Wind Resource Assessment Work in Western North Carolina

Dennis Scanlin Appalachian State University www.wind.appstate.edu

Wind Resource Assessment Work in Western North Carolina

Dennis Scanlin Appalachian State University www.wind.appstate.edu

Class 2 and Above

Public Lands and Wind Resources in North Carolina 35% of land area with class 2 or higher 46% of land area with class 4 or higher

Western NC Wind Assessment Work

Watauga, Ashe & Avery Counties

County Wind Maps for Western NC

True Wind Map Combined With:

       Road data Digital elevation models Public lands Appalachian Trail Town boundaries Utility grid Tax parcel maps www.wind.appstate.edu

Location and Percentage of High Quality Wind Resources in the US Class 6 (4.3%) Class 5 (6.3%) Class 4 & above 27.5%

Land Areas of Wind Power Classes in 24 Western NC Counties Area (acres) Class @ 50m 1 3 4 5 1 + 2 6 7 >= 2 >= 4 Power Density (W/m 2 ) < 100 (100, 200] (200, 300] (300, 400] (400, 500] (500, 600] (600, 800] > 800 (200, > 800] (400, > 800] 3,889,086 1,895,923 473,175 159,767 68,013 30,374 24,275 15,419 771,024 138,000 Percentage of Total 59.32

28.92

7.22

2.44

1.04

0.46

0.37

0.24

11.76

2.1

Wind Resource Analysis by County (acres) Top 5 Counties in Western NC 1 2

99484 36769

3

19294

4 5 6 7 2-7

9360 4576 5120 3242 78361

4-7

22298

Haywood Watauga Buncombe

191061 33596 13976 6592 3182 2688 2668 62705

Ashe

184824 40000 9162 15132 4190 1877 1877 1166 58277 9113

Avery

93356 47809 14302 5396 2303 1729 939 79528 27804 9281 72480 10368 4210 2352 1739 1107 46495 9409

DeLorme Topo USA

True Winds Map

Topo USA & True Winds

Wind Monitoring Activities

Topo USA & True Winds

Summary of Wind Resources by Mean Speed in Western North Carolina • 850,000 acres (12.6%) of western NC has 10 mph (4.5 m/s) average wind speeds or higher 30 meters above the ground, which would be adequate for electricity production • 200,000 acres (3 %) of western NC has 15.6 mph (7 m/s) average wind speeds or higher 70 meters above the ground, which would be adequate for utility scale electricity production

Elevation & Wind Velocity

10 6 5 4 9 8 7 3 2 1 0 6 6.59

6.6

7.2

7.3

8 8.16

9 3600' class 2 4000' class 3 4418' class 4 4690' class 5 M/S @ 50 m M/S @ 80

Approximate Miles of Ridge Required 1850 Miles of Ridge over 3500 ’ in NC All NC 5% NC Blue Ridge Mt. Electric French Broad Haywood Miles of Ridge % of Total

2875 150 22 12 11 5 155% 8% 1% .6% .27

PTS 2010

143 7.7%

PTS 2020

433 23% *Assumed 3.5 rotor diameter spacing (750’) or 8 / mile

Mountain Ridge Protection Act of 1983

• “No building, structure or unit shall protrude at its uppermost point above the crest of the ridge by more than 35’ • Protected mountain ridges are all mountain ridges whose elevation is 3,000 ft and whose elevation is 500 or more feet above an adjacent valley floor

Ridge Law

• “Ridge” means the elongated crest or series of crests at the apex or uppermost point of intersection… and includes all land 100 ft. below Structure must be less than 40’high from top of foundation to uppermost point and 3’ of foundation can be added.

Exemptions to Ridge Law

• Water, radio, telephone or television towers or any equipment for the transmission of electricity or communications or both • Structures of a relatively slender nature and minor vertical projections of a parent building, including chimneys, flagpoles, flues, spires, steeples, belfries, cupolas, antennas, poles, wires, or

windmills

Boone, NC 2MW Mod-1 Turbine: 1979 - 1983

Mountain Ridge Protection Act

• Mr. Cooper has indicated that the exemption for equipment for the transmission of electricity would not apply to the wind farm proposed by TVA

Frequency and Average Wind Speed in Sixteen Compass Directions Site 0003 April

WNW W NW NNW 10 5 0 30 N 25 20 15 WSW SW SSW S NNE SSE NE SE ENE E ESE Wind Frequency Wind Speed MPH

North Carolina Wind Map

Ashe & Watauga County Wind Classes

North Carolina Coastal Resources

10% Blue Ridge Electric 10 % Mt. Electric 10% NC 18 10 2400

Small Residential Scale Turbines could power 1 -3 houses ( 3,000 – 30,000 WWH/yr)

• Legal – “ridge law” – park/forest restrictions • Visual Impacts • Attitudes towards Wind • Avian Impacts • Indirect negative economic impacts – real estate values

Mountain Ridge Protection Act of 1983

• “No building, structure or unit shall protrude at its uppermost point above the crest of the ridge by more than 35’

Exemptions to Ridge Law

• Water, radio, telephone or television towers or any equipment for the transmission of electricity or communications or both • Structures of a relatively slender nature and minor vertical projections of a parent building, including chimneys, flagpoles, flues, spires, steeples, belfries, cupolas, antennas, poles, wires, or

windmills

NC Attorney General

’

s 2/4/2002 letter to TVA

• “The Legislature in 1983 had in mind, the traditional, solitary farm windmill which has long been in use in rural communities, not windfarm turbines of the size, type, or certainly number proposed here…”

Boone, NC 2MW Mod-1 Turbine: 1979 - 1983

Public Lands in North Carolina

Land Ownership

Cherokee Corps Engineers National Park National Forest State PArk TVA Other

Visual Impacts

10 Turbines from 6 miles away

Attitudes

• 2002 Western NC Survey found: – 75% indicating they wanted more wind power – 63.5% support for turbines on ridge tops, 19% against – 79% for single turbines, 9% against – 57.3% supported clusters of 10 or more turbines on ridge tops, 27.5% against – 66% supported turbines near their home, 21% against

Avian Issues

• Perspective • Pre and post construction assessment routine – How many birds use proposed site?

– What kinds of birds use the proposed site?

– How is usage related to time of year/day?

– Are there species of special concern present?

– Does development have potential to impact species of high priority?

– Can research identify impacts and develop mitigation strategies prior to construction?

Wind Activities

3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 1) 2) Wind Resource Assessment a.

NC State Wind Map b.

c.

d.

Anemometer loan program TVA wind assessment work NC Wind Energy Assessment Projects Education a.

b.

Small Wind Workshops at ASU and Solar Center Wind Summit in Boone, NC c.

Anemometer loan program Wind Working Group Economic impact analyses Environmental and Avian Impact analyses Legal/Permitting Issues Attitudinal surveys Web Site: http://www.ncwindpower.appstate.edu

/

In conclusion:



Good wind resources in mountains and along coastal areas in all

 

southeastern states, although not widespread,

 

Technology is available, reliable and economical, Majority seem to support wind energy, although significant opposition exists, significant barriers/ concerns, more possibilities for small wind