Siting and Taxing Wind Farms in Illinois Wind Permitting Spatial Considerations 2007 December 13 Peoria, IL John Dunlop American Wind Energy Association
Wind Power Taking Off in U.S.
State RES Requirements *WA: 15% by 2020 OR: 25% by 2025 (large utilities) 5% - 10% by 2025 (smaller utilities) ND: 10% by 2015 MT: 15% by 2015 MN: 25% by 2025 (Xcel: 30% by 2020) WI: requirement varies by utility; 10% by 2015 goal VT: RE meets load growth by 2012 ME: 30% by 2000 10% by 2017 - new RE NH: 23.8% in 2025 MA: 4% by 2009 + 1% annual increase *NV: 20% by 2015 IA: 105 MW RI: 16% by 2020 CT: 23% by 2020 NY: 24% by 2013 CA: 20% by 2010 CO: 20% by 2020 (IOUs) *10% by 2020 (co-ops & large munis) IL: 25% by 2025 MO: 11% by 2020 NJ: 22.5% by 2021 PA: 18%¹ by 2020 MD: 9.5% in 2022 AZ: 15% by 2025 NC: 12.5% by 2021 (IOUs) 10% by 2018 (co-ops & munis) *DE: 20% by 2019 NM: 20% by 2020 (IOUs) 10% by 2020 (co-ops) DC: 11% by 2022 *VA: 12% by 2022 TX: 5,880 MW by 2015 State RES HI: 20% by 2020 State Goal Solar water heating eligible
U.S. Wind Power Locations Washington 818 Oregon 438 California 2376 Idaho 75 Utah 1 Montana 146 Wyoming 288 Colorado 291 North Dakota 178 South Dakota 44 Nebraska Nebraska 20 73 Kansas 364 Minnesota 895 Iowa 931 Wisconsin 53 Illinois 107 Total: 12,634 MW as of 06/30/07 Michigan 3 Ohio 7 WV 66 New York 370 Pennsylvania 179 VT 6 NH 1 ME 42 MA 4 Rhode Island 1 New Jersey 8 New Mexico 496 Oklahoma 595 Tennessee 29 > 1,000 MW 100 MW-1,000 MW Alaska 2 Texas 2749 < 100 MW Wind farm currently under construction (not necessarily comprehensive) Hawaii 63
Providing 20% of Nation s Electricity from Wind Power Would require a total of 305 GW installed by 2030 Compared to the cumulative 15 GW that will be installed by end of 2007
Spatial Considerations in Siting Wind Turbines Wind resource Access to transmission Turbine spacing Property ownership Safety zones Potential annoyance Visual perception Sound emissions Solar flicker
Wind Resource Location Location Location
Older vs. Modern Wind Plants Palm Springs, California Top of Iowa, Joice, Iowa
Power in the wind increases proportionally to the cube of the wind speed 160 140 Compare: Site A 7 m/s Site B 8 m/s Power is 50% greater 50% more energy 50% greater pollution reduction 50% greater electricity sales Siting for project productivity is highly important! 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 Wind Speed Power Site A Site B
Transmission Challenge We built our cities where the wind doesn t blow 100 s or 1000 s of MW can be added to existing transmission system 10 s or 100 s of GW will require major transmission upgrades
Transmission Needs
Project site proximity to electricity collection and transmission systems with adequate capacity is essential
Turbines Are Getting Bigger... 1981 1985 1990 1996 1999 2000 2005 2008 rotor diameter (in meters) 10 17 27 40 50 71 104 120 rated capacity (in kilowatts) 25 100 225 550 750 1,650 3,600 5,000
Altamont Pass Typical Early Turbine 15 m diameter 22 m tower 65 kw Altamont Pass, CA - 1982
How big is a modern wind turbine? 93 m. 60 m Boeing 747 60 m wing tip-to-tip Siemens 2.3 MW turbine 93 m diameter
Modern Turbine Siemens 2.3 MW turbine 93 m diameter rotor 80 m tower
Siemens blades, Port of Duluth, 2006 August
Consequences of larger turbines Aggregate Project Performance Turbines have a wind shadow of up to 10 rotor diameters Distance between turbine rows Early Turbines ~ 90 m (football field) Modern Turbines ~ 550 m (1/3 mile) Turbines per 160 acres Early Turbines ~ 30 Modern Turbines ~ 1 Micrositing (specific locations for turbines) can have a dramatic impact on project performance
Consequences of larger turbines Wind Resource Allocation Turbines closer than 10 rotor diameters upwind (in dominant wind direction) may degrade turbine performance (no matter who owns the wind) Turbine layout needs to consider potential neighboring wind projects Mutual respect for neighbor wind rights Potentially include neighbor (even if no turbine on their property) in project footprint
Consequences of larger turbines Safety Zones Ice may fall from blades Accidents can happen Lightning construction errors (dropped equipment, tools) Blade flaws Debris and/or equipment can fall downwind Siting must consider safety zone around turbine Avoid anything that can get hurt people, cars, buildings, etc. Typically function of total height of extended turbine blade Commonly 1.1 1.25 times total height from the tower Up to 125 meters (1 ½ football fields) for modern turbine
Spatial implications on potential human annoyance Visual perception Sound emissions Solar flicker
Visual Perception Beauty is in the eye of the beholder Modern turbines are very tall that can be seen for large distances Gives more people the opportunity to track the performance of a project Property values addressed by Bill Whitlock
Sound Emissions Wind turbines technology has progressed significantly since the 1980s. Blades redesigned Gearbox nacelle soundproofing Configuration upwind Rotor three-bladed
Is Sound an Issue Today? What is the sound level of a utilityscale turbine? 45 decibels at 350 meters
Sound Emission Most wind projects are in quiet rural areas Receptors may be sheltered from the wind Topography may amplify sound Sound perception is highly subjective Acoustical consultant may be helpful
Solar Flicker Blades pass through line of sight between receptor and sun Rare and temporary phenomenon Sun low in sky Winter in northern latitudes Close to sunrise or sunset Receptor relatively close to turbine Sun quite quickly moves across sky from behind turbine May cause annoyance if interrupted sunbeam flows through window or into confined space Minimized by proper setbacks or screening vegetation Developer may negotiate sight easement
Wind Opportunities Abound 20% Wind Scenario Results Investment of $500+ billion over two decades $43 billion incremental cost of the 20% scenario $128 billion in reduced natural gas prices from reduced demand (11% reduction in demand) Nearly 180,000 jobs direct (+120,000 indirect) in 2030 Saves 4 trillion gallons of water 825 million tons of CO 2 emissions avoided in 2030 Projects must be sited to accommodate energy policy objectives as well as community interests
Contact AWEA www.awea.org 202.383.2500 JDunlop@AWEA.org 612.377.3270