Transcript ASU Wind Mapping

Wind Energy
Perspectives
Riverview Community Center, Ashe County
April 5, 2007
Dennis Scanlin & Brent Summerville
Western North Carolina Renewable Energy Initiative
Our Wind Resource
Location and Percentage of High Quality Wind
Resources in the US
Class 6 (4.3%)
Class 5 (6.3%)
Class 4 & above 27.5%
North Carolina Wind Resources
24 County Western NC Wind Map
Acres of Windy Land in WNC
Class >= 2 [small wind] 771,024 acres
Class >= 4 [utility wind] 138,000 acres
Wind Resource Analysis by County (acres)
Top 5 Counties in Western NC
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
2-7
4-7
Haywood
99484
36769
19294
9360
4576
5120
3242
78361
22298
Watauga
93356
47809
14302
5396
2303
1729
939
72480
10368
Buncombe
191061
33596
13976
6592
3182
2688
2668
62705
15132
Ashe
184824
40000
9162
4190
1877
1877
1166
58277
9113
Avery
79528
27804
9281
4210
2352
1739
1107
46495
9409
County Wind Maps
Windmaps for the 24 counties in WNC available at:
www.wind.appstate.edu
What are we doing with all this wind?
Large range of scale
10kW on NY Farm
Buffalo Mtn, TN
Wind Energy is Reliable and Cost Effective
Wind has become the least
expensive and fastest growing
source of electricity in the world
-details at www.gwec.net
Wind Energy Cost Competitiveness
¢/kWh
14
12
10
8
6 4.2
4
2
0
12.8
Value
of
PTC
4.2
Source: BTM Consult
8.2
5.0
5.2
8.7
Possible Ashe County Project
•Richard Calhoun has applied
for a permit to install a 50 MW
wind farm in Ashe County
•This would be the first utilityscale project in the state
•For more information, visit
the NC Public Utilities
Website at:
http://www.ncuc.net/
Docket #SP-167 Sub 1
Potential Impacts
•
•
•
•
•
Birds
Bats
Sound
Visual
Economic
How Much Mortality?
• National estimates of
mortality range from
approximately 1.8 to 2.2
bird deaths per turbine
per year or about 30,000
birds killed annually in the
US
(Erickson et al, 2001)
• TVA 2000 -2003 study
documented 7.7
birds/turbine/year.
(TVA, 2002)
Bat Interactions with Wind Turbines
The Problem:
•
•
•
•
Florida Power & Light’s Backbone Mountain Wind Farm in West Virginia has had a high
bat mortality estimated to be 40 bats/turbine/year.
TVA documented 21 – 64 bats/turbine/year
The Backbone Mountain Wind Farm consists of 44 turbines rated at 1.5MW positioned
along a prominent Appalachian ridge line.
TVA has 18 turbines
Photo from BCI
How Much Mortality?
Compared to other forms
of bird mortality:
Tower kills
4-50 million
Vehicle kills
60-80 million
Window strikes
98-980 million
Transmission line kills
10,000-174 million
Towerkills.com (12/10/02)
(Erickson et al, 2001)
NC Tower Locations
• Learn more
about impact
assessments on
April 17th
Noise
 45 decibels at 350
meters (1000’)
 Complaints are rare
with newer turbines
Noise typically tracks
ambient noise fairly
closely
 non-mechanical
swishing noise
 Refrigerator
Dips & hollows
downwind: sound can
travel further
Visual Impacts
• Visual impacts
diminish rapidly with
distance
• Only visible about 5
miles
• Visual impacts can be
accurately modeled
with computers
Turbines 1.5 miles away
Wind Turbines 3 miles in the Distance
10 Turbines from 6 miles away
Land Value Impact
•
•
•
•
Renewable Energy Policy Project (REPP), examined 10, large (10+ MW)
wind projects across the US, developed since 1998 looking at pre and post
development land values. The REPP investigation could find no negative
impact.
Study conducted for Kittitas County, Washington determined that no
negative land value impact was found within the viewshed of the 13 projects
examined.
Energy Center of Wisconsin conducted a detailed parcel by parcel analysis
of land transactions within the viewsheds of the REPP sites and concluded
that the impact was not systematically negative or positive.
ASU Energy Center looked at 15 projects east of the Mississippi River
(eight in the Appalachian Region) that were at least 5MW in size. There was
no statistical difference between the wind project counties and control
counties on pre and post land values.
Sustainable Economic Development
Each 100 MW of wind energy development in region will
produce approximately:
•
$27 million in direct, indirect, & induced economic
benefit to state during construction and $3 million each
year during operation
•
$7.32 million paid in wages during construction and
$1.35 million in wages each year during operation
–
250 jobs during construction
–
45 long term jobs
•
Property tax revenue: approximately $550,000/year in
NC (low by national standards)
•
Land Lease Payments: $250,000 - $400,000/year (2-3%
of gross revenue or $2500-4000/MW/year)
•
Approximately 350 million kWh every year, at a
competitive price and without any air pollution or energy
price increases. Enough to power 33,000 houses.
Each MW of wind development costs approximately $1million dollars
Each MW of wind will produce between 3 – 3.5 million kwh/year on a good wind
site.
Environmental
Benefits of Wind
•
No emissions of any kind during
operation
– No SOx, NOx, particulates or
mercury
– No contributions to regional
haze
– No greenhouse gases
– No water pollution or use
•
No toxic wastes or health impacts
– Nuclear waste transport and
storage unresolved
– Respiratory diseases of
growing concern
•
•
Positive Economic Impact
Global climate change is a serious
concern to every major political
entity worldwide
– We have the resource, therefore
We can be part of the solution
Beech Mt. NC
Conclusions
Excellent wind resources in mountains and in
coastal areas
Positive Impacts exceed Negative Impacts
Potential Negative Impacts can be identified,
assessed and largely avoided before
construction
Issue is not Wind Energy or nothing, but how
we satisfy our needs in the most responsible
way
Thanks
• Brent Summerville
• Dennis Scanlin
• 828-262-7333
• [email protected]
• wind.appstate.edu
This presentation is available at wind.appstate.edu
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