Bylaws of the Small Wind Division

A Topical Division of ASES, the US Section of the International Solar Energy Society

Preamble: These Bylaws are the basis of organization and function of the Small Wind Division of the American Solar Energy Society (ASES), as prescribed by the ASES by-laws. The bylaws of ASES shall take precedence in case of conflict between the ASES bylaws and the bylaws and operation of this Division.

ARTICLE I – NAME
Section 1: The name of this organization, created in 2006, shall be the Small Wind Division of the American Solar Energy Society.

ARTICLE II – PURPOSES AND ACTIVITIES
Section 1: Purposes and Scope. The purposes of the Small Wind Division will be to advance and promote small wind, also referred to as “distributed wind turbines” (DWT), as key to global energy sustainability and to promote the development, exchange, and utilization of information on DWT, to encourage research and education in the field, and to promote widespread development and use of renewable energy, with an emphasis on residential-scale applications. DWT is defined as locally-owned or community-based systems installed either off-grid or on either side of the meter and designed to primarily supply electricity for on-site use, or owned by a public entity and sited with five or less turbines at one location.

Section 2: Activities. The Small Wind Division members will provide assistance to ASES in assessing and communicating information about aspects of DWT technology and markets at annual ASES conferences, symposia, and other types of meetings throughout the year; will advocate public policy that advances DWT technology and deployment; and will support the activities of ASES in publication, dissemination of information, and similar matters, through development of workshops, sessions, forums, newsletters, publications, and distribution of information using a variety of media in order to overcome barriers and enhance drivers to build the DWT market. Small Wind Division members will conduct the minimum activities to be considered “Active” as described on Attachment I and will strive to conduct the additional activities expected, including recruiting additional ASES Business members; providing website content to the ASES Divisions Liaison including events of interest to members, articles and educational pieces, contact information for members willing to answer technical questions, and a speakers bureau of members available to represent ASES at meetings and conferences; recruiting sponsors for the annual ASES conference and National Solar Tour; and participating in ASES projects that require technical expertise.

ARTICLE III – MEMBERSHIP
Section 1: Membership shall be open to any ASES Professional member who shares the aims of the Division as specified in Article II.

ARTICLE IV – DUES
Section 1: The fiscal year of this Division shall be the calendar year.

Section 2: The dues, if any, of this Division shall be those fixed by the Executive Committee as defined in Article V, subject to the approval of the ASES Board of Directors.

Section 3: Membership in this Division carries no liability other than payment of such dues.

ARTICLE V – GOVERNMENT
Section 1: Officers: The Officers of the Division shall serve on the Division’s Executive Committee, and shall consist of a Chair, a Vice Chair, and a Secretary/Treasurer. The Division officers shall be elected by the full Division membership, according to the procedures specified in Article VII. The term of office shall be two years, the term beginning on January 1 of the year following their election. No officer shall serve in the same office for more than two consecutive terms. Division Officers shall be voting members of the Executive Committee from the time of election until their term in office is complete.

Section 2: Additional Executive Committee Members: In addition to the three Officers, the Executive Committee shall consist of a person chosen by the Chair to serve as Newsletter Editor, the immediate past Chair, and the Division Representative or Liaison on the ASES Board of Directors, all of whom shall be voting members of the Executive Committee.   The Liaison will be selected by the Division from the ASES Board of Directors, and will be appointed by the ASES Chair.

Section 3: Vacancies: The Executive Committee may at any time fill any vacancies in the elective offices from the Division membership, including the present Executive Committee, with the person so named to hold office until the expiration of the normal term of office of the person replaced. The Executive Committee may replace any Committee member who misses three consecutive meetings. The Vice Chair will become the Chair if the Chair resigns within his/her term. If both the Chair and Vice Chair positions are vacated during the same year, then the Secretary/Treasurer will assume the role of Chair until the next division election where new officers will be elected.

Section 4: Annual Executive Committee Meeting: An annual meeting of the Executive Committee (by conference call or in person) shall be held prior to the annual division meeting at the annual ASES conference. Half or more of the members of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum. Reasonable notice of the time and place of such a meeting shall be given to members of the Executive Committee.  The Secretary shall record minutes of each such meeting and communicate them to the entire Executive Committee. At a minimum these minutes shall record votes and action items agreed to by the quorum.

Section 5: Other Executive Committee Meetings: The Executive Committee will strive to have additional Executive Committee Meetings, to be held by conference call prior to ASES Board meetings, subject to the same rules as in Article V, Section 4 above.

Section 6: Robert’s Rules: Robert’s “Rules of Order” shall be parliamentary authority for procedure in all meetings and in all matters not covered in the Bylaws.

ARTICLE VI – OFFICERS’ DUTIES
Section 1: Duties of the Chair:
A. The Chair will normally preside at all general meetings of this Division: serve as chair of the Executive Committee, maintain communications with the ASES Divisions Committee Chair and the Division ASES Board of Directors Representative or Liaison, and participate in ASES Division Chairs’ activities. The Chair (or designate) shall be the principal official Division contact with the ASES staff. The Chair will ensure participation by a Small Wind Division representative in at least 60% of scheduled ASES Divisions Committee Conference calls during any year, and at the annual Divisions Caucus at the national ASES Solar conference. The Chair shall also ensure submission of one or more forum proposals on Small Wind for the ASES annual conference, and shall submit a Division Annual Report to ASES according to Attachment II by November 30 of each year.
            B. The Chair shall represent the Division in dealing with outside agencies, be an ex-officio (non-voting) member of all Division committees, communicate to the Division such matters and such suggestions as may tend to promote the welfare of the Division, and transact business on behalf of the Division. If the Chair is different from the elected Division Representative to the ASES Board of Directors, or Liaison appointed from that Board, then the Chair will also provide information to the ASES Board Representative or Liaison prior to each ASES Board meeting.
            C. Upon completion of his/her two-year term, the Chair shall become the Past Chair.

Section 2: Duties of the Vice Chair
It shall be the duty of the Vice Chair to perform such functions as may be delegated by the Chair and to act in the place of the Chair in the event of the Chair’s inability to act or resignation.     

Section 3: Duties of the Secretary/Treasurer

A. The Secretary/Treasurer shall be responsible for issuing notices; keeping minutes of meetings and financial records as needed; and performing such administrative duties as the Executive Committee shall specify. The Secretary shall submit minutes of the annual Small Wind Division meeting to the ASES Divisions Committee Chair within 30 days after the meeting, and shall ensure the Division submits content and updates for Division Web Pages to ASES staff including information on Division activities, Division newsletters, Division leaders, and Division by-laws.

B. An annual financial statement shall be submitted on a schedule determined by the ASES Treasurer, prior to the ASES spring Board meeting following the end of the fiscal year for which the report is applicable.

Section 4: Duties of the Newsletter Editor
A. The Newsletter Editor, appointed by the Chair, shall serve on the Executive Committee, shall be chair of the Newsletter committee, and shall be primarily responsible for generating Division Newsletters.
            B. All Newsletters shall be approved by the Chair, or the Chair’s designate, prior to circulation.

Section 5: Duties of the Past Chair
The Immediate Past Chair shall serve on the Executive Committee. The Past Chair will also be Chair of the Nominations Committee.

ARTICLE VII – NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS
Section 1: Frequency: Elections shall be held every two years or as needed to fill vacated positions.

Section 2: Division Officers and Executive Committee: Elected Members will serve terms of 2 year duration beginning on January 1. Vacancies will be addressed as prescribed in Article V Section 3 above.

Section 3: Nominating Committee. A nominating committee of not fewer than three members and chaired by the Past Chair of the Division, shall be appointed by the Executive Committee from the members of the Division.

Section 4: Nominations for any Division Officer or ASES Board of Directors Representative shall be solicited electronically from the general Division membership six weeks prior to the ASES annual conference. Nominations may be submitted via e-mail to any member of the Nominating Committee, no later than one week prior to the ASES annual conference. The Nominating Committee will be responsible for presenting a full slate of nominees at the annual Division meeting at the ASES conference. At this time, additional nominations can be put forth by the membership at the meeting. The nominating committee will assure that there is a full slate of candidates, and will solicit an agreement to run and a brief biography from all nominees. Two nominees from the Division are required for the ASES Board of Directors Representative position, to be voted on by the entire ASES membership. The Liaison will be selected by the Division from the ASES Board of Directors, and will be appointed by the ASES Chair. The slate of candidates for Division Officers and ASES Board of Director Representative will be finalized in time for the ASES ballot process. 

Section 5: Election Protocol. The Secretary shall provide the ASES Divisions Coordinator with contact information (phone number and email address), an electronic (less than 200-word) statement on background and education, and a (less than 100-word) position statement by each nominee to be included in an electronic Division ballot or as appropriate, the ballot for ASES Board of Directors, by two weeks before the ASES election. To be valid, returned ballots shall be returned no later than the time indicated by ASES Executive Director on the ballots, as prescribed by the ASES by-laws. Elected Division Officers, Executive Committee members and the ASES Board of Director Representative shall assume their responsibilities on January 1 following the election.

Section 6: Resolution of Tie Votes. In the case of a tie vote for a Division office, the Executive Committee shall resolve the tie.

Section 7: In the election of the Executive Committee members, the individuals receiving the largest number of votes shall be deemed elected.

If selected by the Division, the list of nominees for the three elected positions may consist of three or four candidates, with the top vote getter becoming Chair, the second Vice Chair, and the third becoming Secretary/Treasurer.

ARTICLE VIII – COMMITTEES
The Small Wind Division will strive to maintain the following standing committees:

Section 1: Nominating Committee: Its duty shall be to develop, as necessary candidates for; Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary/Treasurer, Newsletter Editor, and, in years when the Division is assigned a seat, two Division Nominees for ASES Board Representative (to be voted on by the full ASES membership). The list of these recommended candidates will be circulated via email to the full division membership and the membership will be allowed to make additional recommendations before the annual ASES conference or at the Annual Division meeting, provided the nominees have accepted the nomination in writing. If the Division selects this option, they may vote on these nominees during the Annual Division meeting. If not, the final list of nominees for a given year shall be selected one month prior to the ASES general election. Nominees, provided they have accepted the nomination in writing, do not have to be present at the annual ASES conference to be placed on the Division specific ballot for officers or the ASES ballot for the Division’s representative to the ASES Board of Directors.

Section 2: Audit Committee, consisting of three members appointed by the Executive Committee, which shall conduct an annual audit of finances if funds are collected or expended.

Section 3: Newsletter Committee, chaired by the Newsletter Editor who is appointed by the Chair and shall work with the Chair, the Secretary/Treasurer, the Board Representative or Liaison, and other volunteer Division members to produce at least two electronic Newsletters per year: one at least six weeks prior to the ASES Annual Conference inviting attendance at the annual Division meeting, and one at least four weeks prior to the call for participation deadline for the next ASES Annual Conference inviting submission of abstracts and proposals. These newsletters shall contain news about the conference, the Division meeting and the time it is scheduled, and other items of interest to the Division membership. The Committee will aim to publish two additional newsletters on a quarterly basis for the Division. The ASES Divisions Coordinator posts newsletters online and sends notification to each Division member via e-mail.

Section 4: Program Committee, chaired by the Vice Chair, whose makeup and duties are to be defined by the Executive Committee.

Section 5: The Executive Committee shall appoint any other committee it deems necessary.

ARTICLE IX – MEETINGS
Section 1: There shall be an annual business-and-general meeting of the members of this Division during the ASES Annual conference. At this meeting, the Officers of the Division shall report to the membership the state of affairs of the Division, including a financial statement. Notice of this meeting shall be communicated electronically, e.g. by a Division Newsletter, to Division members at least 30 days before the meeting date.

Section 2: At the annual meeting, Division recommendations for a Technical Review Committee member, additional abstract reviewers, and reviewers of full paper submissions for the next ASES annual meeting are determined, and nominees to run for the Division Officers and at least two nominees for Division Representative on the ASES Board of Directors are discussed, when appropriate.

Section 3: The Executive Committee may call other business meetings of the Division upon email notice to all members, distributed at least 10 days before the meeting date.

Section 4: Meetings of the Executive Committee may be called upon request of the Chair or three or more members of the Executive Committee, the advance period of notice to be determined by the Executive Committee. Such meetings may be accomplished by conference call.

ARTICLE X – AMENDMENTS
Section 1: Amendments to these Bylaws may be made upon 30 days notice regarding proposed amendments by a majority vote of the Division membership voting at any annual or general meeting, or through email ballot vote.

ARTICLE XI – AFFILIATION REQUIREMENTS
Section 1: This organization shall be affiliated as a Division of ASES. It shall meet the requirements for such affiliation as prescribed in Article XIV of the ASES Bylaws.

Section 2: Dissolution: Upon dissolution of the Division for any reason, any funds held by the Division shall revert to the Divisions Committee, or to an appropriate organization specified by the Division and approved by the ASES Board.

Section 3: Resolution of Conflicts: If these bylaws are found to be in conflict with the ASES bylaws, the ASES bylaws will prevail. Division related conflicts shall be resolved by the ASES Ethics Committee.

Attachment I. Minimum Activities for ASES Divisions to be considered “Active”
As of May 1, 2007

1. Elect Officers according to division by-laws
2. Publish at least 2 newsletters per year
1. Invite people to submit abstracts to the annual conference
2. Invite people to attend the Division Meeting at the annual conference
3. Participate in at least 60 % of scheduled Divisions Committee Conference calls during any year
4. Send a representative to the Divisions Caucus at the National Solar Conference.
5. Hold a Division membership meeting during the National Solar Conference
1. Deal with nominations/elections to Division Executive Committee as required by bylaws
2. Discuss/suggest forum proposals to be developed by the Ex Com for the Annual Conference
3. Nominate one Technical Review Committee Member
4. Nominate at least one additional abstract reviewer
5. Suggest names for full paper reviews of a subset of submissions, if required
6. Submit minutes of meeting to Divisions Committee Chair no later than 30 days after the meeting
6. Submit and maintain content for all Division Web Pages
1. Division Activities
2. Division Newsletters (covered above)
3. Division Leaders
4. Division By-Laws
7. Submit one or more forum proposals to the Annual Conference
8. Submit a Division Annual Report by November 30
   
9. Additional activities expected, but not required
1. Recruit Business members
2. Publish a quarterly newsletter
3. Regularly prepare and update content and provide to ASES Divisions Liaison for prompt insertion on website

1. Events of interest to members
2. Articles and educational pieces for members
3. Contact information of members willing to answer technical questions
4. Develop speakers bureau and encourage members to represent ASES at meetings and conferences

4. Recruit sponsors for the conference and National Solar Tour
5. Participate in ASES projects that require technical expertise

Attachment II. ASES Divisions Annual Report

Please submit no later than November 30, in the year in which the reported activities took place.

The following to be completed by ASES Staff before sending the questionnaire to the division:

Currently, your Division has ____ members.
Since January 1, you have published ____ newsletters.
Since January 1, you have posted new information to your Division Website _____ times.
We ___ did ____ did not receive the minutes of your Annual meeting.

1. Please list your division officers, their affiliations and their e-mail addresses.
2. What was the date of your last election?
3. When is your next election to be held?
4. Did your Division send a representative to the Divisions Caucus this year?
1. Comments on the Divisions Caucus
5. Did your chapter hold a meeting during the National Solar Conference this year?
1. How many people attended?
2. Comments on your Annual Meeting
6. Please provide a list and explanation of your major activities during the year, including any or all of the following:
1. Services to your members
2. Forum sessions organized for Annual Conference
3. Business members recruited
4. Sponsors recruited for the conference and National Solar Tour
5. Participation in ASES projects that required technical expertise
6. Any representation of ASES by your members at other meetings and conferences