Wind Power - Location

Location

As wind energy has become increasingly popular, wind projects have development around the globe. Wind in each area of the world has taken on unique characteristics, with offshore and large onshore development in Europe and primarily onshore development in the United States. Wind projects are also being constructed by farmers to yield a “double cropping” benefit from their land.

Offshore vs. Onshore

Most of the offshore wind project development has occurred in Europe. In Germany, 60 – 65% of wind power is from offshore projects. The largest offshore project in the world is the seven 3.6 MW turbine project 10 km off the coast of Arklow, Ireland. Average wind speeds offshore are higher than onshore and are sustained for a longer period of time. A major factor that drives offshore wind project development is that on the shelf right outside the European coastline, the water is fairly shallow.

Offshore development is 50-100% more expensive than onshore development. Offshore projects also face challenges with foundation and cabling issues that don’t exist on shore. Offshore turbines must also be built to require less maintenance than onshore turbines.

Nearly all of the wind project development in the United States has been onshore. The projects in California, Texas, and Iowa, the states that boast the largest installed wind capacity, are all land based.

Siting Authority and Regulations

In the United States, siting authority over wind energy facilities varies from state to state. Jurisdiction rests with a local branch of government, county commissions, planning and zoning board, other local government departments, or at the state level. In some cases, federal government has jurisdiction over siting. For towers greater than 200 feet in height, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lighting and safely regulations apply. The FAA must “determine that facilities do not obstruct or present a hazard to air navigation.”  State guidelines for siting deal with noise, safety, construction related effects, and post-construction monitoring of threatened or endangered species. Groups such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management have also developed siting guidelines.

State’s Role

Some states have taken extra measures to assist wind developers and keep certain areas protected from development. For example, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources has developed a map of “Areas of Concern for Wind Farm Siting.” It indicates where certain precautions should be taken in developing wind farms due to protected natural resources and wildlife. In Kansas, underground installation of power lines is recommended. 

Siting Issues

One of the more controversial issues surrounding wind power is the noise and visual pollution caused by the large turbines. Wind turbines reach over 100 meters into the air with rotating blades that are as big as large airplane wings. Wind projects, especially ones in densely populated areas, must overcome the not-in-my-backyard mentality. Though turbines have become larger with increased technology, they have also become quieter. From a quarter of a mile away, newer turbines are no louder than a typical household refrigerator.

• How does the visual pollution caused by wind turbines compare to other form of visual pollution that people are more comfortable with, such as billboards.

Wind Projects on Agricultural Farms

Farms, undisturbed by large buildings and other objects than can break wind, are often ideal locations for wind turbines. Wind power also allows agricultural farmers to diversify their incomes. Farmers can passively participate in wind power generation by leasing their land to energy companies to put up wind turbines. Leases are typically for a half-acre of land for $2,000.  Across the country, farmers have been active participants in wind energy generation by purchasing their own wind turbines. The amount of money a farmer can make depends on his or her wind resources, cost of connection to the electric grid, buy back rate, and capital cost of the turbine. Active owners can see up to 10 times the returns that passive participants see with their lease payments.  Both methods demonstrate the “double cropping” benefit of wind energy, allowing farmers to continue to grow crops while producing power from a wind system on their land.

Wind in Europe

Europe has been especially aggressive in developing wind projects. As of 2003, Europe had 28,400 MW of wind generating capacity and is projected to grow to 75,000 MW by 2010. Germany has the most wind capacity, with 37% of the world’s capacity, and Spain has the next most. Denmark went from zero wind penetration to 25% in about six years.

The Growth of Wind Power in the United States

The United States has seen significant growth of wind energy over the past decade. In 2005 alone, there were 2,400 MW of wind power capacity installed in the U.S. For 2006, there is a projected 3,000 MW to bring online over the course of the year.  As of June 30, 2006, the United States has 9,971 MW of installed wind capacity, enough to server over 2.3 million average American households. The map below shows the installed wind power capacity of each state as of July 25, 2006.

From year-end 2000 to 2005, the U.S. wind industry has grown at a rate of 29%.  The United State Department of Energy predicts that by 2010, there will be 13,900 MW of installed capacity and 41,700 MW by 2015.  This growth has been greatly aided by the improvement in wind turbine technology, with large new turbines with rated capacities up to 3MW, able to generate up to 120 times as much electricity at one-sixth the cost of turbines from the 1980s.

Wind Resources in the United States

The United States has a vast amount of wind resources. It is common to classify areas into one of seven wind classes according to the wind speeds at a specified height above the ground. With moderate exceptions to account for protected areas, urban areas, wetlands, and other unavailable area, the United States has 3,500 gigawatts of wind capacity with “excellent,” above Class 4, wind resources. Interestingly, the states which boast the largest wind power capacity, California, Texas, Iowa, and Minnesota, do not have a large deal of excellent (Class 5), outstanding (Class 6), or superb (Class 7) wind capacity. They primarily fall in regions classified as having fair (Class 3) or good (Class 4) wind resources. This speaks to the power that public policy has to encourage project development.