Turn,Turn,Turn
Wind power ispoised for growth
By Mali R. Schantz-Feld
In an era when energy sources are beingdepleted swiftly and environmental awarenessis growing, people are exploring optionsfor clean, renewable energy sources. Bob Dylaninadvertently prophesied a part of the solutionwhen he wrote in the late 1960s, “The answeris blowin’ in the wind.”
A national poll taken in 2005 by Yale University says that 87 percent of Americans support expanded wind farms and 86 percent favor increased funding for renewable energy research. President George W. Bush seems to agree. For the Advanced Energy Initiative, the President’s 2007 budget includes $44 million for wind energy research — a $5-million increase over fiscal year 2006 levels.
The initiative is expected to improve the efficiency and lower the costs of conventional wind turbine technologies and help develop new small-scale wind technologies for use in lowspeed wind environments. Combined with ongoing efforts to expand access to federal lands for wind energy development, this new funding is expected to increase the use of wind energy in the United States dramatically.
Catch the Wind
The U.S. Department of Energy explains that wind is a form of solar energy caused by the uneven heating of the atmosphere by the sun, the irregularities of the Earth’s surface, and the rotation of the Earth. These conditions cause warmer air to move toward cooler air. Wind-flow patterns are modified by the Earth’s terrain, bodies of water, and vegetation.
Wind turbines harness the wind’s power to generate electricity. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) notes that two or three long blades on wind turbines collect the wind’s energy. As the wind blows, the blades spin and the energy of motion contained in the wind is converted into electricity as the spinning turbine blades turn a generator. In order to collect enough energy to power a city, several wind turbine towers may be constructed in groups or rows, constituting a “wind farm.”
Of course, these farms are located in places where substantial wind is available, such as North Dakota, Texas, Kansas, South Dakota, Montana, Nebraska, Wyoming, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Iowa, Colorado, New Mexico, California, Wisconsin, and Oregon. According to the EPA, the Rocky Mountain and Great Plains states have sufficient wind resources to meet 10 to 25 percent of the electric power requirements in these states.
“Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, and the Dakotas are prime real estate for wind projects,” says Dave Nielsen, Vice President of Parsons Electric LLC. “They are close to home and present real opportunities for us.” He notes that Parsons participated in three wind power projects in the late 1990s with contractor M.A. Mortenson Company, Minneapolis, and is anticipating more participation in this sector. “Green energy is a market segment that we are actively pursuing,” he says.
Mortenson is a leading general contractor of wind power projects within the United States and Canada. “We have a dedicated focus on wind power construction,” says Brent Bergland, Construction Executive with Mortenson’s Energy Group in Minneapolis. “We have been in this sector since 1998 and have built 44 projects in 14 states and one province (Ontario) since that time.” Of those projects, 38 have been completed.
“Mortenson and Parsons have a more than 20-year relationship in a variety of projects throughout the United States,” says Bergland. “Parsons has done some electrical work in the wind business and is revamping their efforts to increase business in wind.”
Bergland acknowledges wind power’s “great potential.” He says, “Huge corporations are committing to green power. They are giving a certain percentage of the energy they consume through green power purchase programs.” The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), Washington, D.C., notes that Starbucks Coffee announced a wind power purchase in 2005, and in 2006, grocery chain Whole Foods Market purchased wind power for 100 percent of its operation.
Benefits Abound
According to the AWEA, the benefits of wind energy far outweigh the drawbacks. First, wind causes no pollution, and zero emissions eliminate liability risks and costs associated with radiation or with sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide, mercury, and other pollutants emitted by traditional forms of energy generation. Wind also provides a renewable domestic source of power, removing worries about the future supply of natural gas.
Wind energy saves water, too. Enough water needed to keep a wind turbine’s blades clean of dirt and insects is produced by a small rainfall. The AWEA notes that generating the same amount of electricity as 1 megawatt of wind power, using either fossil fuels or nuclear technology, requires 60 million gallons of water per year for cooling purposes, during which nearly 1 million gallons are lost just to evaporation. The turbines also do not discharge water while creating electricity.
Wind energy costs are more predictable and stable than those of fossil fuel. Wind power usage allows utilities to lock in stable prices for electricity for as long as two decades. This fact is an important consideration, since natural gas, oil, and coal have witnessed dramatic increases in cost in recent years. Wind energy is one of the lowest-priced renewable energy technologies, costing from four to six cents per kilowatt hour, depending upon the wind resource and project financing. Wind energy will also encourage economic development in rural areas, providing income through rent for farmers and the communities served by the utilities. Farmers and ranchers can continue to use their land, devoting only a fraction of it for the turbines. Turbine removal leaves no solid wastes or fuel residues behind.
Beyond rural settings, wind turbines mounted on floating platforms could be situated offshore. For this venue, technology is currently in progress to reduce the weight of the turbine by using composite fibers. Also under development are ways to compensate for wind changes by using sensor-based technology to angle the blades out of the wind to reduce possible turbine damage or other laser-based technology to anticipate wind-speed changes.
Safety for All
Industry innovators are striving to reduce environmental concerns arising from wind turbine use. As a result of some bird and bat mortality at some wind farms, steps are being taken to protect wildlife. The Bats and Wind Energy Cooperative is studying bat behavior and testing ways to prevent and reduce possible fatalities.
The National Wind Coordinating Committee notes that commercial wind turbines cause the direct deaths of only 0.01 to 0.02 percent of all the birds killed by collisions with man-made structures and activities in the United States. The AWEA adds that, in comparison, utility transmission and distribution lines are responsible for 130 million to 174 million bird deaths a year. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with the wind energy industry, conservation groups, and other stakeholders to provide safe guidelines for the location of wind farms.
Wind energy is a viable option to help alleviate the energy crisis. A poll conducted in 2006 by the Opinion Research Corporation, Princeton, New Jersey, noted the absence of “the partyline polarization so evident on many other national issues.” When it comes to inexpensive, clean, and renewable power, Americans are casting their vote for a breath of fresh air on energy issues.
