NREL — Keeping Up with the Rapidly Growing Wind Industry
Wind energy — it's the fastest growing electricity-generating technology in the world. And thanks to the successful research and development partnerships between industry and DOE's Wind Program at NREL and Sandia National Laboratories, it's breaking U.S. records as well.
In the past 10 years, global installations of wind energy systems have grown at least tenfold—from a total capacity of 2.8 gigawatts (GW) in 1993 to almost 40 GW at the close of 2003. In the United States, wind energy installations tripled in only 5 years. Totaling less than 2000 MW in 1998, the capacity of wind energy installations added up to more than 6000 MW in late 2003.
Robert Thresher, director of the National Wind Technology Center, stands at the base of a new Clipper wind turbine drive train that as researchers prepare the machine for fatigue testing on the center's 2.5-MW dynamometer test bed.
"Wind energy is real, it's no longer a dream," said Bob Thresher, director of the National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) at NREL. According to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), businesses around the world invested $9 billion in wind energy technologies in 2003.
Explaining why wind energy is growing faster than other electricity sources, Thresher said, "With the current fuel prices, wind is the most cost-effective energy source out there, and it's a clean, domestic, renewable resource that can wean the United States from its dependence on foreign fuel sources. There's enough wind energy resources on- and offshore to more than meet the electrical energy needs of the country."
This great progress in wind energy is largely the result of the research and development activities conducted under the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Wind Energy Program by NREL and Sandia National Laboratories with their wind industry partners.
"From watts to megawatts, from design to integration, NREL has worked by the wind industry's side for more than 20 years to advance the technology and make wind energy cost effective," said Thresher. During that time, the cost of wind energy dropped from 80¢ (in current dollars) per kilowatt-hour (kWh) to about 4.5¢/kWh for utility-scale production.
Although 4.5¢/kWh comes close to competing with conventional fuels, the cost of wind energy must fall further to be truly competitive. One major goal of the Wind Program, therefore, is to reduce the cost of utility-scale wind energy to 3¢/kWh onshore and 5¢/kWh offshore by 2012.
Another important goal for the year 2007 is to produce electricity from small, distributed wind systems in Class 3 wind resource areas—areas with average annual wind speeds of 5.6 meters per second (m/s) at a height of 10 m above ground—at a cost of 10¢ to 15¢/kWh. Today, that's the cost of producing electricity in Class 5 wind resource areas, with average wind speeds of 6.4 m/s at 10 m.
NREL's New System Cuts Blade Testing Time in Half
As wind turbine blades become longer and more flexible, they also become more difficult to test for endurance. At the same time, test methods developed for smaller blades have become more expensive and less effective.
To test the new, larger blades, NREL's researchers have developed a novel hydraulic resonance blade test system to replace a conventional system that uses a hydraulic actuator to push the blade up and down in millions of cycles for up to 4 months. The new system contains a 317.5- to 453.5-kg (700- to 1000-lb), hydraulically actuated weight housed in a fixture attached to the end of the blade. The exact weight used depends on the size of the blade, and the weight is precisely controlled to oscillate up and down and excite the blade at its natural flap frequency.
The new test system uses one-third as much energy as the conventional one does, and the blade oscillates at more than twice the conventional rate. It now takes less than 2 months to apply 3 million cycles to fatigue test a blade. The new system, which will test blades manufactured for giant multimegawatt turbines, will be the only one of its kind in the world.
Testing Industry's Giants
To achieve these goals, NREL and its industry partners are taking on some difficult technological challenges. These include finding ways to increase production, reduce construction costs, and design utility-scale machines that can operate cost effectively in areas with lower average wind speeds—for example, Class 4 wind resource areas where wind speeds are from 7 to 7.5 m/s at 50 m. For wind systems to be cost effective in these areas, larger turbines will be needed.
In 1997, the average turbine was about 60 m tall and produced enough electricity (600 to 750 kW) to power about 200 to 300 average homes. Today's turbines are almost as tall as the Statue of Liberty (93 m), with rotor diameters larger than the wingspan of a jumbo jet (64 m), and they produce enough electricity to power more than 500 homes. Some turbines on the drawing board are even larger.
As our industry partners develop these multimegawatt giants, NREL plans to accommodate them by upgrading its test facilities at the NWTC, which are just south of Boulder, Colorado. Dedicated in 1996, NWTC facilities were designed to test turbines rated at up to 1.5 MW. But in less than 10 years, the wind industry has nearly outgrown this world-class research center. In September 2004, for example, TPI Composites sent the NWTC a wind turbine blade 45 m long—a good 13 m longer than the test facility. To meet TPI's immediate needs, NREL is building a temporary 50-m blade test stand.
NREL's future plans for expansion will allow researchers to test wind turbines rated up to 8 MW as well as related turbine components. If a new, 70-m structural blade test facility and an 8-MW dynamometer test bed are approved, NREL will begin constructing them in 2006.
Partnering to Harvest More Wind
According to NREL's wind energy technology manager, Brian Smith, DOE's Wind Energy Program is the only government program in the world that has a comprehensive plan for developing turbines that take advantage of wind resources at lower average wind speeds. "Our plan is centered on strong technology partnerships with industry. We believe combining NREL's research expertise with industry know-how is the best way to bring competitive wind technology to commercial markets," Smith said.
The NWTC prepares to test Clipper's innovative, 8-generator, 1.5-MW drivetrain on their 2.5-MW dynamometer test bed.
Most wind farms developed to date take advantage of our country's best wind resources—areas that have an annual average wind speeds between 8 and 9 m/s at a height of 50 m. As the wind industry continues to grow, excellent wind resources will be developed closer to load centers, which is more economical, leaving only hard-to-access sites and those with lower wind speeds.
DOE launched efforts to develop low wind speed technologies in 2001 with a request for proposals from industry to participate in the program in any of these three areas: (1) concept studies, (2) component development, and (3) full-scale prototype development. In 2004, DOE launched the second phase of this effort with a solicitation to develop advanced systems, components, and concepts.
The second solicitation identified 21 public-private partnerships to be negotiated by NREL and Sandia National Laboratories. They represent a DOE investment of $30 million over 4 years and will include an additional investment of $30 million from industry.
NREL has formed partnerships with such companies as Advanced Energy Systems, AWS Scientific, Berger/ABAM Engineers, Inc., BEW Inc., Clipper Windpower, Concept Marine, GE Energy, Global Energy Concepts, NA Technology, New Generation Motors, Northern Power Systems, Peregrine Power, and TPI Composites. The partnerships have generated prototype turbines, advanced drive trains, new blade designs, novel blade manufacturing composites, advanced control systems, and new tower designs. GE Energy alone has produced more than 2,500 1.5-MW wind turbines—the descendents of proof-of-concept turbines developed in partnership with DOE.
Southwest Windpower's Storm wind turbine is designed to operate quietly in areas with low wind speeds, and it can be marketed to consumers like household appliances.
Developing Advanced Small Wind Turbines
NREL also works with turbine manufacturers to develop advanced small wind systems for agricultural, residential, and business applications. Small distributed wind systems can make a significant contribution to our nation's energy needs. The industry estimates that 60% of the United States has enough wind resources to make small turbines a good option. They also know that 24% of the population still live in rural areas.
The ranchers, business owners, and homeowners of rural America can use small wind turbines to reduce their utility bills and stabilize their electricity supplies. In addition, they will be displacing carbon emissions from conventional fuel sources and helping to reduce our dependence on foreign energy by feeding their excess generation into the utility grid.
To help increase the use of small turbines, NREL researchers work with manufacturers to make the machines more efficient, less noisy, and more aesthetically appealing. An Arizona company, Southwest Windpower, has worked with NREL since 2000 on a small turbine that can be marketed to consumers like a household appliance. And Oklahoma-based Bergey Windpower has worked with NREL since 1997. This partnership is perfecting a 50-kW wind turbine suitable for agricultural and small business applications.
Overcoming Barriers
In addition to rising to the technological challenges, researchers are tackling barriers that block the widespread development of both onshore and offshore wind installations. Regional transmission constraints, operational policies, and misunderstandings about the impact of wind energy on a utility grid are three barriers to future development. To better understand utility grid integration issues, NREL works with rural electric cooperatives and utilities to collect much-needed data on fluctuations in wind farm power output and effects on utilities. This helps researchers evaluate the interconnection and system impacts of both current and proposed wind farms.
NREL and DOE also cosponsored a Wind Integration and Interconnection Workshop with AWEA, the Utility Wind Interest Group, and the International Council on Large Electric Systems in May 2004. The event drew more than 160 participants and provided detailed information on analysis methods used in operating impact studies, capacity credit valuations, interconnection issues, and worldwide grid code efforts.
To further address deployment barriers, NREL participated in a National Wind Coordinating Committee meeting in June 2004 to discuss relevant transmission and wind development siting issues in the Southwest Power Pool region. The meeting drew more than 40 participants representing utilities, the wind industry, environmental groups, regulatory bodies, and state and federal government groups.
At the state and regional levels, NREL's Wind Powering America (WPA) team makes use of state-, utility-, and Native American-based strategies to identify and address barriers to wind energy development. WPA's goal is ensure that at least 30 U.S. states have at least 100 MW of wind capacity by 2010.
State-Based Strategies. At the state level, WPA team members help coordinate meetings that provide local landowners and businesses, utilities, developers, and other interested parties with information about the technology and the economic impacts of wind energy development in rural areas. They also provide area wind resource maps and information about anemometer loan programs and local policies and incentives. The key outcome of these meetings is the formation of a wind working group in each state to encourage wind development.
To help developers identify areas with the best wind resources, WPA facilitates a cooperative mapping and wind measurement effort. This effort supports a public/private-sector mix of wind resource analysts and meteorological consultants who update state wind resource maps. Identifying the wind resource in an area is the first step in evaluating and installing both large and small wind systems.
Utility-Based Strategies. During the past three years, WPA has worked closely with national consumer-owned and public power utilities and others to present up-to-date information to their membership and customers nationwide. These cost-shared efforts include co-sponsorship of wind-specific meetings, conferences, and workshops as well as joint development and distribution of material containing technical and market-specific information and wind project success stories. WPA also provides real-time technical assistance for everything from the state of wind technology and economics to information on barriers, benefits, and how to get a wind project started.
Native American-Based Strategies. The WPA team helps Native Americans on the mainland, in Alaska, and in Hawaii as they explore the development of their wind power resources. The United States is home to more than 700 Native American groups and corporations that control 38.8 million hectares (96 million acres) in the United States. Many of these groups have excellent wind resources that could be commercially developed either as an export or to meet local needs.
To encourage the development of these resources, WPA works with tribal leaders and groups to address key issues that include adequate wind resource data; community and local utility authorities and policies; developer risks, both real and perceived; limited loads; and needs for investment capital, technical expertise, and transmission to markets. To address these issues, WPA offers a Native American anemometer loan program, provides outreach materials, and conducts workshops on the wind development process and options available to Native Americans.
Ensuring Future Growth
Although the growth of the wind industry has been constant in each year of the past decade, there is much more to be done. To achieve program and industry goals and enable the technology to achieve its full potential in the future, researchers at NREL today are exploring several innovative applications.
These new applications include offshore deep-water development, the use of wind power to clean and move water, and the development of new technologies that will allow wind energy to work in synergy with other clean energy systems, such as hydropower and hydrogen. As this work continues, the promise we are hearing in the winds all around us will most assuredly be fulfilled.
Home Page Photo: The Northern Power Systems North Wind 100-kW turbine installed at the NWTC is the only small-to-moderate size turbine available that has the ability to operate in extremely cold environments.
—Contributed by Kathy O'DellDecember 2004
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Saturday, January 22, 2005
First Wind Powered Community in Texas
Green Mountain Energy teams up on state's first wind-powered community
Local clean energy provider Green Mountain Energy Co. has teamed up with the Freedom Seal of Approval Program to create the first wind-powered community in Texas.
The Shadow Creek Ranch master-planned community is in Pearland, about 15 minutes from downtown Houston, and features homes that use less energy.
"What we've done here is create an opportunity for the community to do some good now and for future generations," says David Goswick, managing director of Freedom Seal, the country's first home certification program for energy-efficient, technologically advanced standards.
"All the homes in the master-planned community consume 30 percent less energy than traditionally built homes, and now we are able to offer community residents wind energy that is totally reliable at an affordable rate."
Austin-based Green Mountain, one of the country's largest providers of clean energy, is offering Shadow Creek residents an electricity program with average monthly electricity usage of 1,000 kilowatt-hours, which the company says can help avoid generating about 18,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
Upon completion, Shadow Creek Ranch will have more than 10,000 homes.
"We feel this partnership presents a very unique opportunity for us and for the residents of Shadow Creek Ranch," says Paul Thomas, president and CEO of Green Mountain. "This community becomes a model for what can be done in Houston and across America."
Green Mountain offers electricity generated from sources such as wind, solar, water, geothermal, biomass and natural gas. It serves about 600,000 residential, business, institutional and governmental customers nationwide.
Local clean energy provider Green Mountain Energy Co. has teamed up with the Freedom Seal of Approval Program to create the first wind-powered community in Texas.
The Shadow Creek Ranch master-planned community is in Pearland, about 15 minutes from downtown Houston, and features homes that use less energy.
"What we've done here is create an opportunity for the community to do some good now and for future generations," says David Goswick, managing director of Freedom Seal, the country's first home certification program for energy-efficient, technologically advanced standards.
"All the homes in the master-planned community consume 30 percent less energy than traditionally built homes, and now we are able to offer community residents wind energy that is totally reliable at an affordable rate."
Austin-based Green Mountain, one of the country's largest providers of clean energy, is offering Shadow Creek residents an electricity program with average monthly electricity usage of 1,000 kilowatt-hours, which the company says can help avoid generating about 18,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
Upon completion, Shadow Creek Ranch will have more than 10,000 homes.
"We feel this partnership presents a very unique opportunity for us and for the residents of Shadow Creek Ranch," says Paul Thomas, president and CEO of Green Mountain. "This community becomes a model for what can be done in Houston and across America."
Green Mountain offers electricity generated from sources such as wind, solar, water, geothermal, biomass and natural gas. It serves about 600,000 residential, business, institutional and governmental customers nationwide.
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Big Clipper Windpower Plans Turbine Plant
Article Published: Monday, January 17, 2005
Clipper Windpower plant could employ as many as 550
Colorado is competing with Nevada for the plant, which would boost the state's wind prominence.
By Steve Raabe Denver Post Staff Writer
Post / Jerry Cleveland
Troy Boro, a technician with Mountain Valley Energy, inspects the drive-train system of a Clipper Windpower Inc. turbine undergoing testing in Boulder last Thursday. Clipper is considering Colorado as a location for a plant to build the taller, more productive turbines.
A California wind-energy company is eyeing Colorado as a location to build the nation's largest wind turbines.
Clipper Windpower Inc. said Colorado and Nevada are finalists in the company's plan to build a plant that would produce a new line of wind generators soaring 435 feet into the air - more than 100 feet taller than downtown Denver's Daniels & Fisher tower.
The manufacturing and assembly plant initially would employ 75 workers and ultimately could grow to as many as 550 employees, earning annual salaries averaging $42,000, Clipper Windpower chief executive Jim Dehlsen said.
Clipper expects to make a decision on the location of its western manufacturing facility by the end of this month, Dehlsen said.
Clipper plans to unveil a prototype of the new turbine - minus its 300-foot-diameter rotor - in Denver in May at Windpower 2005, the annual conference and exhibition of the American Wind Energy Association.
Placing the manufacturing plant in Colorado would add to the state's growing prominence in wind generation. Among recent developments:
The Colorado Green wind farm near Lamar, opened a year ago, is the nation's fifth- largest wind project.
Xcel Energy recently received bids from developers for 2,000 megawatts of wind energy, enough to serve the cities of Denver, Boulder and Colorado Springs. Xcel initially will accept just 500 megawatts of the bids, although the utility may add more later.
Colorado voters in November approved a ballot measure requiring the state's largest utilities to acquire 10 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2015. Most is expected to come from wind generators.
Clipper's new turbines will generate a maximum of 2.5 megawatts, making them two-thirds more powerful than the 1.5-megawatt units made by GE Wind Energy that are used at the Lamar wind farm.
One megawatt of continuous electricity serves about 650 homes. Because the wind blows sporadically, one megawatt of wind capacity serves about 240 to 300 average homes.
Industry analysts said Clipper's large turbine could bring significant improvements in the economics of wind energy.
"Larger turbines make a tremendous difference in the cost competitiveness of wind power" compared with coal and natural gas, said Gary Schmitz of the Golden-based National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Clipper's new turbine is being tested at NREL's wind-energy research center in Jefferson County.
While larger turbines produce far more power than smaller units, their ground "footprints" - the amount of surface area they occupy - are only slightly larger.
For example, a wind farm under development by Clipper in Maryland will produce 100 megawatts using the company's new turbines, compared with 70 megawatts if smaller turbines were used on the same amount of acreage.
In addition, the rotors of the larger turbines are higher in the air, causing fewer bird and bat deaths from collisions with blades.
While wind power is widely embraced for its environmental benefits, some critics dislike the noise and visual impact of wind farms containing hundreds of turbines.
The proposed "Cape Wind" project with 130 turbines in offshore waters south of Cape Cod, Mass., has been controversial because of complaints that it would interfere with pristine ocean views.
Clipper Windpower's plan is to build three manufacturing plants in the United States, one each in the West, Midwest and East. That will help the company reduce transportation costs by placing factories closer to wind farms.
Privately owned Clipper was founded in 2001 by Dehlsen, a wind-energy pioneer. The Carpinteria, Calif.-based company developed the $55 million, 44-megawatt Flying Cloud wind farm in Iowa, and did preliminary development work on another Iowa wind project that is one of the nation's largest.
Dehlsen's former company, Zond, developed the 1.5 megawatt turbine that has become the industry standard. Zond was acquired by Enron in 2000, and after Enron's implosion the company's wind business was picked up by GE Wind.
Capitalizing on the fast-developing wind-power market, GE has become one of the world's major turbine manufacturers.
After the federal production tax credit on wind energy recently was renewed, inducing a surge of new wind-farm proposals, GE landed $1.3 billion in new orders for turbines.
Dehlsen now finds himself in the ironic position of competing against the popular turbine he helped create.
Although he hasn't announced pricing for the 2.5- megawatt turbine, he expects its cost per megawatt will be slightly less than that of GE's 1.5-megawatt unit.
The GE turbines sell for $1.3 million to $1.6 million each, Dehlsen said. That indicates that Clipper's larger turbine could be priced at slightly less than $2.5 million.
Dehlsen said the Clipper machines will use sophisticated components that will make the turbines more efficient than others on the market. When the 2.5-megawatt turbine is rolled out this year, Clipper's revenues gradually will shift from wind-project development fees to sales of the turbine.
The company's big turbine is attracting plenty of attention in the industry, said Tom Gray, executive vice president of the Washington-based American Wind Energy Association.
With the dollar weak against foreign currencies, American wind-farm developers increasingly are looking to domestic turbine makers instead of European giants such as Vestas and Siemens.
"It seems likely that (the Clipper turbine) will improve the economics of wind energy," Gray said. "Any time a new turbine of that size from a new manufacturer comes to market, that's a significant event."
Staff writer Steve Raabe can be reached at 303-820-1948 or sraabe@denverpost.com
Clipper Windpower plant could employ as many as 550
Colorado is competing with Nevada for the plant, which would boost the state's wind prominence.
By Steve Raabe Denver Post Staff Writer
Post / Jerry Cleveland
Troy Boro, a technician with Mountain Valley Energy, inspects the drive-train system of a Clipper Windpower Inc. turbine undergoing testing in Boulder last Thursday. Clipper is considering Colorado as a location for a plant to build the taller, more productive turbines.
A California wind-energy company is eyeing Colorado as a location to build the nation's largest wind turbines.
Clipper Windpower Inc. said Colorado and Nevada are finalists in the company's plan to build a plant that would produce a new line of wind generators soaring 435 feet into the air - more than 100 feet taller than downtown Denver's Daniels & Fisher tower.
The manufacturing and assembly plant initially would employ 75 workers and ultimately could grow to as many as 550 employees, earning annual salaries averaging $42,000, Clipper Windpower chief executive Jim Dehlsen said.
Clipper expects to make a decision on the location of its western manufacturing facility by the end of this month, Dehlsen said.
Clipper plans to unveil a prototype of the new turbine - minus its 300-foot-diameter rotor - in Denver in May at Windpower 2005, the annual conference and exhibition of the American Wind Energy Association.
Placing the manufacturing plant in Colorado would add to the state's growing prominence in wind generation. Among recent developments:
The Colorado Green wind farm near Lamar, opened a year ago, is the nation's fifth- largest wind project.
Xcel Energy recently received bids from developers for 2,000 megawatts of wind energy, enough to serve the cities of Denver, Boulder and Colorado Springs. Xcel initially will accept just 500 megawatts of the bids, although the utility may add more later.
Colorado voters in November approved a ballot measure requiring the state's largest utilities to acquire 10 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2015. Most is expected to come from wind generators.
Clipper's new turbines will generate a maximum of 2.5 megawatts, making them two-thirds more powerful than the 1.5-megawatt units made by GE Wind Energy that are used at the Lamar wind farm.
One megawatt of continuous electricity serves about 650 homes. Because the wind blows sporadically, one megawatt of wind capacity serves about 240 to 300 average homes.
Industry analysts said Clipper's large turbine could bring significant improvements in the economics of wind energy.
"Larger turbines make a tremendous difference in the cost competitiveness of wind power" compared with coal and natural gas, said Gary Schmitz of the Golden-based National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Clipper's new turbine is being tested at NREL's wind-energy research center in Jefferson County.
While larger turbines produce far more power than smaller units, their ground "footprints" - the amount of surface area they occupy - are only slightly larger.
For example, a wind farm under development by Clipper in Maryland will produce 100 megawatts using the company's new turbines, compared with 70 megawatts if smaller turbines were used on the same amount of acreage.
In addition, the rotors of the larger turbines are higher in the air, causing fewer bird and bat deaths from collisions with blades.
While wind power is widely embraced for its environmental benefits, some critics dislike the noise and visual impact of wind farms containing hundreds of turbines.
The proposed "Cape Wind" project with 130 turbines in offshore waters south of Cape Cod, Mass., has been controversial because of complaints that it would interfere with pristine ocean views.
Clipper Windpower's plan is to build three manufacturing plants in the United States, one each in the West, Midwest and East. That will help the company reduce transportation costs by placing factories closer to wind farms.
Privately owned Clipper was founded in 2001 by Dehlsen, a wind-energy pioneer. The Carpinteria, Calif.-based company developed the $55 million, 44-megawatt Flying Cloud wind farm in Iowa, and did preliminary development work on another Iowa wind project that is one of the nation's largest.
Dehlsen's former company, Zond, developed the 1.5 megawatt turbine that has become the industry standard. Zond was acquired by Enron in 2000, and after Enron's implosion the company's wind business was picked up by GE Wind.
Capitalizing on the fast-developing wind-power market, GE has become one of the world's major turbine manufacturers.
After the federal production tax credit on wind energy recently was renewed, inducing a surge of new wind-farm proposals, GE landed $1.3 billion in new orders for turbines.
Dehlsen now finds himself in the ironic position of competing against the popular turbine he helped create.
Although he hasn't announced pricing for the 2.5- megawatt turbine, he expects its cost per megawatt will be slightly less than that of GE's 1.5-megawatt unit.
The GE turbines sell for $1.3 million to $1.6 million each, Dehlsen said. That indicates that Clipper's larger turbine could be priced at slightly less than $2.5 million.
Dehlsen said the Clipper machines will use sophisticated components that will make the turbines more efficient than others on the market. When the 2.5-megawatt turbine is rolled out this year, Clipper's revenues gradually will shift from wind-project development fees to sales of the turbine.
The company's big turbine is attracting plenty of attention in the industry, said Tom Gray, executive vice president of the Washington-based American Wind Energy Association.
With the dollar weak against foreign currencies, American wind-farm developers increasingly are looking to domestic turbine makers instead of European giants such as Vestas and Siemens.
"It seems likely that (the Clipper turbine) will improve the economics of wind energy," Gray said. "Any time a new turbine of that size from a new manufacturer comes to market, that's a significant event."
Staff writer Steve Raabe can be reached at 303-820-1948 or sraabe@denverpost.com
Saturday, January 15, 2005
Wind Energy Library
Complimentary Resource Library From AWEA's Communications Department
SEE ALSO: AWEA Online Bookstore
AWEA wind energy information resources available free of charge via the Internet, document download or mail include:
Documents and Reports
Fact Sheets
Databases
Audio/Visual materials, and
Archives of news releases, newsletter articles, and photographs
Publications Available from Other Groups
Renewable Energy Blogs (Web Logs)
Resource Library Features:
Workshop Proceedings: Wind Energy and Birds/Bats
Information Guide for 2004
Wind Energy Teachers Guide
Article on Wind/Utility Integration Issues
Wind Energy Financing
Wind Web Tutorial
Wind Energy Outlook 2004
Updated Small Wind Systems Slide Show
Wind Energy Applications Guide
Many of our complimentary publications require a PDF document reader. Download the free version of the Adobe Acrobat Reader that's suitable for your PC or Mac.
Documents and Reports
Wind Energy Teachers Guide (Download pdf document)
Learning about wind energy can be both fun and instructive, whether it is at the elementary school or 6-12th grade levels.This guide provides teacher information, ideas for sparking children's and students' interest, suggestions for activities to undertake in and outside the classroom, and research tools for both teachers and students.
Wind Energy FinancingA new, under-development resource of links, resources and vital information for those seeking to finance wind projects or understand the economic and regulatory issues associated with wind energy development.(Financing Section)
Article on Wind/Utility Integration Issues - "Bringing Wind Energy Up to 'Code'"(Download pdf document)This article by AWEA Executive Director Randall Swisher appeared in the June 2004 issue of Public Utilities Fortnightly magazine and provides up-to-date information about the progress of wind energy technology and its impact on electric utility systems.
Wind Energy Applications Guide (Download pdf document)An introduction to various wind power applications for locations with underdeveloped transmission systems, from remote water pumping to village electrification.
WIND WEB TUTORIAL - Most Frequently Asked Questions About Wind EnergyA Question-Answer review of the latest information about Wind Energy Basics, Costs, Potential, Economics, Environmental Impacts, Offshore Projects, Industry Statistics, Small Wind, Policy Issues, and Information Resources. Updated March 2004(Wind Web Tutorial)
Global Market Reports Updated March 10, 20042004 Report: http://www.awea.org/pubs/documents/globalmarket2004.pdf updated annuallyReport on the current state of the worldwide wind power industry, including growth estimates and installed capacity figures on a region-by-region basis. Previous AWEA Global Market Reports:1999 2000 2001 2002 2003Public Attitudes on Wind Energy,Renewables, and the EnvironmentDownload pdf Document11 page summary of public opinion surveys on the environment in general, renewable energy in general, and wind energy in particular in that order, using data gathered from polling in the U.S., the United Kingdom, and Canada.
Wind Energy and Birds/Bats Workshop ProceedingsDownload pdf DocumentProceedings of a comprehensive two-day workshop on wind energy, birds, and bats co-sponsored by the American Bird Conservancy (ABC) and the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) in Washington, D.C., May, 2004. An excellent summary of current research and knowledge on the topic.Wind Energy Information Guide 2004 Paperback, 16 pagesDownload PDF DocumentAn indispensable list of contact information and Web site addresses for resources that provide a range of general and technical information about wind energy, including general information, wind and renewable energy, university programs and research institutes, international wind energy associations and others. For live links to many of the sites listed in the Guide, please visit the Links section of our Web site.
Wind Energy OUTLOOK 2004 Updated annually6-page full-color brochure (PDF document)AWEA's up-to-date assessment of the wind industry.
Fact Sheets
One or two-page issue briefs covering the full range of issues, including wind energy costs, economics, environment, market and policy.
For a list of titles in available in Adobe PDF format go to: www.awea.org/pubs/factsheets.html.
Additional State Program Fact Sheets are also available:Iowa Fact Sheets http://www.awea.org/iowawind/
New York Fact Sheetshttp://www.awea.org/wpny/index.html
Pennsylvania Fact Sheets http://www.awea.org/pennsylvania/
Additional Environmental Fact Sheets: Wind and CO2http://www.awea.org/faq/co2trees.html
Comparative water usehttp://www.awea.org/faq/water.html
DatabasesCurrent and Planned Wind Power Projects DatabaseDownloadable state-by state at www.awea.org/projects Also available as an Excel spreadsheet (to come)Detailed listing of U.S. existing and planned wind power projects, organized by state. Includes installed capacity and location, as well as developer, power purchaser and turbine manufacturerGreen Power databaseAlso available as an Excel spreadsheet (to come)State-by-state listing of green power and green marketing products that have a wind power component. Spreadsheet tracks number of utilities in regulated states offering green power products and marketers in competitive states. For each product, lists product, price, prominent customers and other details. Emissions spreadsheetExcel spreadsheet that supports the Fact Sheet, "Comparative Air Emissions of Wind and Other Fuels." Allows users to calculate estimations of avoided emissions, when compared to convention fuels, equivalent trees planted, etc.
Audio/VisualAWEA Wind Energy Slide Show (2002)A graphic presentation of wind power statistics, including a discussion of wind power technology, economics and market.
Small Wind Systems Slide Show
AWEA's new small wind slide show can be viewed from your browser in PowerPoint, Acrobat PDF or HTML format (Webshow) or downloaded for later use in promotional or educational presentations.
Small Wind Webshow(Includes access to PowerPoint and PDF Versions)
Small Wind Display
This 3-panel outreach display gives an overview of AWEA’s small wind resources including the Small Wind Toolbox, slideshows, Success Stories, Small Wind Permitting Handbook and Direct Mail Campaigns. Download the 25” x 40” pdf panels.
AWEA Small Wind Display PDF Panels:Panel 1 Panel 2 Panel 3
Fundamentals of Wind Power CD (under development) Walks a beginner through the various stages of developing a wind farm, plus examines the current state of the various wind power markets.
Archives
Photo libraryAWEA maintains a loan library of photographs for media and non-profits. Please email windmail@awea.org or call (202) 383-2500 for more information. Archive of AWEA news releaseshttp://www.awea.org/news/index.html
Archive of Wind Energy Weekly ArticlesWind Energy Weekly
Archive of Windletter ArticlesWindletterMembership Listhttp://my.memberclicks.com/awea/
Publications Available From Other Groups
National Wind Coordinating Committee (NWCC) http://www.nationalwind.org
Avian Collisions with Wind Turbines: A Summary of Existing Studies and Comparisons to Other Sources of Avian Collision Mortality in the United States http://www.nationalwind.org/pubs/default.htm
Permitting of Wind Energy Facilities: A Handbook http://www.nationalwind.org/pubs/default.htm
Siting Issues for Wind Power Plants http://www.nationalwind.org/pubs/default.htm
Wind Energy Costs http://www.nationalwind.org/pubs/default.htm
The National Renewable Research LaboratoryNational Wind Technology Center (NWTC) http://www.nrel.gov/wind/
NWTC Virtual Library http://www.nrel.gov/wind/library.html
The Renewable Energy Policy Project/Center for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technology http://www.crest.org/repp_pubs/repp_publications.html
Blending Wind and Solar into the Diesel Generator Market Clean Government: Options for Governments to Buy Renewable EnergyCooperative Wind: How Co-ops and Advocates Expanded Wind Power in MinnesotaThe Environmental Imperative: A Driving Force in the Development and Deployment of Renewable Energy TechnologiesA Guide to the Clean Air Act for the Renewable Energy CommunityWind Clusters: Expanding the Market Appeal of Wind Energy Systems
Renewable Energy Blogs
Renewable Energy Law Blog Alternative Energy Blog
ADVOCACY ABOUT AWEA CONTACT US DIRECTORY EVENTS FAQ LINKS MEMBERSHIP NEWS POLICY PROJECTS PUBLICATIONS SEARCH STANDARDS WEEKLY WHAT'S NEW WINDPOWER CONFERENCE
© 2004 by the American Wind Energy Association.
SEE ALSO: AWEA Online Bookstore
AWEA wind energy information resources available free of charge via the Internet, document download or mail include:
Documents and Reports
Fact Sheets
Databases
Audio/Visual materials, and
Archives of news releases, newsletter articles, and photographs
Publications Available from Other Groups
Renewable Energy Blogs (Web Logs)
Resource Library Features:
Workshop Proceedings: Wind Energy and Birds/Bats
Information Guide for 2004
Wind Energy Teachers Guide
Article on Wind/Utility Integration Issues
Wind Energy Financing
Wind Web Tutorial
Wind Energy Outlook 2004
Updated Small Wind Systems Slide Show
Wind Energy Applications Guide
Many of our complimentary publications require a PDF document reader. Download the free version of the Adobe Acrobat Reader that's suitable for your PC or Mac.
Documents and Reports
Wind Energy Teachers Guide (Download pdf document)
Learning about wind energy can be both fun and instructive, whether it is at the elementary school or 6-12th grade levels.This guide provides teacher information, ideas for sparking children's and students' interest, suggestions for activities to undertake in and outside the classroom, and research tools for both teachers and students.
Wind Energy FinancingA new, under-development resource of links, resources and vital information for those seeking to finance wind projects or understand the economic and regulatory issues associated with wind energy development.(Financing Section)
Article on Wind/Utility Integration Issues - "Bringing Wind Energy Up to 'Code'"(Download pdf document)This article by AWEA Executive Director Randall Swisher appeared in the June 2004 issue of Public Utilities Fortnightly magazine and provides up-to-date information about the progress of wind energy technology and its impact on electric utility systems.
Wind Energy Applications Guide (Download pdf document)An introduction to various wind power applications for locations with underdeveloped transmission systems, from remote water pumping to village electrification.
WIND WEB TUTORIAL - Most Frequently Asked Questions About Wind EnergyA Question-Answer review of the latest information about Wind Energy Basics, Costs, Potential, Economics, Environmental Impacts, Offshore Projects, Industry Statistics, Small Wind, Policy Issues, and Information Resources. Updated March 2004(Wind Web Tutorial)
Global Market Reports Updated March 10, 20042004 Report: http://www.awea.org/pubs/documents/globalmarket2004.pdf updated annuallyReport on the current state of the worldwide wind power industry, including growth estimates and installed capacity figures on a region-by-region basis. Previous AWEA Global Market Reports:1999 2000 2001 2002 2003Public Attitudes on Wind Energy,Renewables, and the EnvironmentDownload pdf Document11 page summary of public opinion surveys on the environment in general, renewable energy in general, and wind energy in particular in that order, using data gathered from polling in the U.S., the United Kingdom, and Canada.
Wind Energy and Birds/Bats Workshop ProceedingsDownload pdf DocumentProceedings of a comprehensive two-day workshop on wind energy, birds, and bats co-sponsored by the American Bird Conservancy (ABC) and the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) in Washington, D.C., May, 2004. An excellent summary of current research and knowledge on the topic.Wind Energy Information Guide 2004 Paperback, 16 pagesDownload PDF DocumentAn indispensable list of contact information and Web site addresses for resources that provide a range of general and technical information about wind energy, including general information, wind and renewable energy, university programs and research institutes, international wind energy associations and others. For live links to many of the sites listed in the Guide, please visit the Links section of our Web site.
Wind Energy OUTLOOK 2004 Updated annually6-page full-color brochure (PDF document)AWEA's up-to-date assessment of the wind industry.
Fact Sheets
One or two-page issue briefs covering the full range of issues, including wind energy costs, economics, environment, market and policy.
For a list of titles in available in Adobe PDF format go to: www.awea.org/pubs/factsheets.html.
Additional State Program Fact Sheets are also available:Iowa Fact Sheets http://www.awea.org/iowawind/
New York Fact Sheetshttp://www.awea.org/wpny/index.html
Pennsylvania Fact Sheets http://www.awea.org/pennsylvania/
Additional Environmental Fact Sheets: Wind and CO2http://www.awea.org/faq/co2trees.html
Comparative water usehttp://www.awea.org/faq/water.html
DatabasesCurrent and Planned Wind Power Projects DatabaseDownloadable state-by state at www.awea.org/projects Also available as an Excel spreadsheet (to come)Detailed listing of U.S. existing and planned wind power projects, organized by state. Includes installed capacity and location, as well as developer, power purchaser and turbine manufacturerGreen Power databaseAlso available as an Excel spreadsheet (to come)State-by-state listing of green power and green marketing products that have a wind power component. Spreadsheet tracks number of utilities in regulated states offering green power products and marketers in competitive states. For each product, lists product, price, prominent customers and other details. Emissions spreadsheetExcel spreadsheet that supports the Fact Sheet, "Comparative Air Emissions of Wind and Other Fuels." Allows users to calculate estimations of avoided emissions, when compared to convention fuels, equivalent trees planted, etc.
Audio/VisualAWEA Wind Energy Slide Show (2002)A graphic presentation of wind power statistics, including a discussion of wind power technology, economics and market.
Small Wind Systems Slide Show
AWEA's new small wind slide show can be viewed from your browser in PowerPoint, Acrobat PDF or HTML format (Webshow) or downloaded for later use in promotional or educational presentations.
Small Wind Webshow(Includes access to PowerPoint and PDF Versions)
Small Wind Display
This 3-panel outreach display gives an overview of AWEA’s small wind resources including the Small Wind Toolbox, slideshows, Success Stories, Small Wind Permitting Handbook and Direct Mail Campaigns. Download the 25” x 40” pdf panels.
AWEA Small Wind Display PDF Panels:Panel 1 Panel 2 Panel 3
Fundamentals of Wind Power CD (under development) Walks a beginner through the various stages of developing a wind farm, plus examines the current state of the various wind power markets.
Archives
Photo libraryAWEA maintains a loan library of photographs for media and non-profits. Please email windmail@awea.org or call (202) 383-2500 for more information. Archive of AWEA news releaseshttp://www.awea.org/news/index.html
Archive of Wind Energy Weekly ArticlesWind Energy Weekly
Archive of Windletter ArticlesWindletterMembership Listhttp://my.memberclicks.com/awea/
Publications Available From Other Groups
National Wind Coordinating Committee (NWCC) http://www.nationalwind.org
Avian Collisions with Wind Turbines: A Summary of Existing Studies and Comparisons to Other Sources of Avian Collision Mortality in the United States http://www.nationalwind.org/pubs/default.htm
Permitting of Wind Energy Facilities: A Handbook http://www.nationalwind.org/pubs/default.htm
Siting Issues for Wind Power Plants http://www.nationalwind.org/pubs/default.htm
Wind Energy Costs http://www.nationalwind.org/pubs/default.htm
The National Renewable Research LaboratoryNational Wind Technology Center (NWTC) http://www.nrel.gov/wind/
NWTC Virtual Library http://www.nrel.gov/wind/library.html
The Renewable Energy Policy Project/Center for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technology http://www.crest.org/repp_pubs/repp_publications.html
Blending Wind and Solar into the Diesel Generator Market Clean Government: Options for Governments to Buy Renewable EnergyCooperative Wind: How Co-ops and Advocates Expanded Wind Power in MinnesotaThe Environmental Imperative: A Driving Force in the Development and Deployment of Renewable Energy TechnologiesA Guide to the Clean Air Act for the Renewable Energy CommunityWind Clusters: Expanding the Market Appeal of Wind Energy Systems
Renewable Energy Blogs
Renewable Energy Law Blog Alternative Energy Blog
ADVOCACY ABOUT AWEA CONTACT US DIRECTORY EVENTS FAQ LINKS MEMBERSHIP NEWS POLICY PROJECTS PUBLICATIONS SEARCH STANDARDS WEEKLY WHAT'S NEW WINDPOWER CONFERENCE
© 2004 by the American Wind Energy Association.
Western States to spend Billions$ on Renewables
Speakout: Good news about renewable energy
By Craig Cox, Special to the NewsJanuary 7, 2005
And now for some good news.
During the past year, in ways big and small, the Western United States has taken the lead in leveraging its rich resource base in clean, inexhaustible renewable energy technologies.
Working together and individually, Western political leaders, utilities and nongovernmental organizations are transforming the region's energy infrastructure.
Because of their work, the West is poised to assume a leadership role in the modern energy industry of the future.
These efforts will provide many tangible economic and environmental benefits throughout the region for years to come.
Here are just a few examples of how the West is laying the groundwork for a clean, reliable and modern energy infrastructure for the 21st century:
• Govs. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California and Bill Richardson of New Mexico are leading regionwide efforts to increase clean energy development in the West to 30,000 megawatts by 2015. They sponsored a resolution to this effect that the Western Governors' Association adopted at its annual meeting in June.
• Colorado's voters, by a solid 54 percent to 46 percent margin in November, passed Amendment 37, creating a 10 percent renewable energy standard by 2015. Colorado is the 17th state to have such a standard, but is the first state to pass a standard by popular vote. The Colorado Public Utilities Commission will begin rulemaking activities to implement the standard this year.
• Richardson is spearheading efforts to build new transmission capacity from New Mexico (which has a renewable energy standard similar to Colorado's) to send hundreds, or possibly thousands, of megawatts of renewable energy to other states, such as California.
• Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal is pursuing new ways of upgrading Wyoming's energy infrastructure (such as transmission) to leverage his state's huge energy potential.
• In Nevada, Gov. Kenny Guinn and the state's Public Utilities Commission have implemented a "Temporary Renewable Energy Development Trust" that is expected to spur new projects that had been stalled because of concerns over utility creditworthiness.
• The Arizona Corporation Commission is looking to increase the state's renewable energy generation significantly, perhaps through creation of a standard similar to those in Colorado and New Mexico.
• Utilities regionwide are increasing their intake of renewable energy technologies:
Xcel Energy is reviewing bids for 500 megawatts of renewable energy projects in Colorado and has committed to accept all cost-competitive wind resource bids up to a 15 percent penetration level.
PacifiCorp is looking for up to 1,100 megawatts of renewable energy projects in its service territory.
Arizona Public Service will be seeking 100 megawatts of new renewable energy projects in the next year.
Idaho Power is seeking 200 megawatts of renewable power by the end of 2007.
California utilities, which operate under a 20 percent renewable energy standard, are seeking new projects throughout the state and the entire region.
All of this new renewable energy development will provide new jobs, significant new local and county tax revenues, and new economic opportunities for states around the West. The investment potential from wind energy development alone in the West is likely to run into the billions of dollars.
Rural and agricultural areas, which have not seen many new economic opportunities in recent decades, will reap particular benefits from many of these new developments, as new wind and biomass projects will mostly be located in rural parts of the West.
This increased investment in renewable energy technologies should also have a stabilizing influence on electricity prices, since the low fuel costs for most renewables (and no fuel costs for wind and solar) are stable and predictable.
As the West develops its sizable renewable energy resources, utilities are also looking at leveraging the region's coal resource in cleaner and more efficient ways. For instance, in a recent regulatory settlement with Colorado's environmental community, Xcel Energy has committed to support efforts to advance innovative technologies, practices and measures designed to reduce greenhouse gases.
Clearly, 2005 will mark a turning point for the West's energy infrastructure. This region is preparing to lead the world in the adoption and implementation of an energy infrastructure that will benefit its citizens and enhance the environment.
Craig Cox is the executive director of the Western Business Coalition for New Energy Technologies in Evergreen.
By Craig Cox, Special to the NewsJanuary 7, 2005
And now for some good news.
During the past year, in ways big and small, the Western United States has taken the lead in leveraging its rich resource base in clean, inexhaustible renewable energy technologies.
Working together and individually, Western political leaders, utilities and nongovernmental organizations are transforming the region's energy infrastructure.
Because of their work, the West is poised to assume a leadership role in the modern energy industry of the future.
These efforts will provide many tangible economic and environmental benefits throughout the region for years to come.
Here are just a few examples of how the West is laying the groundwork for a clean, reliable and modern energy infrastructure for the 21st century:
• Govs. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California and Bill Richardson of New Mexico are leading regionwide efforts to increase clean energy development in the West to 30,000 megawatts by 2015. They sponsored a resolution to this effect that the Western Governors' Association adopted at its annual meeting in June.
• Colorado's voters, by a solid 54 percent to 46 percent margin in November, passed Amendment 37, creating a 10 percent renewable energy standard by 2015. Colorado is the 17th state to have such a standard, but is the first state to pass a standard by popular vote. The Colorado Public Utilities Commission will begin rulemaking activities to implement the standard this year.
• Richardson is spearheading efforts to build new transmission capacity from New Mexico (which has a renewable energy standard similar to Colorado's) to send hundreds, or possibly thousands, of megawatts of renewable energy to other states, such as California.
• Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal is pursuing new ways of upgrading Wyoming's energy infrastructure (such as transmission) to leverage his state's huge energy potential.
• In Nevada, Gov. Kenny Guinn and the state's Public Utilities Commission have implemented a "Temporary Renewable Energy Development Trust" that is expected to spur new projects that had been stalled because of concerns over utility creditworthiness.
• The Arizona Corporation Commission is looking to increase the state's renewable energy generation significantly, perhaps through creation of a standard similar to those in Colorado and New Mexico.
• Utilities regionwide are increasing their intake of renewable energy technologies:
Xcel Energy is reviewing bids for 500 megawatts of renewable energy projects in Colorado and has committed to accept all cost-competitive wind resource bids up to a 15 percent penetration level.
PacifiCorp is looking for up to 1,100 megawatts of renewable energy projects in its service territory.
Arizona Public Service will be seeking 100 megawatts of new renewable energy projects in the next year.
Idaho Power is seeking 200 megawatts of renewable power by the end of 2007.
California utilities, which operate under a 20 percent renewable energy standard, are seeking new projects throughout the state and the entire region.
All of this new renewable energy development will provide new jobs, significant new local and county tax revenues, and new economic opportunities for states around the West. The investment potential from wind energy development alone in the West is likely to run into the billions of dollars.
Rural and agricultural areas, which have not seen many new economic opportunities in recent decades, will reap particular benefits from many of these new developments, as new wind and biomass projects will mostly be located in rural parts of the West.
This increased investment in renewable energy technologies should also have a stabilizing influence on electricity prices, since the low fuel costs for most renewables (and no fuel costs for wind and solar) are stable and predictable.
As the West develops its sizable renewable energy resources, utilities are also looking at leveraging the region's coal resource in cleaner and more efficient ways. For instance, in a recent regulatory settlement with Colorado's environmental community, Xcel Energy has committed to support efforts to advance innovative technologies, practices and measures designed to reduce greenhouse gases.
Clearly, 2005 will mark a turning point for the West's energy infrastructure. This region is preparing to lead the world in the adoption and implementation of an energy infrastructure that will benefit its citizens and enhance the environment.
Craig Cox is the executive director of the Western Business Coalition for New Energy Technologies in Evergreen.
Nebraska Sells $100 Million Bonds for Wind Project
Article Posted: 01/14/2005 8:27:37 AM
NPPD Sells Bonds To Finance Energy Facility Improvements
Columbus, Neb . – The Nebraska Public Power District has issued $103.6 million of General Revenue Bonds at a premium to be used for financing its new 60-megawatt wind energy facility near Ainsworth, Neb. and for improvements at its 1365-megawatt Gerald Gentleman Station coal-fired facility near Sutherland, Neb.
NPPD recently began construction of the new wind-generating project, which will be the largest of its kind in Nebraska. The 36 wind turbines and related transmission facilities will cost an estimated $81.3 million.
Last year, NPPD began installation of a well field project at Gerald Gentleman Station, to ensure adequate cooling water for the plant in light of drought conditions. The well field project will cost an estimated $12 million.
A second project to rewind one of the generators at Gerald Gentleman Station is estimated to cost $10.7 million. This project involves rewinding the station’s Unit 2 generator’s stator and replacing its excitation system. A stator, as its name implies, is the stationary part of a generator. The excitation system is the part of the generator that initiates current through the stator and begins the generation process.
The remainder of the bond proceeds will be used to pay for financing costs.
Prior to the bond sale, NPPD received favorable ratings from New York rating agencies. Fitch, Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s rated NPPD bonds as “A+”, “A1” and “A,” respectively. The agencies cited NPPD’s low cost generating resources, flexible future power supply alternatives, stable financial profile, competitive wholesale and industrial electric rates, and Nebraska’s status as an all-public power state as credit strengths. They also mentioned certain credit concerns regarding Cooper Nuclear Station performance issues and potential impacts of the drought on NPPD generating facilities.
The bonds will be repaid by NPPD over a period of 20 years, with the initial maturity on January 1, 2007 and the final maturity on January 1, 2026. The bonds were financed at an average interest cost of 4.25 percent. The senior bond underwriter is Lehman Brothers.
Money to repay the bonds will come from the revenues received by NPPD from its wholesale and retail electric customers and from the other utilities that are participating in the wind generation project.
NPPD Sells Bonds To Finance Energy Facility Improvements
Columbus, Neb . – The Nebraska Public Power District has issued $103.6 million of General Revenue Bonds at a premium to be used for financing its new 60-megawatt wind energy facility near Ainsworth, Neb. and for improvements at its 1365-megawatt Gerald Gentleman Station coal-fired facility near Sutherland, Neb.
NPPD recently began construction of the new wind-generating project, which will be the largest of its kind in Nebraska. The 36 wind turbines and related transmission facilities will cost an estimated $81.3 million.
Last year, NPPD began installation of a well field project at Gerald Gentleman Station, to ensure adequate cooling water for the plant in light of drought conditions. The well field project will cost an estimated $12 million.
A second project to rewind one of the generators at Gerald Gentleman Station is estimated to cost $10.7 million. This project involves rewinding the station’s Unit 2 generator’s stator and replacing its excitation system. A stator, as its name implies, is the stationary part of a generator. The excitation system is the part of the generator that initiates current through the stator and begins the generation process.
The remainder of the bond proceeds will be used to pay for financing costs.
Prior to the bond sale, NPPD received favorable ratings from New York rating agencies. Fitch, Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s rated NPPD bonds as “A+”, “A1” and “A,” respectively. The agencies cited NPPD’s low cost generating resources, flexible future power supply alternatives, stable financial profile, competitive wholesale and industrial electric rates, and Nebraska’s status as an all-public power state as credit strengths. They also mentioned certain credit concerns regarding Cooper Nuclear Station performance issues and potential impacts of the drought on NPPD generating facilities.
The bonds will be repaid by NPPD over a period of 20 years, with the initial maturity on January 1, 2007 and the final maturity on January 1, 2026. The bonds were financed at an average interest cost of 4.25 percent. The senior bond underwriter is Lehman Brothers.
Money to repay the bonds will come from the revenues received by NPPD from its wholesale and retail electric customers and from the other utilities that are participating in the wind generation project.
Wind Energy Plant built in Pa.
Wind energy company to open plant in Cambria County
The Associated Press
January 14, 2005
A European wind-energy company will build a manufacturing plant in Cambria County, bringing nearly 240 permanent jobs to the region, Gov. Ed Rendell announced Friday.
Gamesa Corp., of Vitoria, Spain, will construct a plant that makes wind turbine generator blades in the South Park Industrial Complex in Ebensburg, about 70 miles east of Pittsburgh.
The project will create jobs, including temporary construction positions and permanent manufacturing positions, Rendell's office said in a statement.
"Not only is this one of the most significant economic development announcements in decades for the Johnstown area, but it also represents a significant turnaround with Pennsylvania luring high-paying manufacturing jobs from overseas," Rendell said at the announcement in Ebensburg.
Gamesa has received a financial package worth $9.31 million through the state's Department of Community and Economic Development, which includes loans, grants and tax credits.
The wind energy manufacturer in September announced it would put its U.S. headquarters and East Coast development offices in Philadelphia and that it would build a manufacturing plant somewhere in the state. The site of the plant wasn't known until Friday.
Gamesa's development plans for the state total $40 million and will create as many as 1,000 permanent and temporary jobs, Rendell's office said.
___
On the Net:
http://www.gamesa.es/home_ingles.htm
The Associated Press
January 14, 2005
A European wind-energy company will build a manufacturing plant in Cambria County, bringing nearly 240 permanent jobs to the region, Gov. Ed Rendell announced Friday.
Gamesa Corp., of Vitoria, Spain, will construct a plant that makes wind turbine generator blades in the South Park Industrial Complex in Ebensburg, about 70 miles east of Pittsburgh.
The project will create jobs, including temporary construction positions and permanent manufacturing positions, Rendell's office said in a statement.
"Not only is this one of the most significant economic development announcements in decades for the Johnstown area, but it also represents a significant turnaround with Pennsylvania luring high-paying manufacturing jobs from overseas," Rendell said at the announcement in Ebensburg.
Gamesa has received a financial package worth $9.31 million through the state's Department of Community and Economic Development, which includes loans, grants and tax credits.
The wind energy manufacturer in September announced it would put its U.S. headquarters and East Coast development offices in Philadelphia and that it would build a manufacturing plant somewhere in the state. The site of the plant wasn't known until Friday.
Gamesa's development plans for the state total $40 million and will create as many as 1,000 permanent and temporary jobs, Rendell's office said.
___
On the Net:
http://www.gamesa.es/home_ingles.htm
Prince Edward Island Going 100% Wind/Hydro
Province moving to wind/hydrogen
Last Updated Jan 14 2004 04:20 PM AST
CHARLOTTETOWN – The province appears to be turning its back on natural gas in favour of hydrogen and wind energy.
Jamie BallemLast year the provincial government developed ambitious plans to build a $100-million natural gas pipeline to the Island, and use it to fire a 200-megawatt electrical generation plant. In December, with gas supplies and prices less certain, government began to back away from those plans.
From December 5, 2003: Ballem dims Island's energy plan
This week, the province seems to be walking away from natural gas entirely, and replacing those plans with equally ambitious ones for wind and hydrogen energy.
"We're using more wind, we're building more wind capacity now," says Premier Pat Binns. "That will continue into the future. It will become a bigger part of the picture."
Jamie Ballem takes cabinet responsibility for the energy plan. He's meeting with Atlantic energy ministers next week, where he'll try to launch a cooperative regional approach to developing more generating capacity. Much of the Island's contribution, he says, could come from wind.
"It's such a renewable, and it's so clean," says Ballem. It's our oil. It's our opportunity because it's one thing we do have here. We have good wind conditions. Maybe we should be maximizing it. If we can get Maritime cooperation then it makes it a lot easier for us to look at. Instead of 15 per cent of our energy coming from wind, can we make it 50 per cent, can we make it 100 per cent?"
Cooperation is important, because P.E.I. would have to draw electricity from the region when it wasn't generating its own wind energy, and feed energy to the region when it was generating an excess.
The North Cape Wind Farm currently generates over 100 megawatts, but the province would have to generate a lot more to implement such a plan.
"How to convince small businesses or a farm or a cluster of houses to say I want to put a small turbine up to produce our own energy," wonders Ballem. "How much potential is there for that? We don't know that answer right now. We look at a country like Germany that's producing over 13,000 megawatts of power from wind. If we've got the wind to power one turbine, we've got the wind to power a whole lot more."
The province is also looking into the potential of using wind power to create hydrogen, and plans to create a hydrogen village in western P.E.I. to explore different uses for the fuel.
"Our proposal is to do applied research with every possible use of hydrogen as a fuel," says Ballem. "What we want to do is combine it with the wind farm in North Cape so we're producing hydrogen with the wind energy. How can we convert a fishing boat, and have a container of fuel so the boat is powered by hydrogen? We'll hopefully have some farm equipment – tractors or trucks. Our intention is to work at every application of hydrogen."
From cbc.ca (June 10, 2003): Fuel cell products ready for sale soon
The goal is a working field project in five years where companies can come and see wind and hydrogen energy in use, and possibly buy any new technology developed.
The government is working with three Maritime universities and several private companies on the project, and is looking for Ottawa to pay half the $15 million price tag. If the application is approved the project would start later this year.
Ballem says the government is just a few months away from making some major decisions which will set energy policy in the province for the forseeable future.
Last Updated Jan 14 2004 04:20 PM AST
CHARLOTTETOWN – The province appears to be turning its back on natural gas in favour of hydrogen and wind energy.
Jamie BallemLast year the provincial government developed ambitious plans to build a $100-million natural gas pipeline to the Island, and use it to fire a 200-megawatt electrical generation plant. In December, with gas supplies and prices less certain, government began to back away from those plans.
From December 5, 2003: Ballem dims Island's energy plan
This week, the province seems to be walking away from natural gas entirely, and replacing those plans with equally ambitious ones for wind and hydrogen energy.
"We're using more wind, we're building more wind capacity now," says Premier Pat Binns. "That will continue into the future. It will become a bigger part of the picture."
Jamie Ballem takes cabinet responsibility for the energy plan. He's meeting with Atlantic energy ministers next week, where he'll try to launch a cooperative regional approach to developing more generating capacity. Much of the Island's contribution, he says, could come from wind.
"It's such a renewable, and it's so clean," says Ballem. It's our oil. It's our opportunity because it's one thing we do have here. We have good wind conditions. Maybe we should be maximizing it. If we can get Maritime cooperation then it makes it a lot easier for us to look at. Instead of 15 per cent of our energy coming from wind, can we make it 50 per cent, can we make it 100 per cent?"
Cooperation is important, because P.E.I. would have to draw electricity from the region when it wasn't generating its own wind energy, and feed energy to the region when it was generating an excess.
The North Cape Wind Farm currently generates over 100 megawatts, but the province would have to generate a lot more to implement such a plan.
"How to convince small businesses or a farm or a cluster of houses to say I want to put a small turbine up to produce our own energy," wonders Ballem. "How much potential is there for that? We don't know that answer right now. We look at a country like Germany that's producing over 13,000 megawatts of power from wind. If we've got the wind to power one turbine, we've got the wind to power a whole lot more."
The province is also looking into the potential of using wind power to create hydrogen, and plans to create a hydrogen village in western P.E.I. to explore different uses for the fuel.
"Our proposal is to do applied research with every possible use of hydrogen as a fuel," says Ballem. "What we want to do is combine it with the wind farm in North Cape so we're producing hydrogen with the wind energy. How can we convert a fishing boat, and have a container of fuel so the boat is powered by hydrogen? We'll hopefully have some farm equipment – tractors or trucks. Our intention is to work at every application of hydrogen."
From cbc.ca (June 10, 2003): Fuel cell products ready for sale soon
The goal is a working field project in five years where companies can come and see wind and hydrogen energy in use, and possibly buy any new technology developed.
The government is working with three Maritime universities and several private companies on the project, and is looking for Ottawa to pay half the $15 million price tag. If the application is approved the project would start later this year.
Ballem says the government is just a few months away from making some major decisions which will set energy policy in the province for the forseeable future.
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
New Mexico Wind Power
URL: http://www.abqtrib.com/albq/bu_local/article/0,2565,ALBQ_19838_3459266,00.html
Craig FritzTribuneTurbines spin at the New Mexico Wind Energy Center near House in eastern New Mexico. The 204-megawatt wind farm, which is owned by FPL Energy and sells power to Public Service Company of New Mexico, is one of two operating wind plants in the state, with two more under development.Moving the wind
New Mexico is a prime spot for power generation, and the governor sees a market for it outside the state. Getting it there is one of the hurdles in propelling its potential.
By Erik SiemersTribune ReporterJanuary 10, 2005
You can see them from I-40, giant whirligigs dotting the landscape near Tucumcari.
Walter Hornaday's company, Cielo Wind Power in Austin, has built 60 of the wind turbines, mechanisms meant to make a commodity from one of Mother Nature's catalog of products.
By April, Cielo plans to have 20 more turbines running at the 80-megawatt Caprock Wind Ranch.
And by Hornaday's estimates, that barely scratches the surface of the wind power potential in that patch of eastern New Mexico.
"Mother Nature is blowing 85 percent of the time," said Hornaday, Cielo's president. "It's a huge site that has potential of maybe 10 or 20 times what we built here. But we built 80 turbines, and we're completely saturating the transmission capacity within a 60-mile radius."
Gov. Bill Richardson last month proclaimed his commitment to making New Mexico a leader in wind energy transmission.
Richardson, the U.S. energy secretary under President Clinton, sees a market for the state's wind power in energy-thirsty places like California.
But a question remains in how it gets there, and it's one the industry - from wind energy producers to utilities to the regulatory government agencies - is pondering.
"It's a story of lots of potential for wind," Hornaday said of his wind farm, "but it can't be brought to market."
California dreaming
California is a hot place in the summer, and with around 35 million people, it sucks up a lot of energy.
There's no greater evidence of that than the rolling blackouts that occurred in 2001, when a variety of factors - including 100-degree heat - led to heavy energy consumption and depleted reserves.
Some energy experts - including officials at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which regulates interstate utility transmission - say such scenarios could happen again in California.
"There's a real concern here at the commission as we go into next summer that there will be a repeat of the energy shortages like we saw in 2000 and 2001," said FERC spokesman Bryan Lee.
The California Energy Commission is open to new power sources.
"Any electricity that can be added to the grid at the moment is very welcome in California," said Chris Davis, an information officer with the commission.
California's date to reach its goal of having 20 percent of energy come from renewable sources has been pushed back from 2017 to 2010, partly because Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger thinks New Mexico can supply some of that power, Richardson has said.
Which, for New Mexico power generators, means a market exists.
With wind becoming a potentially lucrative commodity, the state hopes to position itself as a major wind energy exporter and create an industry to support rural New Mexico communities.
Richardson last month announced he would ask the state Legislature this year to support financing the infrastructure needed to send energy westward.
The governor also, through his Wind Energy Transmission Task Force, could ask for the formation of a body called the Transmission Infrastructure Authority.
The authority would have powers similar to the New Mexico Finance Authority - namely it could issue bonds - but it would include the expertise needed to wade through complicated energy issues, said Robert Castillo, the task force's chairman and administrative services director for the state Department of Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources.
Still, wind being what it is, the inability to predict precisely when it's produced and how much is the cause of other hurdles the power industry is trying to leap.
High-wire act
The Public Service Company of New Mexico has a room inside its Albuquerque power operations center that looks like a command post where space shuttles are launched.
A cluster of video screens form the wall at the front of the room, their neon lights showing a collection of line graphs, maps and figures.
The screens show how New Mexico is using electricity at that moment.
In a room off to the side, PNM employees work as electrical accountants, so to speak, their balance sheet being the grid in which they must maintain certain levels of power.
Monday through Wednesday, they schedule the next day's power usage hour by hour, and on Thursday and Friday they do the same for the weekend.
This is done by accounting for how much capacity has been scheduled by other entities buying space on PNM lines and how much power is used, on average, at the various hours of the day.
Scheduling, however, can be trickier with a variable power source like wind. And utilities can issue penalties when an entity puts more or less energy on the grid than scheduled.
"The issues involved with wind power and transmission in the electrical system in this country is sort of, no-pun intended, a high-wire act," said Lee, the FERC spokesman. "The voltages need to be kept at 60 hertz. But if it dips just a few hundredths of a percent below that or above that, you have power grid reliability problems."
It's a system that tends to work against wind power developers, said Suedeen Kelly of Albuquerque, one of five FERC commissioners.
"Imbalance penalties are very detrimental to wind generators," Kelly said. "By and large, wind generators can't predict specifically how much power they're going to bring."
As a result, Kelly - who was nominated by President Bush in May and sworn in to a five-year term Dec. 7 - said imbalance penalties need to be adjusted to not discriminate against wind generators.
Kelly also said the standard system in which generators reserve power line usage is designed for traditional natural gas or coal plants.
For example, she said a gas-fired generator that produces 200 megawatts of power would lease that amount of capacity on a transmission line to get the power to its destination.
A 200-megawatt wind farm, however, might produce only 30 percent of the time, Kelly said. "The reality is that a wind generator that buys 200 megawatts of capacity only uses it a third of the time, so it costs them a lot more to have that right," she said. "If they could buy 200 megawatts on a short-term basis, it would be much cheaper. But because they have to lease it on a long-term basis, they end up overpaying."
She said that's another issue FERC is studying as a way to increase transportability of wind power.
Western organization
Finally, Kelly said there needs to be coordination between Western states in planning and construction of new transmission lines.
That's because if new lines were to be built to send power from New Mexico to California, she said, they'd traverse various jurisdictional boundaries, with each controlling where power lines are constructed.
Some states have joined forces to create regional transmission bodies that help streamline such developments, an option Richardson last week said he'd be interested in exploring.
"Now, if we are looking at a new system like the governor is, a new trade in clean electricity, we need to have regional coordination and cooperation in the planning and construction of transmission," Kelly said. "That means not only transmission-owning utilities have to coordinate and cooperate but also the states have to coordinate and cooperate."
And if anybody is in a position to facilitate some of this, Kelly said, it's the man holding office in Santa Fe.
Richardson last year was chairman of the Western Governors' Association and is the current chairman of the Democratic Governors' Association - both national platforms he intends to use to benefit New Mexico wind energy, he said last week.
With the Western Governors, he has worked with Schwarzenegger to push a set of ambitious clean-energy goals: produce 30,000 megawatts by 2015 and have a 20 percent improvement in energy-efficiency by 2020.
And with the Democratic Governors' Association he intends to ask Congress for legislation to extend federal tax credits for wind production by periods of five or 10 years.
Congress has granted tax credits for wind production over periods like 14 months, something the American Wind Energy Association says causes "stop-and-go" cycles of investment, said spokeswoman Christine Real de Azua.
The credit was extended again in September and is set to expire in December, Real de Azua said.
Richardson also hopes to push Congress to pass incentives like an investment tax credit for storage products for wind energy.
"But one of the main messages is that the states are going to be the leading innovators of wind technology development," Richardson said last week. "The federal government can be helpful. But the public/private partnerships that come out of state initiatives, Western initiatives, are going to be key."
PNM Chief Executive Jeff Sterba agreed, saying his company could serve several roles.
"We obviously know transmission, know how to operate it, know how to build it, know how to own it," Sterba said. "But where the public sector comes in is helping facilitate the licensing of it, getting through the approval process so you don't end up with a project taking seven to 10 years just to get turned down, because that makes it untenable."
Electrical highway
Beyond the policy initiatives, beyond partnerships, Cielo's Hornaday says what's needed are simply more lines to move the power.
"The governor of New Mexico has been talking about looking beyond just serving New Mexico," Hornaday said. "It's easily done. It just needs to invest in infrastructure to get the energy to market."
The governor's transmission task force issued a report to Richardson two weeks ago saying that with some upgrades, the existing infrastructure can hold an additional 500 megawatts, but only during off-peak hours, said Castillo, the task force chairman.
Anything beyond an extra 500 megawatts on the grid would require additional infrastructure, he said.
Richardson said last month that transmission is a national problem and that the country should tackle the issue much like it did when building the interstate highway system, by investing enough money to bring wind power to population centers.
A big buyer of wind power in New Mexico Xcel Energy of Minneapolis, which has long-term contracts to buy the energy from two Cielo wind farms in the state and a third from a farm owned by Padoma Wind Power of La Jolla, Calif., that is under construction.
Bill Crenshaw, a spokesman for Xcel's office in Amarillo, Texas, agreed that new transmission "highways" are a key solution.
"The governors are all looking for the West Coast markets," Crenshaw said. "There's absolutely no way you can move that resource without constructing pathways that can bring that resource to the marketplace."
Copyright 2005, The Albuquerque Tribune. All Rights Reserv
Craig FritzTribuneTurbines spin at the New Mexico Wind Energy Center near House in eastern New Mexico. The 204-megawatt wind farm, which is owned by FPL Energy and sells power to Public Service Company of New Mexico, is one of two operating wind plants in the state, with two more under development.Moving the wind
New Mexico is a prime spot for power generation, and the governor sees a market for it outside the state. Getting it there is one of the hurdles in propelling its potential.
By Erik SiemersTribune ReporterJanuary 10, 2005
You can see them from I-40, giant whirligigs dotting the landscape near Tucumcari.
Walter Hornaday's company, Cielo Wind Power in Austin, has built 60 of the wind turbines, mechanisms meant to make a commodity from one of Mother Nature's catalog of products.
By April, Cielo plans to have 20 more turbines running at the 80-megawatt Caprock Wind Ranch.
And by Hornaday's estimates, that barely scratches the surface of the wind power potential in that patch of eastern New Mexico.
"Mother Nature is blowing 85 percent of the time," said Hornaday, Cielo's president. "It's a huge site that has potential of maybe 10 or 20 times what we built here. But we built 80 turbines, and we're completely saturating the transmission capacity within a 60-mile radius."
Gov. Bill Richardson last month proclaimed his commitment to making New Mexico a leader in wind energy transmission.
Richardson, the U.S. energy secretary under President Clinton, sees a market for the state's wind power in energy-thirsty places like California.
But a question remains in how it gets there, and it's one the industry - from wind energy producers to utilities to the regulatory government agencies - is pondering.
"It's a story of lots of potential for wind," Hornaday said of his wind farm, "but it can't be brought to market."
California dreaming
California is a hot place in the summer, and with around 35 million people, it sucks up a lot of energy.
There's no greater evidence of that than the rolling blackouts that occurred in 2001, when a variety of factors - including 100-degree heat - led to heavy energy consumption and depleted reserves.
Some energy experts - including officials at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which regulates interstate utility transmission - say such scenarios could happen again in California.
"There's a real concern here at the commission as we go into next summer that there will be a repeat of the energy shortages like we saw in 2000 and 2001," said FERC spokesman Bryan Lee.
The California Energy Commission is open to new power sources.
"Any electricity that can be added to the grid at the moment is very welcome in California," said Chris Davis, an information officer with the commission.
California's date to reach its goal of having 20 percent of energy come from renewable sources has been pushed back from 2017 to 2010, partly because Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger thinks New Mexico can supply some of that power, Richardson has said.
Which, for New Mexico power generators, means a market exists.
With wind becoming a potentially lucrative commodity, the state hopes to position itself as a major wind energy exporter and create an industry to support rural New Mexico communities.
Richardson last month announced he would ask the state Legislature this year to support financing the infrastructure needed to send energy westward.
The governor also, through his Wind Energy Transmission Task Force, could ask for the formation of a body called the Transmission Infrastructure Authority.
The authority would have powers similar to the New Mexico Finance Authority - namely it could issue bonds - but it would include the expertise needed to wade through complicated energy issues, said Robert Castillo, the task force's chairman and administrative services director for the state Department of Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources.
Still, wind being what it is, the inability to predict precisely when it's produced and how much is the cause of other hurdles the power industry is trying to leap.
High-wire act
The Public Service Company of New Mexico has a room inside its Albuquerque power operations center that looks like a command post where space shuttles are launched.
A cluster of video screens form the wall at the front of the room, their neon lights showing a collection of line graphs, maps and figures.
The screens show how New Mexico is using electricity at that moment.
In a room off to the side, PNM employees work as electrical accountants, so to speak, their balance sheet being the grid in which they must maintain certain levels of power.
Monday through Wednesday, they schedule the next day's power usage hour by hour, and on Thursday and Friday they do the same for the weekend.
This is done by accounting for how much capacity has been scheduled by other entities buying space on PNM lines and how much power is used, on average, at the various hours of the day.
Scheduling, however, can be trickier with a variable power source like wind. And utilities can issue penalties when an entity puts more or less energy on the grid than scheduled.
"The issues involved with wind power and transmission in the electrical system in this country is sort of, no-pun intended, a high-wire act," said Lee, the FERC spokesman. "The voltages need to be kept at 60 hertz. But if it dips just a few hundredths of a percent below that or above that, you have power grid reliability problems."
It's a system that tends to work against wind power developers, said Suedeen Kelly of Albuquerque, one of five FERC commissioners.
"Imbalance penalties are very detrimental to wind generators," Kelly said. "By and large, wind generators can't predict specifically how much power they're going to bring."
As a result, Kelly - who was nominated by President Bush in May and sworn in to a five-year term Dec. 7 - said imbalance penalties need to be adjusted to not discriminate against wind generators.
Kelly also said the standard system in which generators reserve power line usage is designed for traditional natural gas or coal plants.
For example, she said a gas-fired generator that produces 200 megawatts of power would lease that amount of capacity on a transmission line to get the power to its destination.
A 200-megawatt wind farm, however, might produce only 30 percent of the time, Kelly said. "The reality is that a wind generator that buys 200 megawatts of capacity only uses it a third of the time, so it costs them a lot more to have that right," she said. "If they could buy 200 megawatts on a short-term basis, it would be much cheaper. But because they have to lease it on a long-term basis, they end up overpaying."
She said that's another issue FERC is studying as a way to increase transportability of wind power.
Western organization
Finally, Kelly said there needs to be coordination between Western states in planning and construction of new transmission lines.
That's because if new lines were to be built to send power from New Mexico to California, she said, they'd traverse various jurisdictional boundaries, with each controlling where power lines are constructed.
Some states have joined forces to create regional transmission bodies that help streamline such developments, an option Richardson last week said he'd be interested in exploring.
"Now, if we are looking at a new system like the governor is, a new trade in clean electricity, we need to have regional coordination and cooperation in the planning and construction of transmission," Kelly said. "That means not only transmission-owning utilities have to coordinate and cooperate but also the states have to coordinate and cooperate."
And if anybody is in a position to facilitate some of this, Kelly said, it's the man holding office in Santa Fe.
Richardson last year was chairman of the Western Governors' Association and is the current chairman of the Democratic Governors' Association - both national platforms he intends to use to benefit New Mexico wind energy, he said last week.
With the Western Governors, he has worked with Schwarzenegger to push a set of ambitious clean-energy goals: produce 30,000 megawatts by 2015 and have a 20 percent improvement in energy-efficiency by 2020.
And with the Democratic Governors' Association he intends to ask Congress for legislation to extend federal tax credits for wind production by periods of five or 10 years.
Congress has granted tax credits for wind production over periods like 14 months, something the American Wind Energy Association says causes "stop-and-go" cycles of investment, said spokeswoman Christine Real de Azua.
The credit was extended again in September and is set to expire in December, Real de Azua said.
Richardson also hopes to push Congress to pass incentives like an investment tax credit for storage products for wind energy.
"But one of the main messages is that the states are going to be the leading innovators of wind technology development," Richardson said last week. "The federal government can be helpful. But the public/private partnerships that come out of state initiatives, Western initiatives, are going to be key."
PNM Chief Executive Jeff Sterba agreed, saying his company could serve several roles.
"We obviously know transmission, know how to operate it, know how to build it, know how to own it," Sterba said. "But where the public sector comes in is helping facilitate the licensing of it, getting through the approval process so you don't end up with a project taking seven to 10 years just to get turned down, because that makes it untenable."
Electrical highway
Beyond the policy initiatives, beyond partnerships, Cielo's Hornaday says what's needed are simply more lines to move the power.
"The governor of New Mexico has been talking about looking beyond just serving New Mexico," Hornaday said. "It's easily done. It just needs to invest in infrastructure to get the energy to market."
The governor's transmission task force issued a report to Richardson two weeks ago saying that with some upgrades, the existing infrastructure can hold an additional 500 megawatts, but only during off-peak hours, said Castillo, the task force chairman.
Anything beyond an extra 500 megawatts on the grid would require additional infrastructure, he said.
Richardson said last month that transmission is a national problem and that the country should tackle the issue much like it did when building the interstate highway system, by investing enough money to bring wind power to population centers.
A big buyer of wind power in New Mexico Xcel Energy of Minneapolis, which has long-term contracts to buy the energy from two Cielo wind farms in the state and a third from a farm owned by Padoma Wind Power of La Jolla, Calif., that is under construction.
Bill Crenshaw, a spokesman for Xcel's office in Amarillo, Texas, agreed that new transmission "highways" are a key solution.
"The governors are all looking for the West Coast markets," Crenshaw said. "There's absolutely no way you can move that resource without constructing pathways that can bring that resource to the marketplace."
Copyright 2005, The Albuquerque Tribune. All Rights Reserv
Renewable Energy Answers Natural Gas Price Hikes
Renewable Energy Answer to Natural Gas Price Hikes
January 11, 2005
Berkeley, California [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] Renewable energy and energy efficiency may be able to help reduce the current high cost of natural gas, according to a report released by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Heightened natural gas prices have emerged as a key energy-policy challenge.
"Our study is the first to demonstrate that these results are broadly consistent with economic theory, results from other national energy models, and limited empirical evidence."- Mark Bolinger, Berkeley Report Co-author
With the recent run-up in prices, deepening concerns about the ability of North American gas production to keep up with demand, and the continuing reliance on natural gas as a favored fuel for electricity generation, a growing number of voices are calling for increased diversification of energy supplies."Our report shows that renewable energy and energy efficiency can displace gas-fired electricity generation, reducing gas demand and putting downward pressure on natural gas prices and bills," said report co-author Ryan Wiser of Berkeley Lab.The report's findings are based on a review and analysis of recent modeling studies that have evaluated the gas-price-reduction effect of renewable energy and energy efficiency deployment. "The 13 studies and 20 specific analyses that we review consistently show that increased use of renewable energy and energy efficiency can begin to reduce natural gas prices," adds co-author Mark Bolinger. "Our study is the first to demonstrate that these results are broadly consistent with economic theory, results from other national energy models, and limited empirical evidence." While variations in the magnitude of the price suppression are significant among the studies, and more research on this effect is warranted, the studies generally show that each 1 percent reduction in natural gas demand nationwide is likely to lead to a long-term wellhead price reduction of 0.8 to 2 percent, with some studies showing even more significant reductions."This means that increased use of renewable energy benefits natural gas consumers at a level conservatively estimated to be equivalent to at least $10 to $20 for each megawatt-hour of incremental renewable generation," Bolinger said.The report also develops and demonstrates the use of a simple, transparent analysis tool that can be used to evaluate the potential impact of renewable energy and energy efficiency on natural gas prices and bills across all sectors of the economy. "Based on our analysis, we find that the 18 existing state renewable portfolio standards (RPS) in the U.S. could provide natural gas bill savings of $7 to $18 billion on a net-present-value basis, while the California RPS alone could deliver national consumer savings of $3 to $9 billion," Wiser said.The study also evaluates the potential impacts of New England and New York RPS policies; state renewable energy fund support for renewable projects; projections by the American Wind Energy Association and the Solar Energy Industries Associations of wind and solar power deployment, respectively; California's aggressive natural gas efficiency goals; and two possible national efficiency standards for residential boilers and furnaces. "Overall, our study suggests that renewable energy and energy efficiency can help to alleviate the threat of high natural gas prices over the short and long term, thereby lowering gas and electricity bills for consumers," concludes Wiser. The report "Easing the Natural Gas Crisis: Reducing Natural Gas Prices through Increased Deployment of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency," can be downloaded from the following link.
For further Information
Berkeley Report
January 11, 2005
Berkeley, California [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] Renewable energy and energy efficiency may be able to help reduce the current high cost of natural gas, according to a report released by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Heightened natural gas prices have emerged as a key energy-policy challenge.
"Our study is the first to demonstrate that these results are broadly consistent with economic theory, results from other national energy models, and limited empirical evidence."- Mark Bolinger, Berkeley Report Co-author
With the recent run-up in prices, deepening concerns about the ability of North American gas production to keep up with demand, and the continuing reliance on natural gas as a favored fuel for electricity generation, a growing number of voices are calling for increased diversification of energy supplies."Our report shows that renewable energy and energy efficiency can displace gas-fired electricity generation, reducing gas demand and putting downward pressure on natural gas prices and bills," said report co-author Ryan Wiser of Berkeley Lab.The report's findings are based on a review and analysis of recent modeling studies that have evaluated the gas-price-reduction effect of renewable energy and energy efficiency deployment. "The 13 studies and 20 specific analyses that we review consistently show that increased use of renewable energy and energy efficiency can begin to reduce natural gas prices," adds co-author Mark Bolinger. "Our study is the first to demonstrate that these results are broadly consistent with economic theory, results from other national energy models, and limited empirical evidence." While variations in the magnitude of the price suppression are significant among the studies, and more research on this effect is warranted, the studies generally show that each 1 percent reduction in natural gas demand nationwide is likely to lead to a long-term wellhead price reduction of 0.8 to 2 percent, with some studies showing even more significant reductions."This means that increased use of renewable energy benefits natural gas consumers at a level conservatively estimated to be equivalent to at least $10 to $20 for each megawatt-hour of incremental renewable generation," Bolinger said.The report also develops and demonstrates the use of a simple, transparent analysis tool that can be used to evaluate the potential impact of renewable energy and energy efficiency on natural gas prices and bills across all sectors of the economy. "Based on our analysis, we find that the 18 existing state renewable portfolio standards (RPS) in the U.S. could provide natural gas bill savings of $7 to $18 billion on a net-present-value basis, while the California RPS alone could deliver national consumer savings of $3 to $9 billion," Wiser said.The study also evaluates the potential impacts of New England and New York RPS policies; state renewable energy fund support for renewable projects; projections by the American Wind Energy Association and the Solar Energy Industries Associations of wind and solar power deployment, respectively; California's aggressive natural gas efficiency goals; and two possible national efficiency standards for residential boilers and furnaces. "Overall, our study suggests that renewable energy and energy efficiency can help to alleviate the threat of high natural gas prices over the short and long term, thereby lowering gas and electricity bills for consumers," concludes Wiser. The report "Easing the Natural Gas Crisis: Reducing Natural Gas Prices through Increased Deployment of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency," can be downloaded from the following link.
For further Information
Berkeley Report
EnXco Flips Switch on Wind Farm
Tax credits propel wind powerWashington to pay bounty on ’05 mills
More stories about windmillsMore
bureauJanuary 10, 2005
COACHELLA VALLEY -- Employees at EnXco Inc., a North Palm Springs company that builds and operates wind farms, are scrambling to erect giant power-generating turbines. Why the rush? The federal government is offering a tax credit for wind generators that are up and running by the end of 2005. There’s no guarantee that the tax breaks will be renewed. "Because we only have a year we’re working double-time and triple-time to get these projects done," said Donna Lotz, project marketing coordinator at EnXco. "That’s why we’re pushing so hard. We’ve had these things in the pipeline." EnXco flipped the switch last week on a wind farm in Tehachapi that will produce 60 megawatts of electricity -- enough to light up nearly 20,000 homes. EnXco, which has about 300 employees, is not alone. Thousands of giant wind turbines will spring up around the country this year to generate more eco-friendly power. Nearly 30 energy companies are rushing to take advantage of the 2005 tax break and plan to install thousands of windmills in 21 states, according to the American Wind Energy Association. Wind power produces less than 1 percent of America’s electricity today, according to the Energy Information Administration, compared with nearly 22 percent provided by nuclear generators and 55 percent by coal plants. But proponents of this renewable source of power hope the 35-story turbines can produce 6 percent of the nation’s electricity by 2020. Among the developments propelling the new wind power projects are:
The federal government is offering wind producers a 1.8-cents-per-kilowatt-hour tax credit. The tax break drops the cost of generating wind power to make it more competitive with natural gas or coal generators.
States are requiring utilities to produce some of their electricity from green power, such as solar, wind or geothermal sources.
Technology is increasing energy efficiency. New giant turbines can each produce 3.6 megawatts of electricity, enough to power more than 1,000 homes. But problems have cropped up as energy companies rush to build wind farms. Just because wind power doesn’t pollute the air doesn’t mean it has no environmental impact. Also, not everyone wants a windmill within eyesight. Alameda County placed a moratorium on new wind farms because turbines had killed hundreds of hawks, eagles and other birds of prey. Hundreds of bats were killed at a wind farm in Tucker County, W.Va. Some Massachusetts residents oppose building a big wind farm off Cape Cod, partly because it would spoil their view. New Jersey Gov. Richard Codey announced a state moratorium on offshore wind farms in December. The decision was applauded by a number of state surfing, fishing and environmental groups worried about the effects of large wind turbines. The wind farms could affect fish populations, migratory birds and possibly other marine life, said Tim Dillingham, who heads the American Littoral Society, a Sandy Hook, N.J., conservation group. Proposals had been submitted for more than 1,000 turbines to be built along the New Jersey coast, about 3.5 miles offshore, he said. "You have this rush to get these huge facilities in the door despite the fact that there aren’t well-thought-out plans in place," Dillingham said. "It’s a brand new industrial use of the ocean, and there really isn’t any environmental impact (report) that’s been done." Some farmers are finding that wind power can be a new cash crop. Despite opposition from some homeowners, the Dodge County, Wis., Farm Bureau supports developing wind farms because it provides new revenues to both landowners and county governments, said Jim Schoenike, the group’s president. Clear Lake, Iowa, farmer Delbert Watson has nothing but good things to say about the five 120-foot towers on his land. He can plant corn or soybeans within 20 feet of the turbines and hasn’t seen any bird deaths even though his land sits less than a mile from a wildlife refuge. Watson has had wind towers on his land since 1999 and receives about $2,000 annually in rent for each turbine. Local residents have become used to the wind turbines, he said, and creating electricity without air pollution is an efficient use of resources. "There’s nothing that comes off of it -- the wind blows through it," Watson said. "It’s just got to be good for the whole nation to use that wind." While most lawmakers support wind power, Congress has been partly responsible for the uneven pace of wind farm development. The wind power production tax credit has lapsed three times in the past five years, said Christine Real de Azua, American Wind Energy Association spokeswoman. Projects on the drawing board were put on hold while Congress debated the issue, and the industry hopes that Congress will extend the current tax credit beyond 2005, she said. "There’s no guarantee" that Congress will extend the tax credit, said EnXco’s Lotz. "That’s why we’re pushing so hard. We’ve had these things in the pipeline."
More stories about windmillsMore
bureauJanuary 10, 2005
COACHELLA VALLEY -- Employees at EnXco Inc., a North Palm Springs company that builds and operates wind farms, are scrambling to erect giant power-generating turbines. Why the rush? The federal government is offering a tax credit for wind generators that are up and running by the end of 2005. There’s no guarantee that the tax breaks will be renewed. "Because we only have a year we’re working double-time and triple-time to get these projects done," said Donna Lotz, project marketing coordinator at EnXco. "That’s why we’re pushing so hard. We’ve had these things in the pipeline." EnXco flipped the switch last week on a wind farm in Tehachapi that will produce 60 megawatts of electricity -- enough to light up nearly 20,000 homes. EnXco, which has about 300 employees, is not alone. Thousands of giant wind turbines will spring up around the country this year to generate more eco-friendly power. Nearly 30 energy companies are rushing to take advantage of the 2005 tax break and plan to install thousands of windmills in 21 states, according to the American Wind Energy Association. Wind power produces less than 1 percent of America’s electricity today, according to the Energy Information Administration, compared with nearly 22 percent provided by nuclear generators and 55 percent by coal plants. But proponents of this renewable source of power hope the 35-story turbines can produce 6 percent of the nation’s electricity by 2020. Among the developments propelling the new wind power projects are:
The federal government is offering wind producers a 1.8-cents-per-kilowatt-hour tax credit. The tax break drops the cost of generating wind power to make it more competitive with natural gas or coal generators.
States are requiring utilities to produce some of their electricity from green power, such as solar, wind or geothermal sources.
Technology is increasing energy efficiency. New giant turbines can each produce 3.6 megawatts of electricity, enough to power more than 1,000 homes. But problems have cropped up as energy companies rush to build wind farms. Just because wind power doesn’t pollute the air doesn’t mean it has no environmental impact. Also, not everyone wants a windmill within eyesight. Alameda County placed a moratorium on new wind farms because turbines had killed hundreds of hawks, eagles and other birds of prey. Hundreds of bats were killed at a wind farm in Tucker County, W.Va. Some Massachusetts residents oppose building a big wind farm off Cape Cod, partly because it would spoil their view. New Jersey Gov. Richard Codey announced a state moratorium on offshore wind farms in December. The decision was applauded by a number of state surfing, fishing and environmental groups worried about the effects of large wind turbines. The wind farms could affect fish populations, migratory birds and possibly other marine life, said Tim Dillingham, who heads the American Littoral Society, a Sandy Hook, N.J., conservation group. Proposals had been submitted for more than 1,000 turbines to be built along the New Jersey coast, about 3.5 miles offshore, he said. "You have this rush to get these huge facilities in the door despite the fact that there aren’t well-thought-out plans in place," Dillingham said. "It’s a brand new industrial use of the ocean, and there really isn’t any environmental impact (report) that’s been done." Some farmers are finding that wind power can be a new cash crop. Despite opposition from some homeowners, the Dodge County, Wis., Farm Bureau supports developing wind farms because it provides new revenues to both landowners and county governments, said Jim Schoenike, the group’s president. Clear Lake, Iowa, farmer Delbert Watson has nothing but good things to say about the five 120-foot towers on his land. He can plant corn or soybeans within 20 feet of the turbines and hasn’t seen any bird deaths even though his land sits less than a mile from a wildlife refuge. Watson has had wind towers on his land since 1999 and receives about $2,000 annually in rent for each turbine. Local residents have become used to the wind turbines, he said, and creating electricity without air pollution is an efficient use of resources. "There’s nothing that comes off of it -- the wind blows through it," Watson said. "It’s just got to be good for the whole nation to use that wind." While most lawmakers support wind power, Congress has been partly responsible for the uneven pace of wind farm development. The wind power production tax credit has lapsed three times in the past five years, said Christine Real de Azua, American Wind Energy Association spokeswoman. Projects on the drawing board were put on hold while Congress debated the issue, and the industry hopes that Congress will extend the current tax credit beyond 2005, she said. "There’s no guarantee" that Congress will extend the tax credit, said EnXco’s Lotz. "That’s why we’re pushing so hard. We’ve had these things in the pipeline."
AES buys SeaWest wind farms
San Diego-based SeaWest wind farms sold for $60 million cash
ASSOCIATED PRESS
12:16 p.m. January 11, 2005
ARLINGTON, Va. (Dow Jones/AP) – Power producer The AES Corp. has agreed to acquire wind energy company SeaWest Holdings Inc. for about $60 million in cash, which AES said will make it one of the top developers and operators of wind farms in the United States.
San Diego-based SeaWest is a privately owned company that operates more than 500 megawatts of wind facilities in California, Wyoming and Oregon and has 1,800 megawatts of development sites in 10 states in the western United States. It employs 175 people.
Arlington-based Tuesday said it expects the acquisition to close by the end of the first quarter, subject to regulatory approvals.
AES also plans to acquire and construct SeaWest's 120-megawatt Buffalo Gap wind generation project near Abilene, Texas, at an estimated cost of $165 million.
AES plans to begin construction early this year, and the facility is expected to become operational in the fourth quarter.
AES said its acquisition of SeaWest, combined with its recent investment in US Wind Force LLC, advances its goal of becoming a strong competitor in wind generation.
US Wind Force focuses on wind energy projects in the eastern part of the country.
The SeaWest deal will give AES operating or planned wind projects in 13 states, and development options on more than 100,000 acres of land.
AES runs in 111 power plants in 27 countries. It shares fell 6 cents to $13.04 in early afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
12:16 p.m. January 11, 2005
ARLINGTON, Va. (Dow Jones/AP) – Power producer The AES Corp. has agreed to acquire wind energy company SeaWest Holdings Inc. for about $60 million in cash, which AES said will make it one of the top developers and operators of wind farms in the United States.
San Diego-based SeaWest is a privately owned company that operates more than 500 megawatts of wind facilities in California, Wyoming and Oregon and has 1,800 megawatts of development sites in 10 states in the western United States. It employs 175 people.
Arlington-based Tuesday said it expects the acquisition to close by the end of the first quarter, subject to regulatory approvals.
AES also plans to acquire and construct SeaWest's 120-megawatt Buffalo Gap wind generation project near Abilene, Texas, at an estimated cost of $165 million.
AES plans to begin construction early this year, and the facility is expected to become operational in the fourth quarter.
AES said its acquisition of SeaWest, combined with its recent investment in US Wind Force LLC, advances its goal of becoming a strong competitor in wind generation.
US Wind Force focuses on wind energy projects in the eastern part of the country.
The SeaWest deal will give AES operating or planned wind projects in 13 states, and development options on more than 100,000 acres of land.
AES runs in 111 power plants in 27 countries. It shares fell 6 cents to $13.04 in early afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
GE Wind Energy
Renewable Energy SolutionsAt GE Energy, we know that renewable energy will be an integral part of the world energy mix throughout the 21st century. Our commitment is to help our worldwide partners and customers design and implement wind energy solutions for their unique energy needs.> Company Snapshot> Our Products> Our Technology> Worldwide Capabilities> Image Gallery> Just 4 Kids & Teachers> Contact Wind Energy
Primary Activities
GE Energy is one of the world’s leading wind energy companies and wind turbine suppliers. With over 6,900 worldwide wind turbine installations comprising more than 5,200 MW of capacity, our knowledge and expertise spans more than two decades.We currently design and produce wind turbines ranging from 1.5 to 3.6 megawatts. We also manufacture advanced wind turbine blades to assure the highest quality, advanced designs and quick on-time delivery.
Products
> 1.5 MW Wind TurbineWith more than 2,500 units in operation worldwide, the 1.5 MW continues to be one of the world’s most widely used wind turbines in its class.
> 2.X MW Wind TurbineOur 2.3, 2.5 and 2.7 MW class of wind turbine provides highly cost effective operation, especially at wind sites where space is limited.
> 3.6 MW Wind TurbineWith a rotor diameter of 341 feet and a swept area of 91,439 square feet, the 3.6 MW wind turbine is ideal for offshore markets worldwide.
News
> December 1, 2004 -- Pakistan to Launch Its First Commercial Wind Project> November 30, 2004 -- GE to Supply 207 Wind Turbines for MidAmerican Energy Company's Wind Generation Project> November 22, 2004 -- Wind Turbines from GE Being Erected for New Project in NorthWestern Spain> More press releases>
Current Events
• Nov 22-24: European Wind Energy Conference, London, England• Nov 30 - Dec 2: Powergen International Conference & Exhibition, Orlando, Florida, USA• Nov 30 - Dec 3: Pollutec International Exhibition, Lyon, FranceOct 31 - Nov 4: Asia Windpower Conference & Exhibition, Beijing, China-->May 25-27: Powergen Europe, Barcelona, Spain-->
Spotlights
> Celebrate the Wind! See highlights from the Arklow, Ireland poster contest -- and check out these curricula, activities and worksheets designed to help teachers and kids learn more about wind energy.
> Careers @ Wind Energy Join our worldwide team! Search the GE Careers listings for jobs that contain "Wind" in their description.
http://www.gepower.com/businesses/ge_wind_energy/en/index.htm
Primary Activities
GE Energy is one of the world’s leading wind energy companies and wind turbine suppliers. With over 6,900 worldwide wind turbine installations comprising more than 5,200 MW of capacity, our knowledge and expertise spans more than two decades.We currently design and produce wind turbines ranging from 1.5 to 3.6 megawatts. We also manufacture advanced wind turbine blades to assure the highest quality, advanced designs and quick on-time delivery.
Products
> 1.5 MW Wind TurbineWith more than 2,500 units in operation worldwide, the 1.5 MW continues to be one of the world’s most widely used wind turbines in its class.
> 2.X MW Wind TurbineOur 2.3, 2.5 and 2.7 MW class of wind turbine provides highly cost effective operation, especially at wind sites where space is limited.
> 3.6 MW Wind TurbineWith a rotor diameter of 341 feet and a swept area of 91,439 square feet, the 3.6 MW wind turbine is ideal for offshore markets worldwide.
News
> December 1, 2004 -- Pakistan to Launch Its First Commercial Wind Project> November 30, 2004 -- GE to Supply 207 Wind Turbines for MidAmerican Energy Company's Wind Generation Project> November 22, 2004 -- Wind Turbines from GE Being Erected for New Project in NorthWestern Spain> More press releases>
Current Events
• Nov 22-24: European Wind Energy Conference, London, England• Nov 30 - Dec 2: Powergen International Conference & Exhibition, Orlando, Florida, USA• Nov 30 - Dec 3: Pollutec International Exhibition, Lyon, FranceOct 31 - Nov 4: Asia Windpower Conference & Exhibition, Beijing, China-->May 25-27: Powergen Europe, Barcelona, Spain-->
Spotlights
> Celebrate the Wind! See highlights from the Arklow, Ireland poster contest -- and check out these curricula, activities and worksheets designed to help teachers and kids learn more about wind energy.
> Careers @ Wind Energy Join our worldwide team! Search the GE Careers listings for jobs that contain "Wind" in their description.
http://www.gepower.com/businesses/ge_wind_energy/en/index.htm
FPL Wind Energy
Wind Energy
Clean, renewable energy A cost-effective source of power Meeting market demand reliably How wind turbines work For more information
FPL Energy is the largest U.S. generator of wind power, with 42 wind farms currently in 15 states:
California
Iowa
Kansas
Minnesota
New Mexico
North Dakota
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
South Dakota
Texas
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
With a wind-power portfolio of more than 2,700 net megawatts, FPL Energy generated nearly 40 percent of the total wind energy in the nation in 2003.
Clean, renewable energy
Wind is a source of clean, renewable energy. This means we save on fossil fuel resources (coal, natural gas or oil), but, more importantly, we aren't faced with the additional environmental impacts associated with burning them.
Wind is clean, efficient and almost always there to be tapped. An abundant, never-ending resource, it generates clean energy using the most up-to-date technologies available. Today, wind energy is the fastest-growing renewable energy resource in the world. For example:
global installed capacity is more than 31,000 megawatts
U.S. installed capacity is more than 6,300 megawatts.
Source: American Wind Energy Association
A cost-effective source of power
Today, wind produces a small percentage of our nation's electricity. But some believe wind power can produce up to 6 percent of our electricity needs by 2020. That's the same amount of electricity generated today through hydroelectric power and enough to serve 25 million homes.
Wind has always been clean and renewable, but it was not always a cost-effective source of power. In the past 20 years, the cost of wind energy has dropped approximately 80 percent, making it competitive with other energy sources, due largely to
advances in technology and
the federally-sponsored wind production tax credit.
Established to encourage the development of clean, renewable wind power, the tax credit dramatically changed the ladscape of the wind generation business in the U.S. by helping promote a sensible energy policy that wisely encourages diversification of energy sources.
Source: American Wind Energy Association
Meeting market demand reliably
When a utility diversifies its power portfolio with the addition of wind energy, it can reliably meet market demand for that power.
While wind energy generation cannot be precisely scheduled based on demand, sophisticated monitoring and wind resource analysis allow wind developers to estimate with a high degree of certainty "when" and "how much" wind energy is available in a particular region during a specific month or year, so customers can plan their resource balance accordingly.
How wind turbines work
Stage
Description
1
Wind turbines capture the wind's energy with two or three propeller-like blades, which are mounted on a rotor, to generate electricity. The turbines sit high atop towers, taking advantage of the stronger and less turbulent wind at 100 feet (30 meters) or more above ground.
2
A blade acts much like an airplane wing:
When the wind blows, a pocket of low-pressure air forms on the downwind side of the blade.
The low-pressure air pocket then pulls the blade toward it, causing the rotor to turn. This is called lift.
The force of the lift is actually much stronger than the wind's force against the front side of the blade, which is called drag.
The combination of lift and drag causes the rotor to spin like a propeller, and the turning shaft spins a generator to make electricity.
3
Wind turbines can be
used as stand-alone applications or
connected to a utility power grid or
combined with a photovoltaic (solar cell) system.
Stand-alone turbines are typically used for water pumping or communications.
However, homeowners and farmers in windy areas can also use turbines to generate electricity.
For utility-scale sources of wind energy, a large number of turbines are usually built close together to form a wind farm. Several electricity providers today use wind farms to supply power to their customers.
For more information
Explore our list of frequently asked questions.
Download our brochure, The Nation's Leader in Wind Energy (704kb .pdf file). This file requires Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you don't already have it, or have problems viewing this file, download it now.
For more information on wind energy, visit the American Wind Energy Association.
http://www.fplenergy.com/renewable/contents/wind.shtml
Clean, renewable energy A cost-effective source of power Meeting market demand reliably How wind turbines work For more information
FPL Energy is the largest U.S. generator of wind power, with 42 wind farms currently in 15 states:
California
Iowa
Kansas
Minnesota
New Mexico
North Dakota
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
South Dakota
Texas
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
With a wind-power portfolio of more than 2,700 net megawatts, FPL Energy generated nearly 40 percent of the total wind energy in the nation in 2003.
Clean, renewable energy
Wind is a source of clean, renewable energy. This means we save on fossil fuel resources (coal, natural gas or oil), but, more importantly, we aren't faced with the additional environmental impacts associated with burning them.
Wind is clean, efficient and almost always there to be tapped. An abundant, never-ending resource, it generates clean energy using the most up-to-date technologies available. Today, wind energy is the fastest-growing renewable energy resource in the world. For example:
global installed capacity is more than 31,000 megawatts
U.S. installed capacity is more than 6,300 megawatts.
Source: American Wind Energy Association
A cost-effective source of power
Today, wind produces a small percentage of our nation's electricity. But some believe wind power can produce up to 6 percent of our electricity needs by 2020. That's the same amount of electricity generated today through hydroelectric power and enough to serve 25 million homes.
Wind has always been clean and renewable, but it was not always a cost-effective source of power. In the past 20 years, the cost of wind energy has dropped approximately 80 percent, making it competitive with other energy sources, due largely to
advances in technology and
the federally-sponsored wind production tax credit.
Established to encourage the development of clean, renewable wind power, the tax credit dramatically changed the ladscape of the wind generation business in the U.S. by helping promote a sensible energy policy that wisely encourages diversification of energy sources.
Source: American Wind Energy Association
Meeting market demand reliably
When a utility diversifies its power portfolio with the addition of wind energy, it can reliably meet market demand for that power.
While wind energy generation cannot be precisely scheduled based on demand, sophisticated monitoring and wind resource analysis allow wind developers to estimate with a high degree of certainty "when" and "how much" wind energy is available in a particular region during a specific month or year, so customers can plan their resource balance accordingly.
How wind turbines work
Stage
Description
1
Wind turbines capture the wind's energy with two or three propeller-like blades, which are mounted on a rotor, to generate electricity. The turbines sit high atop towers, taking advantage of the stronger and less turbulent wind at 100 feet (30 meters) or more above ground.
2
A blade acts much like an airplane wing:
When the wind blows, a pocket of low-pressure air forms on the downwind side of the blade.
The low-pressure air pocket then pulls the blade toward it, causing the rotor to turn. This is called lift.
The force of the lift is actually much stronger than the wind's force against the front side of the blade, which is called drag.
The combination of lift and drag causes the rotor to spin like a propeller, and the turning shaft spins a generator to make electricity.
3
Wind turbines can be
used as stand-alone applications or
connected to a utility power grid or
combined with a photovoltaic (solar cell) system.
Stand-alone turbines are typically used for water pumping or communications.
However, homeowners and farmers in windy areas can also use turbines to generate electricity.
For utility-scale sources of wind energy, a large number of turbines are usually built close together to form a wind farm. Several electricity providers today use wind farms to supply power to their customers.
For more information
Explore our list of frequently asked questions.
Download our brochure, The Nation's Leader in Wind Energy (704kb .pdf file). This file requires Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you don't already have it, or have problems viewing this file, download it now.
For more information on wind energy, visit the American Wind Energy Association.
http://www.fplenergy.com/renewable/contents/wind.shtml
Big Wind in Big Sky Country
Source: NorthWestern Corporation
NorthWestern Energy Signs Contract To Purchase Wind Energy From Invenergy Wind LLC
Tuesday January 11, 2:24 pm ET
Power Sales Agreement will provide renewable wind energy from Montana's first large-scale wind resource
BUTTE, Mont., Jan. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- NorthWestern Corporation d/b/a NorthWestern Energy (Nasdaq: NWEC - News) announced today that it has signed an agreement to purchase 135 to 150 megawatts of electricity from an affiliate of Invenergy Wind LLC, which will construct a $150 million, large-scale wind farm near Judith Gap in Wheatland County, Mont. The contract is subject to approval by the Montana Public Service Commission.
The 20-year contract will provide NorthWestern Energy's default supply customers with approximately 8 percent of their electricity from the wind at a price that is competitive with electricity generated from other resources. The contract price is approximately $31/MWh, but the price paid by the consumer will be somewhat higher depending on the cost to purchase a firming resource to back up the renewable generation source.
"The purchase of 135 to 150 MW of wind-generated electricity is consistent with the amount of wind energy identified in our electric default supply procurement plan," said Mike Hanson, NorthWestern Energy's Chief Operating Officer. "We have worked very hard to obtain a cost-competitive renewable resource for our customers, while providing an important incentive for the development of a large-scale renewable energy project in Montana."
"We started working on this project four-and-a-half years ago, and it's very satisfying to see it finally come together," said Bob Quinn, a partner with Wind Park Solutions - Arcadia (WPSA), the firm that originally developed the project. "This project will not only benefit the local economy, but will generate money for Montana's schools since a portion of the wind farm will be built on State Lands."
The 8,000-acre wind farm will feature approximately 75 to 100 turbines each with a capacity of about 1.5 - 1.8 MW each. According to Quinn, WPSA has completed all of the necessary environmental permitting steps clearing the way for construction in the first half of 2005. "The Environmental Assessment, including a detailed avian analysis of the region, has been completed, and the project was determined to have no significant environmental impact," he said.
WPSA recently sold its 100 percent interest in the project to Invenergy Wind LLC, who will construct, own and operate the facility. "We're very excited about this project and the role it will play in our growing portfolio of wind resources," said Mark Leaman, vice president of Invenergy Wind LLC. "We have more than 25 projects in active development or construction in the United States and Canada totaling more than 2,500 MW of new wind generation. Obviously, we see a lot of potential in this project."
According to Pat Corcoran, NorthWestern Energy's Vice President of Government and Regulatory Affairs, NorthWestern Energy will seek advanced approval of this contract from the Montana Public Service Commission in keeping with the company's procurement plan. "This contract is the result of an extensive review and analysis of the all-resource electricity bids received through the RFP NorthWestern initiated last summer and meets the economic, risk and technical criteria for inclusion in our electric default supply portfolio," he said.
Corcoran added that the wind resource must be in production by Dec. 31, 2005, in order to realize the federal Production Tax Credits, which are embedded into the contract's economic consideration. NorthWestern Energy anticipates filing its advanced approval request by the end of January.
The company continues to work on other energy sources identified through the recent RFP process to meet its customers' electricity needs after current contracts expire in mid-2007.
About NorthWestern Energy
NorthWestern Energy is one of the largest providers of electricity and natural gas in the Upper Midwest and Northwest, serving approximately 608,000 customers in Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska. For more information about NorthWestern Energy, visit www.northwesternenergy.com .
About Invenergy Wind LLC
Invenergy Wind LLC and its affiliates develop, own and operate wind energy and natural gas fueled projects throughout North America. Invenergy is based in Chicago, Ill. For more information about Invenergy, visit www.invenergyllc.com .
About Wind Park Solutions Arcadia
Wind Park Solutions Arcadia is a Montana company based in Big Sandy. It was formed in 2002 by the partnership of Wind Park Solutions America, specializing in all aspects of wind park development and analysis, and Arcadia Windpower, a New York firm with significant financial expertise and a strong history in wind development. For more information about Wind Park Solutions America, visit www.windpark-solutions.com ; and for information about Arcadia Windpower, visit www.ArcadiaWind.com .
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: NorthWestern Corporation
NorthWestern Energy Signs Contract To Purchase Wind Energy From Invenergy Wind LLC
Tuesday January 11, 2:24 pm ET
Power Sales Agreement will provide renewable wind energy from Montana's first large-scale wind resource
BUTTE, Mont., Jan. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- NorthWestern Corporation d/b/a NorthWestern Energy (Nasdaq: NWEC - News) announced today that it has signed an agreement to purchase 135 to 150 megawatts of electricity from an affiliate of Invenergy Wind LLC, which will construct a $150 million, large-scale wind farm near Judith Gap in Wheatland County, Mont. The contract is subject to approval by the Montana Public Service Commission.
The 20-year contract will provide NorthWestern Energy's default supply customers with approximately 8 percent of their electricity from the wind at a price that is competitive with electricity generated from other resources. The contract price is approximately $31/MWh, but the price paid by the consumer will be somewhat higher depending on the cost to purchase a firming resource to back up the renewable generation source.
"The purchase of 135 to 150 MW of wind-generated electricity is consistent with the amount of wind energy identified in our electric default supply procurement plan," said Mike Hanson, NorthWestern Energy's Chief Operating Officer. "We have worked very hard to obtain a cost-competitive renewable resource for our customers, while providing an important incentive for the development of a large-scale renewable energy project in Montana."
"We started working on this project four-and-a-half years ago, and it's very satisfying to see it finally come together," said Bob Quinn, a partner with Wind Park Solutions - Arcadia (WPSA), the firm that originally developed the project. "This project will not only benefit the local economy, but will generate money for Montana's schools since a portion of the wind farm will be built on State Lands."
The 8,000-acre wind farm will feature approximately 75 to 100 turbines each with a capacity of about 1.5 - 1.8 MW each. According to Quinn, WPSA has completed all of the necessary environmental permitting steps clearing the way for construction in the first half of 2005. "The Environmental Assessment, including a detailed avian analysis of the region, has been completed, and the project was determined to have no significant environmental impact," he said.
WPSA recently sold its 100 percent interest in the project to Invenergy Wind LLC, who will construct, own and operate the facility. "We're very excited about this project and the role it will play in our growing portfolio of wind resources," said Mark Leaman, vice president of Invenergy Wind LLC. "We have more than 25 projects in active development or construction in the United States and Canada totaling more than 2,500 MW of new wind generation. Obviously, we see a lot of potential in this project."
According to Pat Corcoran, NorthWestern Energy's Vice President of Government and Regulatory Affairs, NorthWestern Energy will seek advanced approval of this contract from the Montana Public Service Commission in keeping with the company's procurement plan. "This contract is the result of an extensive review and analysis of the all-resource electricity bids received through the RFP NorthWestern initiated last summer and meets the economic, risk and technical criteria for inclusion in our electric default supply portfolio," he said.
Corcoran added that the wind resource must be in production by Dec. 31, 2005, in order to realize the federal Production Tax Credits, which are embedded into the contract's economic consideration. NorthWestern Energy anticipates filing its advanced approval request by the end of January.
The company continues to work on other energy sources identified through the recent RFP process to meet its customers' electricity needs after current contracts expire in mid-2007.
About NorthWestern Energy
NorthWestern Energy is one of the largest providers of electricity and natural gas in the Upper Midwest and Northwest, serving approximately 608,000 customers in Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska. For more information about NorthWestern Energy, visit www.northwesternenergy.com .
About Invenergy Wind LLC
Invenergy Wind LLC and its affiliates develop, own and operate wind energy and natural gas fueled projects throughout North America. Invenergy is based in Chicago, Ill. For more information about Invenergy, visit www.invenergyllc.com .
About Wind Park Solutions Arcadia
Wind Park Solutions Arcadia is a Montana company based in Big Sandy. It was formed in 2002 by the partnership of Wind Park Solutions America, specializing in all aspects of wind park development and analysis, and Arcadia Windpower, a New York firm with significant financial expertise and a strong history in wind development. For more information about Wind Park Solutions America, visit www.windpark-solutions.com ; and for information about Arcadia Windpower, visit www.ArcadiaWind.com .
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: NorthWestern Corporation
West Texas Wind Coalitions
West Texas wind energy interests form coalitions
With West Texas emerging as a world leader in wind energy generation, regional leaders are forming a series of locally based coalitions, beginning with a conference in Sweetwater on Jan. 28.
The inaugural meeting of the West Texas Wind Energy Consortium and the Rolling Plains Wind Energy Coalition will be held at noon Friday, Jan. 28, at The Center on the campus of Texas State Technical College West Texas. First National Bank of Sweetwater will host the luncheon.
"We are inviting West Texans with a present or future interest in the rapidly developing wind energy sector to join us in these regional coalitions," said Homer Taylor, chairman of the Consortium, Vice Chancellor of TSTC and former President of TSTC-West Texas. "The wind energy industry carries strong promise for West Texas, and we aim to maximize joint action to capitalize on the value of wind energy to our region."
Only four foreign countries produce more wind energy than West Texas, and the region is projected to contain more than 25 percent of U.S. wind energy production by year-end 2005. This rapidly expanding industry provides substantial job creation and tax base growth for West Texas, and the outlook is strong into coming decades.
The Jan. 28 event is open to landowners, utilities, wind energy developers, cities, counties, chambers of commerce, school districts, and other businesses that participate in the wind energy industry now or intend to in the future. Many West Texas businesses are actively involved in the wind energy sector, including trucking companies, cement suppliers, contractors, attorneys, accountants, motels, restaurants and others.
In addition to the Rolling Plains coalition, the West Texas Wind Energy Consortium will also develop locally based efforts in the Permian Basin, Texas Panhandle and Texas Mountains regions. Together, the combined resources will provide West Texas with a stronger voice in Austin and Washington as policy decisions are made that can further benefit West Texas.
In cooperation with existing institutions and resources throughout West Texas, the objectives of the regional wind energy efforts will include regional economic development, education, job training and legislative action. The Consortium will also coordinate an annual West Texas Wind Energy Trade Fair.
"Now is the time for West Texans to join together to maximize our common economic interests in this important industry," said Greg Wortham, executive director of the West Texas Wind Energy Consortium. "There are many crucial legislative issues and business opportunities for the region in the immediate future, and we are confident that these coalitions will serve as effective forums for concerted action."
For further information, interested persons may call Wortham at (325) 236-9499.
With West Texas emerging as a world leader in wind energy generation, regional leaders are forming a series of locally based coalitions, beginning with a conference in Sweetwater on Jan. 28.
The inaugural meeting of the West Texas Wind Energy Consortium and the Rolling Plains Wind Energy Coalition will be held at noon Friday, Jan. 28, at The Center on the campus of Texas State Technical College West Texas. First National Bank of Sweetwater will host the luncheon.
"We are inviting West Texans with a present or future interest in the rapidly developing wind energy sector to join us in these regional coalitions," said Homer Taylor, chairman of the Consortium, Vice Chancellor of TSTC and former President of TSTC-West Texas. "The wind energy industry carries strong promise for West Texas, and we aim to maximize joint action to capitalize on the value of wind energy to our region."
Only four foreign countries produce more wind energy than West Texas, and the region is projected to contain more than 25 percent of U.S. wind energy production by year-end 2005. This rapidly expanding industry provides substantial job creation and tax base growth for West Texas, and the outlook is strong into coming decades.
The Jan. 28 event is open to landowners, utilities, wind energy developers, cities, counties, chambers of commerce, school districts, and other businesses that participate in the wind energy industry now or intend to in the future. Many West Texas businesses are actively involved in the wind energy sector, including trucking companies, cement suppliers, contractors, attorneys, accountants, motels, restaurants and others.
In addition to the Rolling Plains coalition, the West Texas Wind Energy Consortium will also develop locally based efforts in the Permian Basin, Texas Panhandle and Texas Mountains regions. Together, the combined resources will provide West Texas with a stronger voice in Austin and Washington as policy decisions are made that can further benefit West Texas.
In cooperation with existing institutions and resources throughout West Texas, the objectives of the regional wind energy efforts will include regional economic development, education, job training and legislative action. The Consortium will also coordinate an annual West Texas Wind Energy Trade Fair.
"Now is the time for West Texans to join together to maximize our common economic interests in this important industry," said Greg Wortham, executive director of the West Texas Wind Energy Consortium. "There are many crucial legislative issues and business opportunities for the region in the immediate future, and we are confident that these coalitions will serve as effective forums for concerted action."
For further information, interested persons may call Wortham at (325) 236-9499.
Sunday, January 09, 2005
Wisconsin Adds Wind Energy Production
Wind Energy in Wisconsin Gets a PTC Boost
December 24, 2004
Madison, Wisconsin [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] Alliant Energy is one of the many utilities to take advantage of the one-year extension on the Production Tax Credit for wind developments. The company has plans to add 50 MW to 100 MW of wind generation by the end of 2005 as part of the Forward Wind Energy Center near Brownsville, Wisconsin.
"The passage of the PTC legislation, which we supported, now allows wind to become more competitive with fossil fuels."- Kim Zuhlke, Vice President of New Energy Resources
The addition would bring the company's total wind energy portfolio to about 450 MW. Their total renewable portfolio now stands at approximately 580 MW, which is approaching 10 percent of its total capacity.The project was solicited as part of a request for proposal issued in the spring of 2004. It is moving forward in part due to the passage of the federal Production Tax Credit (PTC) legislation, as well as Alliant Energy's commitment to support Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle's Task Force on Energy Efficiency and Renewables. "We support Governor Doyle's efforts with this addition of wind energy, which is in line with the recommendation from the Task Force," stated Kim Zuhlke, Vice President - New Energy Resources. "In addition, the passage of the PTC legislation, which we supported, now allows wind to become more competitive with fossil fuels. Alliant Energy plans for a diverse portfolio of energy resources, and wind can represent a hedge against rising costs of other fuels."Alliant plans to contract energy from wind energy developer Invenergy, which would allow the project to reach an economy of scale with optimum pricing to be passed on to customers. The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin must approve the project before construction can begin.The site will be located on an area of approximately 50 square miles in Dodge and Fond du Lac Counties and will contain 133 wind turbines.Zuhlke stated that the increase is a step toward meeting the 100 MW renewable portion of Wisconsin Power and Light's (WPL) utility generation plan announced in December 2003. It will provide for an additional 615 total MW in WPL's service territory by 2010. He stressed that the additional wind energy capacity is intended to compliment the 300 MW, simple-cycle natural gas-fired Sheboygan Falls Energy Facility, which is scheduled to be complete in time for the 2005 summer peak season.
December 24, 2004
Madison, Wisconsin [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] Alliant Energy is one of the many utilities to take advantage of the one-year extension on the Production Tax Credit for wind developments. The company has plans to add 50 MW to 100 MW of wind generation by the end of 2005 as part of the Forward Wind Energy Center near Brownsville, Wisconsin.
"The passage of the PTC legislation, which we supported, now allows wind to become more competitive with fossil fuels."- Kim Zuhlke, Vice President of New Energy Resources
The addition would bring the company's total wind energy portfolio to about 450 MW. Their total renewable portfolio now stands at approximately 580 MW, which is approaching 10 percent of its total capacity.The project was solicited as part of a request for proposal issued in the spring of 2004. It is moving forward in part due to the passage of the federal Production Tax Credit (PTC) legislation, as well as Alliant Energy's commitment to support Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle's Task Force on Energy Efficiency and Renewables. "We support Governor Doyle's efforts with this addition of wind energy, which is in line with the recommendation from the Task Force," stated Kim Zuhlke, Vice President - New Energy Resources. "In addition, the passage of the PTC legislation, which we supported, now allows wind to become more competitive with fossil fuels. Alliant Energy plans for a diverse portfolio of energy resources, and wind can represent a hedge against rising costs of other fuels."Alliant plans to contract energy from wind energy developer Invenergy, which would allow the project to reach an economy of scale with optimum pricing to be passed on to customers. The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin must approve the project before construction can begin.The site will be located on an area of approximately 50 square miles in Dodge and Fond du Lac Counties and will contain 133 wind turbines.Zuhlke stated that the increase is a step toward meeting the 100 MW renewable portion of Wisconsin Power and Light's (WPL) utility generation plan announced in December 2003. It will provide for an additional 615 total MW in WPL's service territory by 2010. He stressed that the additional wind energy capacity is intended to compliment the 300 MW, simple-cycle natural gas-fired Sheboygan Falls Energy Facility, which is scheduled to be complete in time for the 2005 summer peak season.
The World Bank Goes Green
World Bank to Purchase 100% Renewable Energy for Washington HeadquartersGreenBiz.comWASHINGTON, Jan. 4, 2005 - The World Bank has announced it will purchase renewable energy for all of its electricity usage at its Washington, D.C. office from WindCurrent, a Maryland-based company that sells wind power to the mid-Atlantic power grid. This purchase will represent enough electricity to power almost 8,000 average homes for a year, and is equivalent to eliminating the carbon dioxide emissions of more than 10,000 cars for a year or planting roughly 15,000 acres of trees, according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency figures. Produced using conventional electricity sources, including coal and gas, this would have generated an estimated almost 60,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. The bank will purchase 85,000,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of renewable energy certificates (RECs) which are allocated for each unit of power from a renewable energy power plant (such as a wind farm). “Wind power creates none of the hazardous emissions or mercury pollution that is associated with producing electricity from burning coal,” said Jim Maguire, the founder of WindCurrent. “The World Bank is serving as a role model for other organizations who want to be environmentally responsible.” As a result of this investment, wind power from the mid-Atlantic region and the Midwest will be supplied to the power grid, replacing electricity generated from less environmentally friendly sources. Electricity from a wind turbine acts the same as electricity generated from any other source. Once the energy leaves the generator and goes into the grid (the "power pool"), it is all mixed together. This commitment to renewable energy is part of an overall “Greening Program” by the bank’s General Services Department (GSD) to focus on sustainable development within the organization. The Greening Program was established to manage the environmental and social impacts of the bank’s Washington, D.C., facilities which promote waste management, environmentally and socially responsible procurement practices and energy conservation. ”Our decision to support wind power with this purchase is consistent with our commitment to sustainability, both within our organization and through our operations. Using renewable power will reduce our office’s environmental footprint, increase demand locally, and set an example for other institutions in the Washington area and globally that using alternative energy is a sound and important choice,” said Van Pulley, director, GSD. WindCurrent provides a way for mid-Atlantic organizations to support clean, renewable wind power. Each large wind turbine generates enough electrical power for hundreds of homes, or dozens of businesses. Leaders in the community are partnering with WindCurrent to encourage the creation of these new sources of alternative energy. “With its investment in renewable energy certificates, the World Bank is demonstrating environmental leadership in the development of new renewable energy sources,” said Kurt Johnson of the U.S. EPA. “The World Bank now qualifies for the Green Power Leadership Club and joins the top ranks of the U.S. EPA’s Green Power Partnership, a voluntary program that supports and recognizes outstanding green power purchasers. Their commitment to renewable energy makes them the fourth largest purchaser in our program,” he said.
Harvard Goes Green
Published on Friday, January 07, 2005KSG Admin To Fund Wind EnergyKSG Dean announcesBy DANIEL J. HEMEL and ANTON S. TROAINOVSKICrimson Staff Writers
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-->Students at the Kennedy School of Government (KSG) found a $5 gift from Dean David T. Ellwood ’75 in their holiday stockings. Ellwood scrapped the clean energy fee from students’ termbills and announced that the school would use its administrative budget to fund the switch-over to environmentally-friendly power sources.
Ellwood’s decision brings an end to a student-led initiative that attached a $5 wind energy surcharge to each semester’s tuition bill. The initiative, which was backed by 58 percent of students voting in a school-wide referendum last February, made KSG the first and only Harvard school to satisfy 100 percent of its electricity needs through clean energy.
Unlike the optional fee that undergraduates at the College approved in a December referendum, KSG students voted to make the clean energy surcharge mandatory.
“Student response has been overwhelmingly positive” in the two semesters since the surcharge was implemented, KSG spokesman Doug Gavel said yesterday. But Ellwood balked at the notion of imposing an additional expense on students.
“As a dean fighting to reduce the cost of education by increasing aid and loan forgiveness, I was quite uncomfortable with adding additional fees to student term bills—regardless of how noble the cause,” Ellwood said yesterday. In his first six months as the KSG’s top administrator, Ellwood has sought to fund the growth of the school’s popular Loan Repayment Assistance Program, which helps KSG grads who take low-salary public sector jobs erase their student debt. The switch to wind energy costs the school an additional $9,000 per year, Gavel said. The school, which ran a $1.1 million surplus last fiscal year, will pick up the tab starting next semester.
SUMMERS COOL TO TERMBILL FEE
Ellwood becomes the latest administrator to voice objections to the idea of financing wind energy certificates through termbill surcharges.
University President Lawrence H. Summers said in an interview Wednesday that “the term bill is to finance the educational mission of the University—not to finance social action of any kind.”
“We believe that students’ charitable or environmental instincts are things they should finance directly rather than through the University with environmental check-offs,” Summers said.
Summers emphasized that “the University is very committed to being environmentally responsible,” and he said he expected Harvard to make a direct clean energy purchase that would far exceed any potential revenues from an optional termbill fee.
But Alexander L. Pasternack ’05, an organizer of the Harvard Students for Clean Energy group, said that a termbill fee brings an educational benefit that would not be matched by direct administrative purchases of wind power.
“Every time someone looks at the termbill—even a parent—they’re confronted with this issue,” said Pasternack, who is also a Crimson editor.
The optional clean energy termbill surcharge drew overwhelming support from undergraduates in December’s referendum, with 82 percent of voters supporting the fee. Later this month, Pasternack’s group will go before the Faculty Council, which must approve any new termbill charge.
Dean of the College Benedict H. Gross ’71 has said he will not recommend that the Council approve the clean energy measure.
Pasternack said he thought that a collaborative purchase of wind energy by College administrators and students “would be the most productive way of getting the most renewable energy soonest.”
But Pasternack also noted that the administrative funds going toward wind energy purchases could otherwise be used to cut tuition. “Ultimately someone’s going to be paying for [wind energy], and it’s probably going to be the students no matter what,” he said.
Ellwood’s move could provide a new impetus for College administrators to channel budget funds toward wind energy purchases.
The School of Public Health also offsets about half its electricity load through wind power certificates, although funds for that program come from the school’s administrative budget—not from student termbill surcharges.
The electric load accounts for approximately half of campus buildings’ energy use. The other half goes primarily toward heating and cooling needs. KSG does not fill its heating and cooling needs through wind energy.
—Staff writer Daniel J. Hemel can be reached at hemel@fas.harvard.edu.
—Staff writer Anton S. Troianovski can be reached at atroian@fas.harvard.edu.
Article Options
Email this article to a friendSend a letter to the editorPrint this articleSee recent articles by John Doe-->
-->Students at the Kennedy School of Government (KSG) found a $5 gift from Dean David T. Ellwood ’75 in their holiday stockings. Ellwood scrapped the clean energy fee from students’ termbills and announced that the school would use its administrative budget to fund the switch-over to environmentally-friendly power sources.
Ellwood’s decision brings an end to a student-led initiative that attached a $5 wind energy surcharge to each semester’s tuition bill. The initiative, which was backed by 58 percent of students voting in a school-wide referendum last February, made KSG the first and only Harvard school to satisfy 100 percent of its electricity needs through clean energy.
Unlike the optional fee that undergraduates at the College approved in a December referendum, KSG students voted to make the clean energy surcharge mandatory.
“Student response has been overwhelmingly positive” in the two semesters since the surcharge was implemented, KSG spokesman Doug Gavel said yesterday. But Ellwood balked at the notion of imposing an additional expense on students.
“As a dean fighting to reduce the cost of education by increasing aid and loan forgiveness, I was quite uncomfortable with adding additional fees to student term bills—regardless of how noble the cause,” Ellwood said yesterday. In his first six months as the KSG’s top administrator, Ellwood has sought to fund the growth of the school’s popular Loan Repayment Assistance Program, which helps KSG grads who take low-salary public sector jobs erase their student debt. The switch to wind energy costs the school an additional $9,000 per year, Gavel said. The school, which ran a $1.1 million surplus last fiscal year, will pick up the tab starting next semester.
SUMMERS COOL TO TERMBILL FEE
Ellwood becomes the latest administrator to voice objections to the idea of financing wind energy certificates through termbill surcharges.
University President Lawrence H. Summers said in an interview Wednesday that “the term bill is to finance the educational mission of the University—not to finance social action of any kind.”
“We believe that students’ charitable or environmental instincts are things they should finance directly rather than through the University with environmental check-offs,” Summers said.
Summers emphasized that “the University is very committed to being environmentally responsible,” and he said he expected Harvard to make a direct clean energy purchase that would far exceed any potential revenues from an optional termbill fee.
But Alexander L. Pasternack ’05, an organizer of the Harvard Students for Clean Energy group, said that a termbill fee brings an educational benefit that would not be matched by direct administrative purchases of wind power.
“Every time someone looks at the termbill—even a parent—they’re confronted with this issue,” said Pasternack, who is also a Crimson editor.
The optional clean energy termbill surcharge drew overwhelming support from undergraduates in December’s referendum, with 82 percent of voters supporting the fee. Later this month, Pasternack’s group will go before the Faculty Council, which must approve any new termbill charge.
Dean of the College Benedict H. Gross ’71 has said he will not recommend that the Council approve the clean energy measure.
Pasternack said he thought that a collaborative purchase of wind energy by College administrators and students “would be the most productive way of getting the most renewable energy soonest.”
But Pasternack also noted that the administrative funds going toward wind energy purchases could otherwise be used to cut tuition. “Ultimately someone’s going to be paying for [wind energy], and it’s probably going to be the students no matter what,” he said.
Ellwood’s move could provide a new impetus for College administrators to channel budget funds toward wind energy purchases.
The School of Public Health also offsets about half its electricity load through wind power certificates, although funds for that program come from the school’s administrative budget—not from student termbill surcharges.
The electric load accounts for approximately half of campus buildings’ energy use. The other half goes primarily toward heating and cooling needs. KSG does not fill its heating and cooling needs through wind energy.
—Staff writer Daniel J. Hemel can be reached at hemel@fas.harvard.edu.
—Staff writer Anton S. Troianovski can be reached at atroian@fas.harvard.edu.
Germany Talks to India on Wind Energy
Germany in talks with India on wind energy23.39 IST 24th Dec 2004 By IndiaExpress Bureau Germany is in talks with India on possible bilateral ties in the area of wind energy and "the two countries are moving very closely to strike a comprehensive understanding"."Germany has already taken up the matter with the Indian government and the indications are positive," German Ambassador Heimo Richter said in an Assocham statement in New Delhi.Germany is the global leader in the production of wind energy and would be able to lend technology support to India for producing this form of non-conventional energy, he said.Though just two per cent of the total energy produced in India is from wind energy, estimates by the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources say the country can harness wind power up to 45,000 mw from the current 3000 mw provided it imports technology and equipment.Of the 40,000 mw wind energy produced globally, Germany alone contributes 16,000 mw and it would be a good idea if India imports technology and tools from the world leader, Assocham president M K Sanghi said.He said though the initial cost for such ventures would be high, the return on the sort of investments in the long run would be highly appreciated.
Wind Energy Developer Purchased
Wind-energy developer bought
Atlantic Renewable Energy has been acquired by a U.S. subsidiary of Scottish Power
BY GREG EDWARDS
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Jan 5, 2005
A Richmond-area developer of wind-energy projects has been bought by a U.S. subsidiary of Scottish Power.
PPM Energy of Portland, Ore., announced yesterday that it has acquired Atlantic Renewable Energy Corp., whose offices are on Church Road in Henrico County. The company will be known as PPM Atlantic Renewable.
Theo J. deWolff, the former principal partner in Atlantic Renewable, said the staff of his company is "delighted to become a part of PPM." The deal closed Dec. 29. The price paid for Atlantic Renewable was not announced.
DeWolff, who will be the managing director of PPM Atlantic Renewable, said the company has 500 megawatts of wind projects in the pipeline in the Northeast scheduled to be in operation by 2010. States in the Northeast and the Midwest have passed some of the nation's strongest requirements that renewable energy become part of their electricity supply.
With the capacity of wind-energy generation in the eastern United States expected to grow by 3,000 to 4,000 megawatts in the next five years, it made sense for Atlantic Renewable to join with a bigger player, deWolff said. Wind Energy projects are capital intensive and PPM Energy, the second-largest wind-power company in the country, has the financial strength to pursue them, he said.
PPM Energy has projects producing 830 megawatts of electricity in operation in seven states and hopes to bring 2,300 megawatts more to market by 2010.
PPM Atlantic Renewable developed roughly two-thirds of the wind-energy projects in the East. The company has developed windmill farms in New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
In 2002, Atlantic Renewable received an award for commercial achievement from the American Wind Energy Association, based in Washington.
DeWolff and partner Bill Moore, who had a background in wind energy, founded Atlantic Renewable in 1998. They saw the coming of electric deregulation as an opportunity to develop wind-energy projects.
At least for the time being, the company's administrative office will remain in Henrico, deWolff said.
Any ideas? Staff writer Greg Edwards can be reached at (804) 649-6390 or gedwards@timesdispatch.com
Atlantic Renewable Energy has been acquired by a U.S. subsidiary of Scottish Power
BY GREG EDWARDS
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Jan 5, 2005
A Richmond-area developer of wind-energy projects has been bought by a U.S. subsidiary of Scottish Power.
PPM Energy of Portland, Ore., announced yesterday that it has acquired Atlantic Renewable Energy Corp., whose offices are on Church Road in Henrico County. The company will be known as PPM Atlantic Renewable.
Theo J. deWolff, the former principal partner in Atlantic Renewable, said the staff of his company is "delighted to become a part of PPM." The deal closed Dec. 29. The price paid for Atlantic Renewable was not announced.
DeWolff, who will be the managing director of PPM Atlantic Renewable, said the company has 500 megawatts of wind projects in the pipeline in the Northeast scheduled to be in operation by 2010. States in the Northeast and the Midwest have passed some of the nation's strongest requirements that renewable energy become part of their electricity supply.
With the capacity of wind-energy generation in the eastern United States expected to grow by 3,000 to 4,000 megawatts in the next five years, it made sense for Atlantic Renewable to join with a bigger player, deWolff said. Wind Energy projects are capital intensive and PPM Energy, the second-largest wind-power company in the country, has the financial strength to pursue them, he said.
PPM Energy has projects producing 830 megawatts of electricity in operation in seven states and hopes to bring 2,300 megawatts more to market by 2010.
PPM Atlantic Renewable developed roughly two-thirds of the wind-energy projects in the East. The company has developed windmill farms in New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
In 2002, Atlantic Renewable received an award for commercial achievement from the American Wind Energy Association, based in Washington.
DeWolff and partner Bill Moore, who had a background in wind energy, founded Atlantic Renewable in 1998. They saw the coming of electric deregulation as an opportunity to develop wind-energy projects.
At least for the time being, the company's administrative office will remain in Henrico, deWolff said.
Any ideas? Staff writer Greg Edwards can be reached at (804) 649-6390 or gedwards@timesdispatch.com
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