We are delighted to announce that the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has completed its solicitation for facilitation of the National Wind Coordinating Collaborative (NWCC) and that it has selected AWWI to facilitate the NWCC over the next five years. The contract (effective February 1, 2012) focuses on the NWCC’s Wildlife Workgroup, since the other workgroups are now dormant.
Under this new NREL contract to facilitate the NWCC, we enter an exciting period of continuity, powerful synergy, and effective adaptation to changing funding realities.
Continuity and synergy in the mission:
The mission of the NWCC Wildlife Workgroup is “to identify, define, discuss, and through broad stakeholder involvement and collaboration address wind-wildlife and wind-habitat interaction issues to promote the shared objective of developing commercial markets for wind power in the United States” (
http://www.nationalwind.org/issues/wildlife.aspx). This critical mission coincides with that of AWWI, which is to “facilitate the timely and responsible development of wind energy while protecting wildlife and wildlife habitat."
Continuity and synergy functions and activities:
NWCC’s problem-solving function and its research activities will be supported and strengthened by AWWI’s commitment to a collaborative process and by the leading national wind-wildlife expertise and research program led by AWWI’s research committee, technical advisors, and Director of Research and Evaluation, Taber Allison. AWWI and NWCC have already been moving to coordinate outreach efforts. For example, in 2011, AWWI and NWCC co-hosted research webinars to disseminate the latest in wind-wildlife research.
The
attached diagram, included in AWWI’s proposal to NREL, illustrates some of these synergies.
Next steps for the NWCC:
We provide a summary below of the main NWCC activities planned for 2012. The first step will be to implement an evaluation of the mission, operating protocols, and membership structure of the NWCC Wildlife Workgroup. We will focus this evaluation on leveraging the resources of AWWI and NWCC and ensuring that there is not duplication of effort.
With this award from NREL, AWWI and the NWCC Wildlife Workgroup will begin planning for the Wind Wildlife Research Meeting. Save the date of November 27-30, 2012 for this important meeting! (location still to be decided). Taber Allison will chair the Research Meeting, with support from Abby Arnold and Lauren Flinn.
NWCC Activities for 2012
- Conducting an Evaluation of the Mission, Operating Protocols, and Membership Structure
- Hosting (two) Research Webinars
- Continuing to Facilitate the Two NWCC Research Collaboratives:
- Enhancing the NWCC Website
- Hosting the Ninth Wind Wildlife Research Meeting (scheduled for November 27-30, 2012)
- Hosting a Wildlife Workgroup Core Group Meeting
If you would like to receive NWCC emails in the future, please register for the mailing list here:
https://www.nationalwind.org/signup.aspx?e=