Domestic Fuel

Canadian-based Wind Works Power Corp. has acquired half interest in six wind energy projects in Ontario with a total capacity of 80 megawatts. This company press release says Wind Works Power will have the option to up those interests to 100 percent:

“With these 6 new projects, we now have a total of 15 wind energy projects in Ontario totaling 190 MW” commented Dr. Ingo Stuckmann, CEO and director of Wind Works. “All 15 projects submitted power contract applications to the OPA, which offers the highest power rate in North America. Power contracts in Ontario will be awarded in the January to March 2010 time frame, and we are now targeting to commence construction on a minimum of 70MW in Ontario in 2011.”

In consideration for the 50% interest in the 6 wind projects, Wind Works will make a one-time cash payment of $300,000 on April 30, 2010, and issue 1,200,000 restricted common shares.

The projects submitted power contract applications under the new Feed-in Tariff program as part of the Ontario Power Authority initial launch period. The Feed-in Tariff (FIT) contract program offers a power contract with a guaranteed rate of C$135.00/MWh over a 20-year term to qualified wind energy projects.

GE has signed a $1.4 billion deal to deliver more than 300 wind turbines for a 845 megawatt wind farm to be built in Oregon.

The Earth2Tech blog says, when built, it would be the largest wind farm in the U.S.:

Independent power producer Caithness Energy will develop the wind farm, called Shepherds Flat, and under three power purchase agreements will provide clean power for utility Southern California Edison (meeting one-tenth of SCE’s state renewable portfolio standard). Caithness Energy says the entire project will cost $2 billion, will create 435 local jobs and is ready to be built now.

The wind industry is pretty much the most mature clean power sector in the U.S. and is being driven in California partly by the state renewable portfolio standard, which says utilities must have 20 percent of their electricity come from clean power by 2010. The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) said that in the third quarter the U.S. wind energy industry installed 1.6 GW of new power generating capacity, bringing the year-to-date total by the end of the third quarter to 5.8 GW.

Experts are hoping that the tough economy, which hit the wind turbine particularly hard this past year, will turn the corner to free up some of those markets to provide more capital for construction.

The company building a proposed wind farm off the coast of Massachusetts possibly has found a market for its wind energy … once it starts actually generating the green power.

Wind energy company Cape Wind and utility National Grid are negotiating a long-term contract for the utility to purchase the electricity generated by the proposed wind farm in Nantucket Sound. According to a press release from Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, this agreement is critical for the project to get financing so it can be built in time to get Stimulus Bill money … reducing costs for the builders by 30 percent:

“For both reducing greenhouse gas emissions and launching the offshore wind industry that will achieve those reductions, it is essential for Cape Wind, like offshore wind in general, to move from wishful thinking to reality,” said Governor Patrick. “A contract with an electric distribution utility like National Grid will move Cape Wind one step closer to reality.”

The power purchase arrangement still has to go through state regulatory review, but it is considered a major milestone for what could be the first offshore wind project in the U.S. The news is being welcomed by environmental groups:

“Anything that moves toward producing megawatts of clean renewable energy and creating the jobs associated with this can only be viewed as positive,” said Pam Solo, president, Civil Society Institute. “This is a critical development that provides the essential assurance Cape Wind needs to secure financing and get real steel in the ground.”

Clean Power Now Executive Director Barbara Hill said: “Clean Power Now will continue to work with the Governor’s office and his administration to ensure that the consumers throughout the Commonwealth, including the Cape and islands, will have the opportunity to not only realize the benefits of cleaner air, jobs and energy independence from the Cape Wind project but also by locking in a predictable, competitive price for many years.”

The Civil Society Institute is one of the initiating organizations of the 140-member TheClean.org (CLEAN), a collaboration of state and local organizations and individuals, lobbying for new energy policies. Clean Power Now is a non-profit organization that gives the public information about renewable energy projects and policies. The group has made wind energy off the shore of Nantucket its focus.

Several counties in central-Montana are working together to develop, what could be, the largest wind development project of its kind in the state. National Wind, working with Billings-based Montana Wind Resources, LLC and along with area ranchers, have formed Judith Highlands Energy, LLC to develop over 500 megawatts (MW) of community-owned wind projects.

“Area ranchers are realizing that National Wind’s established business model is distinctly different than “traditional,” corporate wind farm developments,” said Patrick Pelstring, Co-Chair of National Wind, LLC. ” Our National Wind model seeks to allow local community participation, which provides potential for sharing in both turbine leases and revenues from a successful project.”

A 2009 Harvard study suggests that Montana is second only to Texas with the country’s greatest wind potential.  The Department of Energy’s Wind Powering America Program has reported that 1,000 MW of installed wind capacity in Montana could add $1.2 billion in cumulative economic benefits, reduce C02 emissions by 2.9 million tons, and save over 1,200 million gallons of water annually.

According to Judith Highlands Energy, the project incorporates over 50,000 acres, nearly 100 percent of the land needed to develop the wind farm’s first phase. The company is expected to be developed in multiple 100+ megawatt phases over the next 5-8 years, and has stated that they have executed two leases for on-site meteorological equipment (met tower) installation within the next 30 days. The met towers will help determine where the turbines should be placed.

Two powerful renewable energy companies are combining efforts to build a new wind turbine plant in the U.S.

TMCnet.com reports that the venture between Chinese company A-Power Energy Generation Systems, Ltd. and the U.S. Renewable Energy Group, or “US-REG,” will build highly advanced wind energy turbines for renewable energy projects throughout North and South America and comes on the heels of US-REG announcing a major wind farm in Texas:

With an estimated 320,000 square feet, the new wind turbine facility is projected to produce 1,100 megawatts of wind energy turbines annually. Additionally, after the facility is completely finished, over 1,000 individuals will be employed.

On October 29, 2009, Shenyang Power Group and US-REG announced plans to develop a $1.5 billion, 600MW wind farm across approximately 36,000 acres in Texas, for which A-Power has been designated as the turbine supplier.

No word on when the factory would be completed.

A $22 million grant … thanks to the federal Stimulus Bill … will help Duke Energy research using batteries to store wind energy from a Texas wind farm.

This story from UPI says the North Carolina company will match the U.S. Department of Energy grant to design, build and install batteries for the storage of wind energy from its Notrees Windpower Project in western Texas:

Duke said it plans to develop a large-scale battery to store excess wind energy for the distribution of electricity when wind turbines are not in cycle.

“Energy storage truly has the potential to serve as a game-changer when it comes to renewable power,” said Wouter van Kempen, president of Duke Energy Generation Services, a Duke Energy subsidiary involved in renewable energy.

There are 95 wind turbines on the Notrees wind farm, which can produce up to 151 megawatts of clean electricity.

South Carolina’s Clemson University is getting $98 million in federal funds for wind energy research that is expected to create hundreds of wind energy jobs and make the area a center for wind research.

This press release says the school’s Restoration Institute and its partners have received a $45 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, as well as $53 million of matching funds, to build and operate a large-scale wind turbine drive train testing facility at a former Navy base:

The award is the largest single grant ever received in the university’s history and represents an enormous economic development opportunity for the region.

John Kelly, executive director of the Clemson University Restoration Institute and vice president of public service and agriculture, said this award will further Clemson University’s strength in research and education and support the establishment of a wind energy manufacturing cluster in South Carolina.

The project is expected to create immediately 113 temporary and 21 full-time jobs. But for the long haul, the Department of Energy believes South Carolina could gain 10,000 to 20,000 new jobs in the wind power industry over the next 20 years.

There’s an old saying that goes, “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.” While it might be true that college does cost, there are some cheaper options out there. And more of those options are including solar and wind degrees from the less expensive community college route.

This article from CNN Money says that more of the more-affordable two-year schools are offering degrees in the ever-growing renewable energy sector:

In part the increase in demand at junior colleges is due to the recession: Many students can no longer afford pricey four-year colleges and are opting to attend two-year programs instead.

In helping put together the programs, companies are also building a pipeline of potential employees. “Johnson Controls’ headquarters is nearby, and it’s looking for thousands of people,” says Joseph Jacobsen, Milwaukee Area Technical’s associate dean of environmental studies. “The baby boomers are retiring, and it’s going to need new employees.”

The article goes on to say that the increase in people getting the green technical degrees is also building a demand for instructors with practical experience who can teach what this next generation of workers needs to know.

Of course, these programs join some of the biodiesel and ethanol degrees already out there (see my post about the masters degree in bioenergy at the University of Illinois from March 23, 2009).

The largest community-owned wind facility on the East Coast and the largest off-shore wind farm in New England is now open for business.

This press release says the Fox Islands Wind Project in Maine features three large-scale wind turbines that will generate 4.5 megawatts of electricity for the islands of Vinalhaven and North Haven, providing cheap, clean energy to the islands’ residents, who currently pay twice the national average for their power, for decades to come:

Governor [John] Baldacci and Maine House Speaker Hannah Pingree joined leaders of the Fox Islands project to dedicate the wind energy project, a model for communities up and down the Eastern Seaboard.

“The Fox Islands community wind project demonstrates that a local community can harness the power of a local, renewable resource and become an example to the rest of the State and the nation,” said Gov. Baldacci. “This new wind installation puts Maine at the cutting edge of renewable energy development, and proves that coastal wind is a viable, low-cost energy source.”

The turbines’ dedication is the result of strong support from the entire Fox Islands community since the project’s inception. In a nearly unanimous vote in July 2008, island residents ushered in a new era of renewable power in Maine by approving the project, and the arrival of the turbines earlier this summer was hailed by local residents. Several other island and coastal communities are now looking at community wind power as a viable alternative to traditional energy sources.

The GE Power & Water-supplied turbines can generate about 11,600 megawatt hours of electricity per year and reduce carbon emissions by a total of 5,400 tons.

Several New England-based companies and organizations, including the Island Institute, Cianbro Corporation, EOS Ventures, Diversified Communications and Fox Islands Electric Cooperative, collaborated on the effort.

More information is available here.

And more cool pictures of the project are available here.

A couple of events this week could bring the hope of wind farms off the coasts of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia … better known as the Delmarva … closer to reality.

The Ocean City (MD) Dispatch reports that on Monday, Bluewater Wind, which already has an offshore wind farm project well underway in Delaware and a conceptual plan for a second one off the coast of Maryland, was taken over by NRG Energy Inc., a major player in energy production and distribution in the region. Then, on Tuesday, the governors of Maryland, Delaware and Virginia signed memorandum of understanding (MOU) to form a tri-state partnership for the deployment of offshore wind energy in the mid-Atlantic coastal region:

Viewed individually, each event represents a gentle nudge in the direction of future wind farms off the mid-Atlantic coast. Together, however, they represent a significant move toward the development of the alternative energy source in the three states that comprise Delmarva. First and foremost, the MOU agreed upon by Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, Delaware Governor Jack Markell and Virginia Governor Tim Kaine on Tuesday creates a formal partnership that could pull together the region’s significant offshore wind resources.

Blazer explained the MOU essentially opens the door for the three states to partner and pool its collective resources on things like economic development, research and development and job training, for example. O’Malley agreed the MOU represents a significant step in the collaborative effort to develop offshore wind resources off the coast of the three states.

The article goes on to point out that Bluewater Wind already has a 25-year, 200-megawatt power purchase agreement with Delmarva Power and Light that has already been approved by the Delaware Public Service Commission as well as other state agencies. Maryland and Virginia are a bit further behind in their wind energy developments, but the new memorandum of understanding between the three states is expected to push their efforts forward as well.