Wind Energy Check site windpoweringamerica/

1. Wind Energy Check site http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/

2. Wind energy is a clean, renewable energy source used for electricity generation. • It is the fastest growing energy source in the nation and the world. • The states with the most wind production in order are Texas, California, Iowa, Minnesota, and Washington.The U.S. is now the world leader in wind electricity generation.

3. Advantages of wind energy • The source is free and can be found in most regions of the U.S. • Wind requires few personnel to operate and low maintenance time and expenses. • Wind has no pollution impact on people, wildlife, or habitats. • Wind is waste free. • In over 25 years and with more than 75,000 machines installed around the world, there is no report of anybody ever being harmed by the normal operation of wind turbines. • Wind plants can be built quickly compared to other energy sources. • If a wind plant is damaged, there is no secondary threat to the public (such as in the release of radioactivity, explosions, or the breaching of a dam). • Wind power is "inflation-proof" because it doesn’t use any fuel – once a wind plant is built, the cost of energy is known, and is not affected by fuel price volatility. • Advances in electric transmission will make the clean easy use of wind even more desirable.

4. Disadvantages • Wind does not blow in all locations. The current electric grid does not have the capacity to transport enough electricity to make wind a major producer in electric power. • When the wind isn’t blowing, other types of power plants must be used to make electricity. Techniques are being developed to switch to other wind power plants in other areas when one area does not provide enough wind. • The most serious environmental drawbacks to wind may be its negative effect on wild bird populations and the visual impact on the landscape.

5. Technical Considerations How wind energy works • As portions of the earth are heated by the sun, air rushes to fill the low pressure areas, creating wind. The rotation of the earth also affects the direction of the wind. • Giant wind turbines are constructed in windy areas with wind speeds around 16 mph being optimal. • Wind speed increases with altitude and over open areas with no windbreaks so good sites for wind plants are the tops of smooth, rounded hills, open plains or shorelines, and mountain gaps that produce wind funneling. • Wind Turbines: • Wind turbines can be situated on land or off-shore. • Wind turns the blades which rotate electrical generators. • Small turbines may be used to power a single building. • Large turbines to generate 20 MW usually have blades 250 – 300 ft. in diameter and the tower may be 360 ft. tall • Larger turbines are often grouped together into wind farms with dozens of turbines scattered over a large area which provide power to the electrical grid. • Some wind farms have hundreds of turbines such as the Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center in central Texas with 421 turbines with a capacity of 735 megawatts.

6. Economic Considerations • Wind is a free energy source found throughout most of the nation. • Texas produces more wind energy than any other state. • The cost of wind • is the lowest of all renewable energies - 4.0 - 6.0 Cents/kW-h • is made lower by building larger wind farms in areas of higher wind speed. • is declining rapidly due to advances in electronic monitoring and controls, blade design, and other features • Unlike power plants, many wind plants are not owned by public utility companies. Instead they are owned and operated by business people who sell the electricity produced on the wind farm to electric utilities. These private companies are known as Independent Power Producers. • Most of the commercial-scale turbines installed today are 2 MW in size and cost roughly $3.5 million installed. • A modern wind turbine is designed to operate for more than 20 years and at the end of its working life, the area can be restored at low financial and environmental costs.

7. Environmental Considerations • Wind farms take up less space than most energy sources. • The most serious environmental drawbacks to wind may be its negative effect on wild bird populations and the visual impact on the landscape. • A wind turbine a quarter of a mile away is no louder than a kitchen refrigerator. • No mining or drilling is required for fuel.

8. Legal/Regulatory Considerations • The renewable energy production tax credit (PTC), a credit of 2.1 cents per kilowatt-hour, is the primary federal incentive for wind energy and has been essential to the industry’s growth. • In February 2009, through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Congress acted to provide a three-year extension of the PTC through December 31, 2012.  • The planning and permitting process for new wind facilities can take up to two years or longer to complete. • A state legislated Renewable Energy Standard or Renewable Portfolio Standard ensures that some amount of renewable energy is included in the portfolio of electricity resources serving a state or county. The Texas Renewable Portfolio Standard has been influential in the rapid growth of wind energy in the state. The legislation set a goal of 10,000 MW in renewable energy capacity by 2025.

9. Anticipated Status • It is hoped that by 2030, wind will be able to supply 20% of the electricity needs of the nation. • In order to handle more than 20 %, substantial improvements to the grid systemwould have to be made in order to transport the electricity from remote windfarms. • Here in the USA at the Iowa Stored Energy Park, a $200 million system that will take surplus electrical energy from nearby wind farms and use it to compress and store high pressure air underground will go on line in 2011. When needed, this compressed air can be released into a natural gas fired electricity generating turbine to produce some 268 MW of supplemental power.

10. Wind Summary • Wind energy can play an important role in electricity generation without the controversial effects of pollution, waste disposal and global source competition. It would make improvements to the grid system worthwhile. • Production tax credits have given it a firm position in solving our energy needs. • http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/renewable/wind.html • http://www.awea.org/ • http://science.howstuffworks.com/wind-power.htm/printable