Rebenitsch selected new SDWEA executive director

Basin Electric retiree, Ron Rebenitsch, brings a vast renewable energy resume to the South Dakota Wind Energy Association.

East River Electric Power Cooperative - November 2, 2011
Mike Lynch

The South Dakota Wind Energy Association (SDWEA) has a new executive director.

Ron Rebenitsch, former manager of alternative technologies for Basin Electric Power Cooperative in Bismarck, ND, has been named the association’s second executive director effective Nov. 15, 2011.

“I am humbled and honored by this opportunity, and see it as a way to encourage the development of the state’s wind resources,” Rebenitsch states.

Recently retired after working at Basin Electric for the past 35 years, Rebenitsch brings a vast renewable energy resume to SDWEA, which includes managing more than $600 million in wind projects, waste heat recapture installations and various small distributed generation projects.

Providing technical support to member cooperatives on a variety of issues including consumer self-generation, power quality, key accounts and economic evaluations, Rebenitsch managed the siting, development and construction of the Crow Lake Wind Project (PrairieWinds SD 1), the largest wind project owned solely by a cooperative in the United States, located in south-central South Dakota. This project also includes the South Dakota Wind Partners project, which is owned entirely by South Dakota families.

“SDWEA is privileged to have one of the nation’s premiere wind energy experts lead our association,” states Jeff Nelson, East River Electric general manager and SDWEA board president. “We look forward to working with Ron to advance the development of this economic and environmentally-friendly resource as part of the association’s overall goal to help build a robust wind industry in South Dakota.”

Rebenitsch says that energy is essential in supporting our modern society and the global standard of living and we will require many energy sources to meet the needs of a growing population. Wind, he adds, has become one of these viable sources.

Though South Dakota ranks 5^th nationally in wind potential, Rebenitsch points out that in order to effectively develop this resource, significant transmission upgrades are needed as well as attracting investment and identifying markets.

“SDWEA can be a catalyst in the development of this resource by making the state’s wind resource known, attracting investors and developers and helping to shape the policies that will support the development of a wind industry in the state.”

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