HISTORY  >

News

3/13 Minnesota has cleared through various committees a 1 MW Net Metering Bill that has significant likelihood to become law. The bill allows energy to be produced locally without having an impact on utilities while getting closer to achieving renewable energy goals. Minnesota will join other states creating  More... greater opportunity to not only create jobs, it allows property owners to build their own project to help control their future energy costs with excess being placed back onto the grid. Less...

1/13 Washington has extended for 2013 the Production Tax Credit and Investment Tax Credit for renewable energy including wind projects. A positive change is now construction only has to start by end of year versus previously being required to be placed in service by the end of the expiring year which  More... created a very risky investment and drove up costs. The 1603 cash grant which has benefitted smaller wind projects to compete against the larger developers was not included in the current bill. It has been proposed to be added at a later date to a renewable energy bill. Less...

9/12 DeWind has commissioned the 80 MW Kode Novus Wind I project located in Oklahoma. WPF was hired as a financial advisor by DeWind to provide market assistance that DeWind used to get financing for its project. This was the third project that WPF was engaged as financial advisor by DeWind.

5/12 WindPartners Finance received a contract to analyze and negotiate with various turbine manufacturers for price, availability, and terms for developer. Project is for a single 2.0 MW turbine that will be constructed and commissioned by year end. This is one of the many services WPF is able to provide to not only help decrease project costs but also save developers time.

3/12 WindPartners Finance in the interest of getting younger people interested and knowledgeable about wind energy has started providing outreach to school science class to help them understand wind energy, how it works, and its benefits. This will not only enhance their interest in the science, it will help them understand what is viable to conserve our natural resources.

2/12 DeWind has announced the commissioning of the 20 MW Frisco Wind Farm located in Texas. WPF was hired as a financial advisor by DeWind to provide market assistance that DeWind used to get financing for its project.

1/12 WindPartners Finance has increased its program offerings. We have lowered our minimum project size from the previous 1 MW down to 500 KW as the smaller size has become economically feasible and lower operational costs. It is also being anticipated that in the near future there will be a greater  More... industry move towards distributed generation as states pass favorable Net Metering and Feed-In-Tariff laws. These smaller sized wind projects can compete against the user’s utility bills while providing the subsequent environmental advantages. Less...

1/12 WindPartners Finance has become a member of Distributed Wind Energy Association (DWEA) Federal Policy Committee to assist in promoting favorable Federal and State rules and regulations for the distributed generation industry. WPF will provide its ten plus years of experience from working with  More... numerous development projects around the country to help facilitate policy. DWEA is the preeminent advocacy organization for the distributed generation market. Distributed generation provides energy at low cost for both on-site and for local energy distribution.
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12/11 Kenfield Wind Project has received its Final SGIA, with the anticipation of receiving a Power Purchase Agreement in the first quarter of 2012 and then proceeding with construction.

10/11 Senators Al Franken, D-Minn., and Jon Tester, D-Mont introduced the Community Wind Act legislation to continue funding the investment tax credit cash grant (ITC) which expires December, 2011 for projects 20 MW or less. WindPartners Finance is a strong proponent of this legislation that has been  More... proven successful since its implementation in 2009 to get 20 MW or less community projects online. The ITC compensates for some of the inequities that oil and gas industry receive from numerous tax benefits that never expire. In comparison, renewable energy receives a one-time up-front tax benefit from the ITC cash grant, receives no future tax benefits, and provides utilities with fixed pricing for 15-25 years, in addition to protecting the environment.
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10/11 Kenfield Wind Farm has substantially increased their scope of work contract with WPF. WPF is now to manage the remainder of the final development process and sale/partnership of the 10 MW project. WPF will complete final due diligence and negotiations. Construction is expected to be managed by Acterra Group. WPF is in discussions with various investor groups and manufacturers.

6/11 Construction has started on the 20 MW Frisco project that WindPartners Finance assisted with the financing. Commissioning is expected by year end.

6/11 WPF has signed an agreement with a developer to assist in the selling of their 10 MW project. The project located in Montana has an Interconnect, permits, and a Power Purchase Agreement rate that fits well within an investor return requirements. The project will be ready to start for construction 4th quarter, 2011. A memorandum is available if interested in purchasing the project.

5/11 WPF and American Wind have reached an agreement for a LLC partnership to collaborate on various Feed-In-Tariff (FIT) and Reverse Auction Mechanism (RAM) wind projects located in the State of California. There are several sites in final discussions to either build for the landowners or the LLC will retain  More... ownership at the landowner's preference. The recent approval by the California State legislature for the Renewable Portfolio Standards, FIT, and RAM programs creates a secure process for entities to build wind projects at a lower price than any other form of energy including natural gas and coal with the added benefit of renewable energy. The projects will provide revenue for the local communities and schools and create substantial revenue for the landowner.
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4/11 WPF has agreement to procure turbine for a one turbine project located in Southern Minnesota. Delivery and Construction is scheduled for start by October, 2011.

3/11 WPF has agreed to provide additional services for a one turbine project in Illinois. WPF will work with the various financial sources and government agencies to provide the best outcome for the financing/equity of the project.

2/11 Acterra Group, and WPF, has agreement to develop/procure turbines/arrange financing for Whirlwind a 40MW project that is truly a community wind project located in Minnesota. Estimated timeline ready for construction is one year. The project is in the Definitive Planning Phase with MISO.

2/11 WPF has agreement to procure turbines and development oversight for a one turbine project in Illinois. This is in addition to other projects of similar size that WPF is involved. This type of project continues with WPF purpose to be the main resource for projects less than smaller 1 to 10MW in size wind projects located around the nation.

1/11 WindPartners Finance has completed its purchase of the Simpson Wind project located in Oregon. Simpson is a 10 MW project that should be ready to construct Summer, 2011. WPF is also planning on a 4MW purchase in the same region that should be completed in February.

1/11 President Obama during his State of the Union address set a goal for 80% of United States' energy to come from renewable/clean energy sources. Wind will be a prominent sector, with distributed generation being a substantial part of the sector. The growth will be contingent upon a sound long term government policy.

1/11 WPF has engaged with a 10 MW project located in western US to provide financing and turbines. WPF is to use its connections to turbines and financing to provide lower costs to help construction start by summer, 2011.

12/10 President Obama signed comprehensive tax legislation that includes a one-year extension of the Section 1603 cash-grant program which is a savior to many wind developers. The projects have to be online by the end of 2012. It also allows for a 100% depreciation bonus on turbines through the end of next year which significantly increases investor returns.

12/10 President Obama signed authorization for $3.5 billion in additional New Market Tax Credits for 2011. This is an incentive to make loans or equity investments in projects located in lower income census tracts. Although complicated to structure, they can be very beneficial to rural wind projects. WPF can assist in the structuring.

11/10 DeWind has commissioned the 20 MW Pringle Wind Farm located in Texas. WPF had been hired by DeWind as a financial advisor to provide market assistance for the financing of their projects. This project was the first of several projects that WPF provided market intelligence for DeWind to understand the options available for financing.

11/10 WindPartners Finance continues to expand its portfolio of renewable energy companies engagements with an additional 40 MW's signed to contracts, with additional contracts pending. The primary focus is to structure projects to access the Cash Grant program that currently is due to expire at year end.  More... WindPartners Finance will after the new year structure a leasing program to take advantage of the Investment Tax Credit in lieu of the Cash Grant program.
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10/10 WindPartners Finance has completed its intent to purchase Simpson Wind located in Oregon. Simpson is a 10 MW project that is completing its transmission and interconnect agreements to construct by Summer, 2011. WPF will be working with its Alliance Partners to provide a complete start-to-finish  More... package of services. This is anticipated to be the first of many projects where WPF will align with landowners to ensure a successful project.
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9/10 WindPartners Finance has reached agreement with Renaissance Engineering to assist in providing development expertise, financing, and procurement of turbines for the Murphy Wind's (3) 20 MW wind projects. It is anticipated to finalize turbine procurement in 4th Quarter, 2010, commissioning Fall, 2011. This is  More... the first of series of projects that WPF will assist Renaissance Engineering to successfully commission the projects. Renaissance Engineering is a knowledgeable and skilled developer which is an excellent fit for WPF program as we assist project owners to get their distributed generation wind projects built.
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9/10 WindPartners Finance has been retained by DeWind Co, a US based wind turbine manufacturer, to act as their financial advisor in connection with a project financing program for over 120 MW of wind projects that will begin construction in Q4 of 2010. On behalf of DeWind, WPF will be seeking construction loans, term loans and tax equity.

8/10 Representative Jay Inslee (D-Wash) unveiled legislation for a feed-in tariff policy in Congress for distributed generation projects. It is the first ever proposal in Congress that would guarantee producers three basic elements--guaranteed grid access, fixed fees, no capping--feed-in tariffs. Policies like Inslee's  More... have been implemented worldwide, in a total of 41 countries, provinces and states. In the United States, measures that would enact such a system already have been proposed in Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, and Rhode Island. As the transmission grid system has become a significant impediment to growth of renewable energy, more localized generation not only will fuel the economy, it increases more local jobs, and ability to get projects built more cost effectively and efficiently.
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8/10 WindPartners Finance has become a Proud Sponsor of the EcoExperience at the Minnesota State Fair Wind Energy Center hosted by Windustry August 26-September 6, 2010. The Wind Energy Center is an interactive, museum-quality display within the Eco Experience at the Minnesota State Fair, in partnership with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

7/10 WindPartners Finance has contracted with Steve Skadron, Spooner Skadron LLC, as Consultant to help facilitate various sales needs as WPF continues to expand. Steve has been involved with its President at various capacities for several years, assisting in the structuring of the marketing program for  More... his various ventures. WPF plans to bring in within next few months additional salesperson and project management person to further help manage the multitude of projects and opportunities.
Contact Information steve@windpf.com or WindPartners Finance at wind@windpf.com
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7/10 WPF has continuing discussions with companies that are looking to provide backup storage systems for wind energy. The systems have made significant progress to provide backup power when needed to compensate when the wind is not creating energy. The systems will be useful to water treatment facilities, colleges, industrial sites, or any other heavy power users that have higher than market energy peak pricing.

6/10 WindPartners Finance is pleased to announce Acterra Group, Inc. has joined WPF's Alliance Partner program. Acterra joins our team to provide necessary expertise relating to project and construction management for wind projects. Acterra is streamline project development for >clients. WPF combines  More... turbine, financing and resources as one package to achieve lower overall project development costs to allow projects to be successful.
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5/10 WindPartners Finance (WPF) is pleased to announce that Mike Ziemke has joined as Managing Director and Partner. Mike has been working with WPF for the past several months. Previously, Mike was a Managing Director at Macquarie Capital (USA) Inc. for 8 years where he established and was  More... involved in all aspects of their wind development company. In addition, Mike oversaw numerous renewable energy project financings for wind and solar assets that included leasing, partnerships and direct sales and will bring this development and finance expertise to WPF. Mike also managed Macquarie's tax equity relationships and marketing. Prior to establishing Macquarie's wind program, Mike spent 6 years as a senior member of Macquarie's asset finance program and was directly involved in the execution of over $20 billion of asset finance transactions.
Mike has also recently been involved with the US Department of Energy where he was a consultant on its Solar Demonstration Program and its $2.3 billion section 48C Manufacturing Tax Credit Program. Mike's extensive financial experience began in 1994, where he served as the vice-president of marketing for the international leasing software company Interet Corporation. There he worked with Fortune 500 companies, assisting them with complex leasing transactions for large ticket assets. Mike holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Utah.
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5/10 AWEA 2010 Wind Expo in Dallas, TX proved to be a successful marketing opportunity for WPF, both to continue with expansion of our WindPartners Finance turbine and financing program for distributed generation, along with various meetings and connections with Alliance Partners and customers that will help facilitate more wind projects to be completed. AWEA had 1400 exhibitors and 20,000 attendees.

3/10 Illinois Wind Energy Association spotlights WindPartners Finance and its Distributed Generation 1-8MW program.

3/10 WindPartners Finance starts capital raise to provide capital as it grows the program, increase staff, etc. The first round is a ground floor opportunity prior to an anticipated $2-4 Million capital raise starting 3rd/4th Quarter of 2011. WindPartners Finance will use the future capital to retain ownership in projects in collaboration with its clients.

2/10 WindPartners Finance starts finalizing first of many Alliance Partner agreements with firms that have the experience to build quality projects and effectively lower development cost for 1-8MW wind projects.

HISTORY

12/09 Ken Valley incorporates WindPartners Finance, LLC to focus along with its alliance partners on developing and constructing Distributed Generation projects, which includes Feed-In-Tariff or Net Metering programs, throughout the United States. Ken Valley brings his breadth of experience from  More... being Founder of Midwest Wind Finance which was subsequently sold out to an investment firm. WindPartners Finance will take advantage of the energy market now favoring Distributed Generation projects to control future power costs, and the difficulties getting onto the transmission grid. Clients typically will be industrial sites, utility cooperatives, municipal bodies, colleges, schools, other government entities, capitalized developers, and heavy users of onsite power generation.
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7/09 Ken Valley agrees to complete the sell to an Investment Firm his ownership stake of Midwest Wind Finance. The term allows Ken to continue to focus on distributed generation wind projects.

12/08 Midwest Wind Finance continues to increase its valuation, selling 10% of the company to grow program.

6/07 Venture Capital firm invests in Midwest Wind Finance.

4/07 Midwest Wind Finance successfully completes the Wind Renewable Fund, a $5,000,000.00 capital raise to provide down payments for turbine manufacturers and develop projects.

12/04 Valley starts Midwest Wind Finance, LLC to help arrange financing and provide due diligence for community-wind projects being developed throughout United States.

5/01 Valley works with client to attempt financing of a single turbine project located on Buffalo Ridge, MN. The involvement in the project initiated WPF to acquire additional information to finance wind projects.

5/89 Ken Valley starts Midwest Leasing and Finance to finance and lease equipment to clients mainly within the rural communities.