Bullet Points: No Longer Tilting at Windmills

NO LONGER TILTING AT WINDMILLS
Robert Thresher (director of the National Wind Technology, National Renewable Energy Laboratory); Robert Gramlich (American Wind Energy Association)

• At current growth rates, 100,000 megawatts of wind power could be installed by 2020
  • Generate 20% of the nation’s electricity
  • Support 500,000 jobs
  • Reduce greenhouse gas emissions equal to taking 140 million vehicles off the road
  • Save 4 trillion gallons of water
• This would require 300 gigawatt wind power installations
• Increasing wind power to this level from 11.6 gigawatts in 2006 would require significant changes in transmission, manufacturing, and markets
• In July 2007, wind produced less than 1% of the nation’s power, but it grew 45% that year, and is increasing steadily
• In 2008, US passed Germany to become world leader in wind generation, generating more than $18 billion in revenue and doubling installed wind power generating capacity since 2006
• 21,000 megawatts of capacity are expected to generate 60 billion kilowatt hours of electricity in 2009, enough to serve 5.5 million American homes
• This capacity is estimated to displace the burning of 30.4 million short tons of coal (enough to fill a coal train that would stretch 2,000 miles, from Washington DC to central Utah)
• The American Wind Energy Association calculates 60 billion kilowatt hours of wind power will displace 91million barrels of oil or 560 billion cubic feet of natural gas — about 9% of the natural gas used for US electricity generation
• US wind site capacity is 78% coastal in 28 states. Currently 2/3 of wind transmission is in Texas; 43 states have some wind capacity
• Going off shore is 30-50% more expensive
• Initiatives to Improve Wind Turbine Performance:
  • Avoid problems before installation
    • Improve reliability of turbines and components
    • Full-scale testing prior to commercial introduction
    • Development of appropriate design criteria, specifications, and standard
    • Validation of design tools
  • Monitor performance
    • Monitor and evaluate turbine and wind-plant performance
    • Performance tracking by independent parties
    • Early identification of problems
  • Rapid deployment of problem resolution
    • Develop and communicate problem solutions
    • Focused activities with stakeholders to address critical issues
    • The Gearbox Reliability Collaborative (GRC) initiated by the National Renewable Energy Labortory (NREL) has established significant frameworks