Farming the Wind. Wind Resource Assessment

Farming the Wind Wind Resource Assessment Renewable Energy Conference 2007 Renville County Minnesota HRA / EDA and West Central Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs( CERTs) February 8, 2007 Steve Wagner, Dr. Abdullah Jaradat USDA-ARS ARS Soils Lab Morris, MN Mike Reese, WCROC, Morris, MN Lissa Pawlish, CERTs

Global Warming Quiz Since the invention of the thermometer, what decades have the 12 warmest years occurred in?

Global Warming Quiz Since the invention of the themometer, what decades have the 12 warmest years occurred in? Answer - 1980 s and 1990 s

Global Warming Quiz What was the warmest year in the last 1,000 years?

Global Warming Quiz What was the warmest year in the last 1,000 years? Answer: 1998 > 2005

Global Warming Quiz The CO2 concentration in 1900 was 299 ppm. The 1959 level was 316 ppm. What was the concentration in 2003?

Global Warming Quiz The CO2 concentration in 1900 was 299 ppm. The 1959 level was 316 ppm What was the concentration in 2003? ppm. rise/run = 17/59 Answer: 376 ppm rise/run = 60/44

Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Concentration and Temperature Change (160,000 years) + The next 100 years

Farming the Wind The mission of our lab is to develop agricultural systems in the Midwest that are environmentally, economically and socially sustainable by providing knowledge and technologies for proper land, crop and weed management to enhance the biological, chemical and physical properties of soils and to improve environmental quality.

Farming the Wind -Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs( CERTs) ) Best-Bet Bet Locations Maps - Rules of Thumb for Locating Wind Turbines -Minnesota Commerce Department Wind Resource Maps - Wind Resource Assessment for Renville Co. - Opportunities and Barriers - Community Ownership Community Ownership - Conclusions

Farming the Wind CERTs Best Bet Farming the Wind Maps Trying to Answer the Question: Are there Mini-Buffalo Ridges in Minnesota? Trying to Answer the Question: Is the Southwest or the Northwest Quarter of Section 5 in Township better?

Rules of Thumb for Best-Bet Locations High elevation Relatively unobstructed fetch conditions Close proximity to existing transmission lines/substations to facilitate connection to grid OR proximity to large existing load Existing transmission lines have capacity for additional power

Wind Rose A wind rose is a graphic display of wind direction and magnitude. Wind rose data was collected at the University of Minnesota West Central Research and Outreach Center Turbine Location from 8/01/03 to 7/31/04 prior to construction of the turbine.

Wind Rose W.13.12.11.11.10.13 N.11.11.11.16.08.09.09 E 8/1/2003 to 7/31/2004 Wind Rose, 50m, Ch 1, 7 SITE 1080 WCROC Site Information: Project: Wind Hybrid Project Location: Morris, MN Elevation: 350 m Anemometer on channel 1: NRG #40 Anem. m/s Height: 50 m Serial #: SN: Vane on channel 7: #200P Wind Vane Height: 50 m Serial #: SN: Outer Numbers are Average TIs for speeds greater than 4.5 m/s Inner Circle = 0% Outer Circle = 30%.10.11 S.11 Percent of Total Wind Energy Percent of Total Time Generated Wednesday, December 29, 2004 Total 10-minute intervals: 52704 Intervals used in calculations: 52649 Percent data used: 99.9 NRG Systems SDR Version 4.28

Renville County Topography Renville County Topography Farming the Wind: Identifying Best Bet Locations for Wind Turbines

Renville County

Average Annual Wind Speed Vs. Tower Height Renville County Minnesota 19.00 Wind Speed (mph) 18.00 17.00 16.00 15.00 14.00 13.00 12.00 100 m 80 m 70 m 50 m 30 m 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 Tower Height (ft) Source Minnesota Dept. of Commerce Maps

How Much Difference Can 1 MPH Make?

How Much Difference Can 1 mph Make? KWhrs MWhrs 4,702,906 4,702.9 5,599,338 5,599.3 one turbine twenty years wind farm 10 turbines 896,432 $0.027 $24,203.66 $484,073.28 $4,840,732.84

Location Location Location What Might it Mean for Your Wind Farm? Production Range (MWh) (MWh) *** Difference *** Rate Low High % MWh ($/kwhr) Annual $ 20 year life 10 turbines 5100 5525 8.33 425 $0.027 $11,475.00 $229,500.00 $2,295,000.00 Production Tax Credits 10 years 10 turbines 5100 5525 8.33 425 $0.019 $8,075.00 $80,750.00 $807,500.00 Difference for Wind Farm over Life of Project $3,102,500.00

Wind Production Comparison Based on Minnesota Department of Commerce Maps 6400 6200 Annual Energy Production (MWh) 6000 5800 5600 5400 5200 5000 Lake Benton WCROC Renville County Three Locations in Minnesota

Wind Production Comparison Difference from Lake Benton (%) 0.00-0.02-0.04-0.06-0.08-0.10-0.12-0.14 \ Lake Benton WCROC Renville County Three Locations in Minnesota

Community Ownership - Back of the Napkin Economics Example 100 MW (50 2 MW Turbines) Lease Only 50 x $5000 = $250,000/yr ************************************************** Production 50 x 6,500 MWhr * $.027/kWhr = ~$175,000 $100,000 * 50 = $5,000,000/yr (After Flip) This is in addition to lease payments

Conclusions Opportunity for Community Wind Location is Important GIS Helpful Windows of Opportunity Community Owned Wind Municipal Owned Generation Schools, Non- Profits (CREB) Investment requires due diligence

Wind Resources www.windustry.com American Wind Energy Assotiation www.awea.org Minnesotans for Energy Efficient Economy www.me3.org http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/maps/tomo www.eere.energy.gov Minnesota Dept. of Commerce

Thank you coming. Questions?