I’m not one to think a hydrogen economy is right around the corner – let’s make sure our energy efficiency and current renewable technology are maxed out first – but this invention caught my eye.

The WindHunter is the concept of an offshore, floating system of wind turbines that make electricity, electrolyze sea water, and make hydrogen. The architects of the idea envision four two-megawatt wind turbines mounted on a moveable framework connected to the deck of a ship. The electricity produced from the turbines is sent to four electrolyzers in the hulls or inside the deck, and then the collected hydrogen is compressed and stored in tube tank trailers until transported to shore. From the website:

“This continuously manned, safe and stable system will be easily maintained on-board while relocating to the best wind conditions for the wind turbines…. These large ships or platforms will operate out of sight of land either moored or anchored while facing into the wind and the oncoming waves. Millions of them can operate on the world’s oceans with minimal environmental impact and human resistance.”

The WindHunter is an interesting concept and we’re going to need to consider all ideas to transition ourselves to a clean energy economy. But this system has quite a ways to go before it sees the light of day, let alone feels an ocean breeze. The WindHunter company is in Phase One of developing a feasibility study of a vessel and its wind turbines. Next come the design, build, and launch of the system and then finally producing the hydrogen. According to the company, the estimated total cost is $100 million of the research and design process, and could take at least six years.

Via Ecogeek
WindHunter

With more than 6,000 megawatts (MW) of wind energy projected for the Pacific Northwest, many communities anticipate an influx of new jobs. But who’s going to prepare the workers for this high-tech, emerging field?

 The Columbia Gorge Community College on the boundary of Oregon and Washington is offering the first training for wind energy technicians on the West Coast. Its location near the center of the Columbia River Gorge is a focal point for wind development in the region and makes the school a natural choice to train the new generation of clean energy technicians. Susan Wolff of Columbia Gorge told Wind Energy Weekly:

“Seeing all the wind turbine components being transported through the Gorge signaled the possibilities of jobs for our region. A feasibility study was completed and resulted in the creation of a new program to provide a highly skilled workforce to this rapidly growing industry.”

The college has partnered with the industry to develop a curriculum for the six-month pilot program that began in January. The Wind Turbine Maintenance Technician Training project will also include a one-year certificate and two-year degree programs that begin this fall. Those industry partners include Clipper Windpower, GE Wind Energy, PPM Energy, Suzlon, Vestas, and Western Wind Power.

Columbia Gorge Community College
Wind Energy Weekly

North Dakota – the top state for wind power according to the American Wind Energy Association – is far behind less windy states in utilizing its clean, powerful natural resource. But that gap will soon narrow.

A $250 million wind farm is planned for Langdon in the northeast corner of the state. The 106 wind turbines will start spinning later this year or early next year, pumping out 159 MW of electricity – enough to power about 48,000 homes. The Langdon Wind Project is a partnership between Minnkota Power Cooperative of Grand Forks, Otter Tail Power of Minnesota, and FPL Energy of Florida, the world’s largest wind developer. From the Fargo Forum:

Fargo Mayor Dennis Walaker was on hand for the announcement, which he applauded as a big step in North Dakotas development of renewable energy.

We understand this is not going to replace everything, Walaker said, but added that it will help reduce the nations dependency on foreign oil. I am so happy that this has gone forward.

The project will produce 10 permanent full time jobs, 50 construction jobs, $1 million in yearly sales tax revenues, a half million in yearly property tax revenues, and a half million in yearly lease payments and royalties to landowners, according to FPL. A 35-mile transmission line and substation will also be upgraded.

American Wind Energy Association
Fargo Forum
U.S. Department of Energy

A new company called General Compression says it will commercialize its idea for storing wind energy. Using compressed-air energy storage and a $5 million round of seed funding, the Massachusetts company plans to use compressed-air technology to store energy from wind turbines.

A typical wind turbine has a generator that sits on the turbine (the nacelle), and the electricity from the generator goes down the turbine and onto the grid. General Compression places an air compressor on the nacelle that sends highly compressed air down the tower and into underground storage (like a cave or empty gas well) or through pipelines. The pressurized air can be expanded and released when needed to make electricity. According to the General Compression website, this power would be “the lowest cost per megawatt of any wind farm in the world." See a video of the technology here.

If this idea works, it would revolutionize the wind power industry. Using compressed air to store energy is not a new idea, but companies have been wary of pursing commercialized concepts in the past because of the cost and technology barriers. But with the cost of wind power falling and worries of fossil fuel prices increasing, there’s a renewed interest.

Josh Magee, senior wind analyst at Emerging Energy Research, told CNET news.com:

"If you could figure out a way to do it cost effectively and show [utilities] you can be very profitable at it…then you would have the ability to rapidly scale wind power. If all of the sudden you had capacity, you can make a bigger dent in climate change, energy security and make a significant contribution to peak demand."

Currently a prototype device of the air compressor exists and a large-scale version is being tested later this year. General Compression plans to test on a turbine in the field in 2008.

General Compression has to overcome quite a few hurdles to make this concept a reality, including finding appropriate sites for their wind turbines, which not only have to be located in windy areas, but also near geological formations suitable to storing compress air. However the company says that where the geology isn’t conducive to storage, underground pipelines could store 6-12 hours of a wind farm’s power.

CNETNews.com, via EcoToolbox.com
General Compression

Hong Kong just announced a tiny wind turbine, and now the world’s largest is coming out of Germany. The Repower 5M is an enormous machine, standing nearly 400 feet high and producing 5 MW of power. It has a 400 foot diameter blade span and is the largest and supposedly the most efficient turbine in the world.

Manufactured by Repower Systems out of Hamburg, the first 5M turbine was erected offshore near the coastal city of Brunsbuttel and came online a year ago as a pilot project. Repower believes that they can get double the electricity by siting the turbines offshore rather than on land because of increased speeds and frequency. From Repower:

"Wind farms with turbines of this size achieve outputs similar to conventional power plants. This in turn puts high demands on the control and regulation system because optimised integration into the power grid is essential…The 5M can be integrated without difficulty into the grid, just as any other power plant of its size."

The first permanent proposed site is 15 miles off coast of Scotland in 144 feet of water as part of the Talisman DOWNVIND project supported by the European Union.

Check out Power Engineering International for an involved discussion of the engineering challenges Repower faced.

Repower Systems
Power Engineering International

The tiny town of Rock Port, MO (pop. 1,395) has entered the renewable energy big leagues with its plan to get all of its electricity from wind power.

With the help of the Wind Capital Group to build the wind farm and John Deere Wind Energy to finance it, Rock Port may be the first town in the nation to get all of its electricity from wind power. The town will rely on four Suzlon brand wind turbines, generating up to 5 MW. Any extra electricity produced will be sold to the Missouri Public Utility Alliance (MUPA), which will distribute it to a collection of communities. Conversely, if wind power can’t keep up with Rock Port’s demand (for example, during an extended hot spell), MUPA will provide it with extra energy. But on average, the four turbines are expected to support at least 100 percent of the town’s needs. Roger Pennel of Rock Port’s R&L Country Fresh Meat told the local ABC affiliate:

"Hopefully we can be the number one renewable county in the world…It’s just one step closer to rural America coming back.”

The turbines are expected to be up and spinning this summer.

American Wind Energy Association
KQTV

My post last week on offshore wind drew good discussion points on wind power, as well as folks skeptical of the whole industry. But wind power cannot be brushed aside as a treehugger’s fantasy. From coast to coast, wind power is a reality: Farmers own their own turbines, school districts power their facilities with them, or landowners lease their property to wind developers and collect royalty payments. I know of a hog farmer who is now a full time wind farmer, and higher education institutions that offer wind turbine maintenance certification. Clearly, wind power is here to stay.

But there are still misunderstandings and legitimate opportunities surrounding wind power, so here are some issues swirling around the world’s fastest growing energy source.

Cost: The cost of wind power continues to plummet, and it’s now on par with traditional energy sources. In fact, there are several cases where customers who originally paid a premium for wind power on their electric bill ended up with lower bills than their neighbors who relied solely on fuels like natural gas. While the cost of natural gas is volatile, the fuel for wind power is always free.

Wildlife: Modern wind turbines are not massacring birds. The Audubon Society endorses wind power, and a study by Western EcoSystems Technology found that cats kill more birds annually than wind turbines. The problems of the Altamont Pass wind farm in California – which was constructed in the 1980s on a migratory path for raptors – are often cited as proof that turbines in general are dangerous for birds. But with more modern siting techniques and technology (such as blades that revolve more slowly so birds can spot them), there is rarely a problem with bird deaths.

Storage and reliability: A commercialized technology that allows for wind power storage would be a revolutionary advancement (there are companies working on it). But I’m not worried about shivering in the dark because we’re not moving to 100 percent wind power tomorrow. The U.S. is not even close to the point at which storage should hold us back from wind. Instead, we should be working towards getting as much wind onto the grid as it can reasonably handle as fast as possible. Nationally, we get less than 1 percent of our electricity from wind, while some European countries are getting 20 percent from it and without any storage. According to the American Wind Energy Association, a flexible, diverse energy system that includes natural gas and renewables like hydropower can provide the “storage” or backup reliability. In fact, Xcel Energy, one of the largest utilities in the nation, has proposed more wind and hydropower to accommodate the growing need for baseload generation. A spokeswoman from Xcel explained, “[The] package was the best way – from an environmental, economic and reliability standpoint – to meet the remaining future needs of our electricity customers in the Upper Midwest.”

Furthermore, a study prepared for the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission found that wind power can reliably contribute up to 25 percent of the Midwest’s electricity with minimal cost if supported with good regulatory policies and modern transmission lines.

Wind power is here to stay, and as even more companies and individuals take advantage of it, the rest of the country will feel the impact: Stronger rural economies, less dependence on fossil fuels, cleaner air and water, and cuts to our global warming pollution.

For more information, check out the Green Life Guide.

American Wind Energy Association
Audubon Society
Earth Policy Institute
Midwest Wind Integration Study (2006)
United States Forest Service
Xcel Energy

A new study funded by the University of Delaware and Stanford University reports that offshore wind power could supply almost all of the East Coast’s energy needs. This is the first time a study has looked at just how much wind energy offshore farms could produce in this area of the country.

Wind power has had to fight some battles out East, most notably on Cape Cod, MA. There, some residents argue that the proposed offshore wind turbines would be visible from shore and ruin the area’s pristine view. I think global warming may take care of that job, anyway…

The study found that the most efficient area for offshore wind is a region called the Middle Atlantic Bight, which runs from Cape Cod, MA to Cape Hatteras, NC. The shallow water along this area would make it possible to put up a large amount of turbines. Current technology only allows turbines to be erected in water about 60 – 90 feet deep, although Scotland is experimenting with turbines in 150 feet of water. The study’s author, Willet Kempton, believes that some day soon wind power could pop up in as deep of water as 300 feet.

And that’s the depth the East Coast turbines would need in order to generate power efficiently. The study suggests that the installation of 160,000 turbines spread along the Bight area out to a depth of 300 feet would be more than enough power for the whole East Coast. Even better, this clean electricity would cut global warming pollution by 57 percent. Sound far fetched? Not to Kempton: “I think it’s a 100 percent probability [that this project will be built].”

Live Science

Some believe that wind turbines will dot the landscape of rural and suburban America as homeowners rush to get their power from the wind.

Business 2.0 reports that a dozen U.S. companies are positioned to sell turbines that can fit in a person’s backyard and power their home. For example, the Skystream 3.7 is a model created by Southwest Windpower, in partnership with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The Skystream can supposedly provide up to 80 percent of a home’s electricity. It’s 33 feet tall and has six foot blades, which is pretty small for a turbine. Honestly, I’m a bit skeptical that it could produce that much electricity for a house unless it’s located in an extremely windy area.

But small wind manufacturers seem optimistic, especially with friendlier government policies for renewable energy sprouting up in a number of states and the federal government. Congress could pass a bipartisan bill giving a 30 percent tax credit equivalent for the cost of a turbine, in addition to states’ incentives and rebates. Small wind manufacturers are also being strategic with their business plan: Many are targeting wealthy consumers with larger plots of land who are more likely to be able to afford the $13,000 turbine.

Business 2.0, via CNN

The Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) is responsible for delivering hydroelectric power within a 15-state region of the central and western United States. WAPA – an agency of the U.S. Department of Energy – has a transmission system that carries electricity from 57 power plants to homes and businesses across a great portion of this country.

Stifle that yawn! The exciting news is that its new administrator is gung-ho on wind power. Tim Meeks took over the top spot last week, and pointed out to the Closed Circuit newsletter that the percentage of Federal hydropower WAPA is providing is decreasing because of customers’ growing needs for energy. But wind power can help alleviate this need:

Another area we are focusing on is integrating wind into the existing transmission system. Wind energy is here. It's a renewable resource that is getting a lot of attention both from consumers and politicians. Wind energy is the world's fastest-growing energy technology. We need to do what we can physically to make it easier for wind generators to connect to the system.

This is important because a big issue with new wind power is making sure that there is enough room on the wires – the transmission system – to handle the extra power. Having a major power administrator welcoming wind and committing to getting more of wind on the electric grid bodes well for a continued, booming expansion of this vital energy source.

Western Area Power Administration
Closed circuit newsletter