Big money is backing wind power, and the number of investors ready to step up to the plate continues to grow. But according to an article in Renewable Energy World, that growth is hampered by a lack of a nationwide “electronic transmission superhighway”.

In the sixties America created the interstate superhighways that now crisscross our nation. Now, our country’s energy security depends on a new interstate initiative. Will the U.S. government step up to the plate?

“Across the country, hundreds of wind projects comprising tens of thousands of wind turbines are on hold because no one wants to step forward and pay for upgrades that will primarily benefit others. The obvious solution to this problem is a policy framework that will allow firms interested in building new transmission to collect the costs of the infrastructure investment from those who will benefit from it.”

Richard Sergel, president and CEO of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), and Kevin Kolevar, DOE’s assistant secretary for electricity delivery and energy reliability, have pointed out in recent testimony before Congress that all low-carbon technologies, from large-scale wind projects to concentrated solar power, and even nuclear and “clean coal” technologies, require an updated electric grid because they are most often located in remote areas. The map above shows the Transmission Superhighway Vision put forth by the American Wind Energy Association and American Electric Power, an investor-owned utility that spans 11 states.

Photo Credit: AWEA

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By Arlie Krigel

Wind power is one of the cleanest—yet oldest—forms of energy. Once only found on rural farms, wind turbines are making their way into backyards, modern landscapes, and many, many, business plans. How wind power became one of the fastest growing energies in the world, and where it goes in the future has a lot to do with its historical roots, complicated mechanics, and consumer interest from people like you.

Wind Power History

The history of wind power began in 500 BCE, with wind-powered sail boats along the Nile River. From there, wind power history progressed to China and then Persia, where farmers used windmills to pump water in 200 BCE.

As the technology improved over time, so did windmill applications and fame. By the 12th century, European crusaders had brought wind power technology back home, creating wheat and corn-grinding windmills. These lasted for many years, until Danish scientists created a rudimentary electric version in 1890. These wind turbines were used extensively in the US frontier and other rural country sides, until oil shortage created a new surge of interest in the 1970s. With the government help and consumer interest, modern wind turbines have been spinning ever since.

How does wind power work?

Wind turbines use wind to make electricity. Wind propels the blades, which rotate a shaft, which attaches to a generator to create the power. Size does matter for wind turbines too: in general, the bigger the wind turbine, the more efficient it is. Many commercial wind turbines are often grouped together in patches, called wind farms. But how is a homeowner supposed to install a bunch of giant wind turbines? The answer is small wind.

Wind power for your home

Small wind is the industry name for 100 kilowatt capacity turbines and below. Smaller in both size and capacity, they’re perfect for homeowners and businesses looking to cut bills or become energy independent. Small wind turbines do require sufficient wind speeds and space, however, so they’re not ideal for everyone. You can read more about residential wind power at Renewzle with our articles on Top Five Small Home Wind Turbines and Home Wind Power Options.

Future of Wind Power

The wind industry is going to continue expanding: oil tycoon T. Boon Pickens recently announced a plan to invest $10 billion in the world’s largest wind farm, located in Texas, cities are changing zoning laws to allow wind turbines within city limits, many states are expanding their wind power capacity, and new technology is being developed like a new invention called the Windbelt, which will hopefully create a wind machine ten to thirty times more efficient the ones we have now. There’s never been a more exciting time in wind power history.

Also, ask your congressperson to extend the Renewable Energy Tax Credit, the main federal tax credit supporting wind power generation.

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Utility-scale windpower is an important and growing part of the US energy portfolio. Farms ranging in size from dozens to hundreds of turbines can produce in excess of 60 megawatts of power. Plans for gigawatts of wind power are being proposed all over the globe, and new wind farms are regularly being proposed that outstrip one another to be the largest in their respective locations, or in the world. At the far end of the scale, the largest size wind turbines have a rotor diameter of 126 meters (413 feet), and are estimated to be capable of producing 20,000,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually (enough to power as many as 5000 European homes). Since the power generated by a turbine increases exponentially as it gets larger, new turbines will continue to grow in size.

But small-scale turbines are perhaps a more exciting realm of development. The standard, propeller-style turbine is well established, and there are many suppliers for this kind of generator in a range of sizes. In 2007, Home Power Magazine had a roundup of more than a dozen small wind turbines ranging from 8 feet to 56 feet in diameter (the latter of which is far larger than even a large, inefficient household would need for their power requirements). Green Building Elements had a review of this article last year.
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Residential applications for solar panels have been making news for several years. But as rising fuel prices spur consumers to look for alternate energy sources, another clean power source is beginning to get attention: wind energy.

Even though the residential wind power sector has seen tremendous growth over the last decade, an article in The Arizona Republic estimates that there are still only 4,000 residential wind turbines nationwide. The primary reason that wind energy has been slow to take hold is that wind turbines are fairly visible, and therefore highly controversial, installations. According to the American Wind Energy Association, small wind systems (100 kilowatts or less) need to be at least 30 feet above barriers which might break the force of the air currents reaching the turbine. Right now, the industry recommends wind turbines only for sites that are at least one 1 acre in size. Consequently, wind turbines in urban areas are still quite rare. (In a September 2007 post, earth2tech featured a San Francisco home which sports a turbine, and pointed out that this may be the first urban wind turbine in the country.)

Unfortunately, individual efforts to experiment with wind power, even in outlying areas, have encountered a lot of roadblocks. Proposed turbine installations are usually evaluated by local governments on a case by case basis, since most city zoning laws have height restrictions which would implicitly prohibit turbines. Oftentimes, even if permission is granted and a turbine is erected, neighbors unite to fight the decision. (For individual turbine projects that have made news for seeking exceptions to local codes, see these articles on Wayne, New Jersey and Atlanta, Georgia). (more…)

With SoCal Edison the hits just keep coming, as the utility has signed a new contract to receive up to 909 megawatts of wind power from DCE, an affiliate of Caithness Energy.

To be built between 2011 and 2012, the Caithness Shepherd’s Flat project in North-Central Oregon will involved 303 wind turbines across 30 square miles. This will make it one of the world’s largest fully permitted wind farms, but it won’t require any additional or upgraded transmission lines, speeding the time frame for operation.

The project is expected to generate 2 billion kilowatt-hours per year of renewable energy - more than 10% of SCE’s total renewable energy portfolio.

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When you think about New Jersey, wind power probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. However, a growing number of communities are working to change the image of the state as a factory and freeway-filled wasteland into one of a sustainable energy empire.

As The Star Ledger reports, the township of Montclair recently installed two wind turbines that will generate 2,000 watts of energy—enough to power one of the town’s water supply tanks. While that may not seem like a huge achievement, consider this: The tank holds 2.5 million gallons of water.

And Montclair’s wind power effort isn’t even close to the only one in the state. In fact, New Jersey is plotting one of the most ambitious wind energy projects in the country.
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Nebraska’s location in the U.S. makes it one of the most promising states in terms of wind energy, only it’s been something of an underachiever till now. But the public utility Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) hopes to change that, and has made a move this week aimed at boosting the state’s wind energy production.

NPPD this week signed a contract under which Grand Forks, North Dakota-based National Wind Assessments will set up and monitor 10 60-meter-tall meteorological (met) towers to collect regional wind data and determine which are the best places in Nebraska to put up wind farms. The towers will need to be in operation for about a year before NPPD can make the best decisions about where to locate wind-power facilities.

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The giant wind turbines on the west coast of Ireland stand not only on the geographical limits of Europe, but also on the cutting edge of a revolutionary technology that makes wind power more reliable and valuable. The 32 megawatt (MW) Sorne Hill wind park will be Europe’s first to integrate a large scale battery back-up system that ensures a reliable supply of electricity regardless of how the wind blows.

“The battery enables large amounts of energy from wind or solar power to be stored, managed, controlled and sent into the electricity grid when it is needed. It doesn’t matter whether the wind is blowing or not; the battery makes the electricity output predictable and reliable,” said Tim Hennessy, CEO of VRB Power Systems, the battery manufacturer based in Vancouver, Canada.
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Texas comes out on top in the American Wind Energy Association’s (AWEA) 2007 rankings of wind energy leaders, not only in its overall total number of wind turbines but in the amount of new capacity added last year.

Texas wind turbines generated 4,446 megawatts of energy in 2007 — enough to power nearly 1.2 million homes. The state added 1,618 megawatts of new wind power capacity last year, more than double the amount of second-place Colorado.

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Wind Energy Systems Technology (WEST) will use old oil platforms to support new wind turbines. Herman Schellstede, CEO of WEST, holds sixty-seven U.S. patents and ten international patents, and is a naval architect and marine engineer. His partner, Harold Schoeffler, is a longtime Louisiana environmentalist, having co-founded Save Our Coast. The company is presently engaging in wind monitoring activities, shown in the picture at left. Still, I haven’t seen any announcement of any turbines actually being built on these recycled oil platforms. Wired has a nice story with great visuals dating from Feb. 2007. If anyone has more recent news, please comment below. Remaking old oil platforms into clean energy sources is a beguiling idea, but it would be even more charming to actually see wind turbines producing wind off the coast of Texas.