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Wind
Wind energy is currently the world's fastest growing energy source. Harnessing the wind's power has been done for centuries on farms and throughout rural areas to generate direct, local sources of energy. Today with new turbine technologies, wind energy can be generated on a large scale, creating the opportunity to produce our electricity from a clean, renewable, and increasingly, more economic resource.
Modern turbines capture the kinetic energy of the wind through the spinning of the turbine blades. The rotation of the blades is used to drive a generator which converts the mechanical energy into electrical energy. Although a variety of turbine models have been designed, most large scale-modern turbines have three blades and are tubular in form. Other types include lattice and guyed-pole (for small scale systems), all of which are shown below.
Types of turbines:
Wind Related Issues
Whenever wind energy is discussed, inevitably environmental issues regarding its advantages and disadvantages arise as well. Among the concerns related to wind energy are noise levels, general aesthetics and impacts on wildlife (particularly birds).
Noise
Although some early models of wind turbines had problems with noise levels, modern turbines have improved blade designs to create slower rotational speeds, reducing noise as well as avian fatalities. These technical advances combined with proper zoning and siting considerations make noise of little concern for communities located near modern wind facilities.
Avian Impacts
One of the most controversial issues surrounding wind development is the concern over potential avian fatalities. In the early 1990's there was a well known case where a wind facility in Altamont Pass, CA was linked to the death of several raptors, a protected species. However, this highly publicized case is one of the very few examples of known collisions sites anywhere in the world. Advances in turbine design as well as a heightened sensitivity to the importance of proper siting and monitoring, both before and after construction, have helped to reduce the likelihood of avian fatalities.
Cost and Land Use
Wind energy is currently one of the most economical sources of renewable energy, and is already competitive with traditional energy sources in some parts of the country. Since 1980, the price of wind has dropped from 40 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) to 4-7 cents today, while reliability has increased from 20% to over 98%.1 This combined with the fact that wind turbines use less than 5% of the land on wind power generation sites, allowing the remainder of the land to be used for farming, ranching etc., make wind an increasingly more viable energy option.
Current Projects in Massachusetts
In Massachusetts, we have several examples of both existing and proposed wind energy projects. Massachusetts has several prime locations for wind development including the hilltops of western MA and along the shorelines and throughout Nantucket Sound. Mass Energy is actively involved in promoting the development of several wind projects in Massachusetts.
The oldest wind facility in the state is owned by the Princeton Municipal Light plant. Located on a mountain top near Mt. Wachusett, the facility has eight 40 kW turbines which produce enough energy to supply about 40 homes a year.
The most recent wind installation in Massachusetts was in November, 2001 when Hull Municipal Light Plant installed a 660 kW Vestas turbine behind Hull's high school (see picture at left). The turbine produces 1.6 million kWh/yr., the equivalent of providing power to 200-250 homes. The town of Hull is in the process of installing a 1.8 MW Vestas turbine at the town landfill. That turbine will produce 4 million kWh/yr! It should be up and running by the summer of 2005.
One of the largest developments in wind power today is a project being proposed in Nantucket Sound by Cape Wind Associates LLC. The project plans for the construction of a 420 MW facility, which would generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of all of Cape Cod’s energy needs. The $500 million project would be located in Horseshoe Shoals, five miles off-shore, and would include 170 turbines, each spaced about 1/2 mile apart. Each turbine would stand 426 ft. in total height and would rotate 15-16 times per minute. Currently, the project is in the permitting phase, a process expected to take 12 to 18 months. If approved, the final project would be constructed and operating by 2005. While we generally support the development of wind power generation in New England, we believe that the environmental impacts on each site must be evaluated independently. Mass Energy has not taken a position on the Cape Wind project. For more information on Cape Wind visit www.capewind.org
For more information on windpower:
National Wind Coordinating Committee
American Wind Energy Association
Danish Wind Industry Association
For more information on Avian Impacts:
‘Avian Collisions with Wind Turbines: A Summary of Existing Studies and Comparisons to other Sources of Avian Collision Mortality in the United States’, prepared by Western EcoSystems Technology, Inc. for he National Wind Coordinating Committee, August, 2001.
Sources:
1. http://www.communityenergy.biz/cei_resources_wind.html
