Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Loomis, David G..
The purpose of Illinois State University's wind project was to further the education and outreach of the university concerning wind energy. This project had three major components: to initiate and coordinate a Wind Working Group for the State of Illinois, to launch a Renewable Energy undergraduate program, and to develop the Center for Renewable Energy that will sustain the Illinois Wind Working Group and the undergraduate program.
The Illinois Wind Working Group (IWWG) was founded in 2006 with about 15 members. It has grown to over 200 members today representing all aspects of the wind industry across the State of Illinois. In 2008, the IWWG developed a strategic plan to give direction to the group and its activities. The strategic plan identifies ways to address critical market barriers to the further penetration of wind. The key to addressing these market barriers is public education and outreach. Since Illinois has a restructured electricity market, utilities no longer have a strong control over the addition of new capacity within the state. Instead, market acceptance depends on willing landowners to lease land and willing county officials to site wind farms. Many times these groups are uninformed about the benefits of wind energy and unfamiliar with the process. Therefore, many of the project objectives focus on conferences, forum, databases and research that will allow these stakeholders to make well-educated decisions.