two national trade organizations has helped to extend Western's technical assistance resources to a wider audience.

Western and APPA's Demonstration of Energy-Efficient Developments Program were part of a team that developed An Implementation Guidebook to Expand the Role of Renewables in an Energy Supply Portfolio in 2004.

Other members of the team included Gila Resources, DOE's GeoPowering the West Program, the Public Renewables Partnership and Wind Powering America. The step-by-step manual presented the strategies smaller, member-owned utilities used to increase their percentage of renewable energy.

Different media spread the word

The team followed up publication with a series of webcasts to show utilities how to use the guidebook. "It was a wonderful format for targeting potential users and getting them involved," recalled Manion.

The Western-APPA-NRECA partnership also produced a Wind Integration webcast series late last year. Around 120 utilities participated in three sessions covering wind development case studies, grid interconnection and impacts and wind energy economics. "Western believes that ‘webinars’ meet the needs of busy cooperative and public power utility representatives whose hectic schedules would otherwise keep them from attending a wind workshop or conference," said Manion. "The partnership plans to continue using the format to reach out to the industry."

Making accurate information on wind power available and accessible to customers is one of the most important functions of Western's Renewable Resource Program, in Manion's view. He has worked with industry groups to develop and distribute educational materials like the Wind Workshop in a Box CD, fact sheets like Wind Energy Myths and newsletters like the Green Power and Market Research News.

Manion also manages the PRP Web site, a one-stop location that collects and organizes the latest information on green power for electric co-ops, municipal utilities and tribal utility authorities. He recommends the Web site as a good starting point for utilities wanting to learn more about wind energy.

Western customers interested in wind power can also contact Randy Manion at 720-962-7423.