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| 30 Oct 2009 03:18:40 pm |
 Guest blog from Kansas: community wind in more ways than one |
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On May 4, 2007, a tornado touched down for a whopping 22 minutes in Greensburg, Kansas. The small town in the southwest corner of the state is a mere 1.7 miles wide, but the twister left a path of destruction two miles across, engulfing 95% of the town’s roads, buildings, businesses and homes.
Nearly two and a half years later, this same town showcased its avowed commitment to rebuilding “better and greener” with the groundbreaking ceremony of the 12.5-MW John Deere Wind Farm. Although just one of “Greensburg Green Town’s” many endeavors to rebuild in a sustainable way, this particular project illustrates a steadfast dedication and cooperation on behalf of local, state, and federal governments, private business, and citizens.
The John Deere Greensburg Wind Farm consists of ten Suzlon turbines, which will produce enough electricity to power 4,000 homes - satisfying 100% of the electricity needs of the citizens of Greensburg. Kansas Power Pool made its second wind power purchase agreement with the Greensburg project, allowing residents to acquire their electricity directly from the wind turbines in their backyards. This Farm will also help Kansas surpass its statewide renewable electricity standard of 10% by 2011 and it puts them on track to reach 20% renewables by 2020.
Vice President of John Deere Renewables, Dave Drescher, called this Farm “the most special community wind project” at the ceremony last Friday, and I couldn’t agree more. This community transformed a devastating incident into an opportunity not only for innovation and creativity, but also to exemplify the strength of the human spirit. The residents of Greensburg have willingly chosen to lessen their carbon footprints and in doing so, have created a new culture of environmentally aware and engaged citizens. It’s no wonder that President Obama called this town a “global example” in his very first address to Congress.
Greensburg has much to be proud of in celebrating the groundbreaking of this wind farm and its residents should be similarly commended for their resiliency and tenacity in creating a “green” paradigm for other towns around the world.
By Anyah Dembling |
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Category : AWEA News
| Posted By : Chris Madison |
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| 28 Oct 2009 08:04:42 pm |
| Obama Administration moves the ball on transmission |
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There was a bright spot on transmission today: the Obama Administration produced a memo of understanding (MOU to the wonks) that will streamline decisionmaking on siting new transmission on federal lands.
This is very significant because much of the new transmission is needed in the West, where most federal lands are. and because federal agencies don't usually cooperate without many meetings and studies. As a result, lengthy delays in obtaining permits from federal agencies to build transmission lines across federal land are a major barrier to accessing the country’s best renewable energy resources.
AWEA CEO Denise Bode voiced enthusiastic support. “The wind industry applauds the Obama administration for recognizing the need to address transmission barriers and enacting a measure to improve the speed and ease with which transmission can be constructed across federal lands. This MOU is an important step towards putting more of our abundant renewable energy resources to use, powering American homes and businesses with clean, domestic sources of energy while creating thousands of high-paying jobs here in America,” she said.
But this is not the only action needed, Bode suggested. “The policy announced today is an important complement to legislative measures that have been proposed in the Senate to update policies that govern how transmission is planned, paid for, and permitted. Investment in our grid has lagged because our transmission policies have failed to keep up with changes in the electric sector, like the growing need to access renewable energy resources...We urge Congress, the Administration, and state and federal regulatory authorities to take further action to streamline transmission permitting processes and implement broad transmission cost allocation policies.” |
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Category : AWEA News
| Posted By : Chris Madison |
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| 27 Oct 2009 07:43:36 pm |
| FERC hands wind companies a transmission setback |
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Transmission remains the single biggest obstacle to realizing the full potential of wind and other forms of renewable energy. The latest proof of this thesis is a decision announced late last week by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The case involved two utilities and several wind generators in the Midwest, and the Midwest Independent System Operator (MISO), the independent entity established by FERC to regulate transmission in a broad area of the Midwest.
The wind generators wanted to connect to the grid, to deliver power to their customers. The companies that operate the transmission in that region, Otter Tail Power Co. and Montana-Dakota Utilities Co. (MDU), a subsidiary of MDU Resources Group, wanted the wind companies to pay almost all the costs for the transmission improvements needed to carry the extra electricity. But the wind companies (and AWEA) argued that since other power generators would benefit from the grid improvements, the costs should be spread more broadly among MISO’s users.
MISO, the grid operator, and FERC, which oversees MISO, sided with the utilities. Their decision--announced quietly late on a Friday afternoon-- illustrates the crux of the “cost allocation” issue that has been a stumbling block for transmission improvements: new transmission infrastructure for wind and other renewables can only be built if the costs are allocated broadly among all transmission users. But getting that accomplished is difficult, if not impossible, under the existing rules (and players) of the game.
AWEA’s Rob Gramlich, senior vice president for public policy, expressed the frustration felt by many in the wind industry, especially since there were less drastic solutions available for solving the problems faced by Otter Tail, and MDU. “This decision is baffling. How did we go from a problem for just two small utilities to a region-wide policy that hinders the transmission investment and renewable energy development that all four Commissioners say they want? It is not hard to guess what cost allocation plan the anti-transmission utilities in MISO will continue to push.”
He added, “At some point FERC and the states will need to exercise some leadership,” and noted that in its ruling last week, the FERC commissioners said their decision was an “interim approach” and that MISO was working on a new cost allocation system that they hope to unveil next year. |
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Category : AWEA News
| Posted By : Chris Madison |
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| 26 Oct 2009 04:12:13 pm |
| More facts on Danish wind |
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Anti-wind groups have been on the attack in Europe, questioning the accuracy of wind use statistics, especially in those countries where wind is making a significant contribution--like Denmark. In response to recent attacks about its practice of exporting wind-generated electricity to its neighbors, the Danish government's wind agency published this comment in a local newspaper:
Quote : In reality part of the wind energy is ‘stored up’ in Norwegian and Swedish hydro-electric reservoirs and returned to the Danish consumers at other times. The Nordic electricity trade benefits all electricity consumers in Northern Europe.
Wind power is exported at market prices in line with all other forms of electricity and the revenue from the electricity trade is shared between Denmark and the recipient country. The average selling price for wind generated electricity was 0.04 to 0.07 DKr./kWh less than the selling price on electricity generated by centre and local cogeneration plants in the period 2005-2007. Consider this to be the price of storing wind power at the Nordic hydro-electric plants. That we would be giving the electricity away is a misapprehension.
Danish electricity consumers have supported wind power with an average of 1.3 bill DKr. a year from 2005-2008 corresponding to 0.035 DKr./kWh. For a household with an electricity consumption of 3.500 kWh this has meant an extra cost of 120 DKr. (≈ $24) a year – two or three times less than Weekensavisen claims using Sharman as source.
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Category : AWEA News
| Posted By : Chris Madison |
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| 23 Oct 2009 10:00:19 pm |
| Wisconsin Anti-Wind Group Takes Some Hits |
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The following correspondence received today from Michael Vickerman, Executive Director of Renew Wisconsin, a group that has been pressing the case for clean energy in that state for a number of years.
Quote : Greetings--
As you know, I believe that the PSC [Public Service Commission of Wisconsin] proceedings on Wisconsin Electric's Glacier Hills wind project will generate much of the factual foundation for the forthcoming rulemaking on wind permitting standards. I would like to call your attention to testimony submitted by three expert witnesses hired on behalf of the applicant. These documents were filed this Tuesday. The witnesses are.
Richard Larkin - State Certified Real Estate Appraiser. His testimony rebuts CWESt property values "study."
William Roberts - PhD in Epidemiology, Former faculty member with the Medical College of Wisconsin (Dept. of Preventative Medicine), former Oklahoma State Epidemiologist. His testimony discusses Nina Pierpont's "research" and rebuts CWESt's acoustical consultant.
Geoff Leventhall - acoustical consultant, PhD in Acoustics. His testimony discusses low frequency noise and rebuts CWESt's acoustical consultant.
Even though these filings take the form of rebuttal testimony, they can stand on their own. You need not read the filings they rebut in order to make sense out of what they're saying. Of all the documents I've read over the years that address wind energy impacts on human health and property values, this group of submission is the strongest IMO. The value of these documents to future wind development in North America is inestimable.
These filings will be entered into the record when the technical hearings begin on November 2nd.
Michael Vickerman
RENEW Wisconsin
Wisconsin Wind Working Group
mvickerman@renewwisconsin.org
www.renewwisconsin.org
To paraphrase Harry Truman, we don't give the anti-wind folks hell--we just tell the truth, and they think it's hell. |
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Category : AWEA News
| Posted By : Tom Gray |
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