Question

Research and develop a MS Word document of at least 2000 words that:

1) Discusses a renewable/sustainable energy project in the U.S.

2) The paper must include the background/history of the project. Who are the champions of the project? Who are the beneficiaries of the project? Is there an economical impact? Your opinion of the sustainability of the project.

3) State whether you are for or against the the effort and why.

4) Write a one or two paragraph conclusion stating what would you say to a decision maker to persuade them.

research on the renewable energy project that was established in USA. like solar energy, hydro enegry.

Answer 1

Background/History of the Project

In recent years the U.S government have issued a number of proposals aimed at promoting the domestic renewable energy sector. This report will focus on the wind energy sector within U.S, with regard to the establishment of community owned wind energy projects.

In 2007 the U.S government set a target of producing 50% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020. In 2008 the U.S government published its blueprint for the future of renewable energy within U.S, committing to a target of 20% of end use energy being sourced from renewable sources. In 2010 the government raised its target, aiming to have 80% of its electricity being sourced from renewable sources by 2020. The growth of the renewable energy sector in U.S has exceeded the expectations of most politicians leading to more optimistic predictions as to the role that renewable energy will play in the U.S’s energy future. Wind developments under 50 MW capacity require planning permission while larger developments require permission from government ministers. At the end of 2009 there were 70 onshore wind farms in U.S with a capacity of 1.8 GW. At that time 3 GW of further wind sites had been given planning permission to be developed and a further 3 GW were being planned. There is potential in U.S for small-scale wind energy projects to be developed with the aid of government grants and cooperation from energy companies. Here will be discussed the possibilities for rural US communities to develop such projects that would benefit the communities that they would be built in and fit into the U.S government’s overall plan for increasing its renewable energy capacity.

Up to the present day, a there have been a number of assessments made into the viability of renewable wind energy projects in U.S. These have been undertaken on the basis of commercial and academic viewpoints. In 2004, Argyll, Lomond and the Islands Energy Agency (ALIEnergy) and the Tiree Development Parnership (TDP) commissioned a report into the viability of installing wind turbines on the island as part of community based initiative (Anderson, C. 2004). This assessment looked into the issues surrounding the installation of one or more wind turbines on the island. The island’s location in the west of U.S would be an ideal location for this project. As any energy produced must be sustained into the power lattice, the measure of power that can be securely moved to the terrain must be broken down, just as the way to move this power. The local electricity distribution network operator, U.S and Southern, was consulted on this subject and it was found that a 2MW capacity could be produced on the island through renewable means and transferred through a connector to the mainland.

The environmental factors affecting local birdlife, the visual aspect to local residents as well as the sound levels that would be produced by whirring turbine blades had to be taken into account. As the island is small and the roads unused to heavy traffic and loads, the transport of heavy material for the construction of the wind turbines had to be considered. In 2006, West Coast Energy Ltd. One of the aims at the creation of the company was to create a renewable energy project that would provide a financial benefit to the community into the future.

From an academic point of view, this work covers a broad range of activities and will allow the knowledge acquired for use in a future concrete proposal, like analysis of resources and the sizing of wind turbines. In this way, small communities could have a better overview of what are the requirements to set wind turbines and also a better idea of what it costs and how long is the payback period according to different parameters. This approach would then permit to get communities aware if wind power is a viable and profitable solution to their needs and moreover encourage the deployment of it.

            Energy is a requirement of any country, be it agrarian or industrial. Moreover, with increasing population and high energy demand, the concept of alternate renewable energy has come into consideration. The main aim of this study is to identify areas with suitable potential, so as to initiate on-shore wind energy developments. Moreover, the limitations of such a project have to be considered. These include environmental and economic shortcomings. However, the main objective is the provision of environmentally friendly energy simultaneously with economic diversification and development by contributing to the income of local community and generating income.

The wind turbine is a project that needs a certain appropriate geography to make it feasible. Therefore, this project aims to identify the natural and geographical constraints to the development of these projects. The main element that contributes towards the formation of the wind turbines is the speed and direction of the winds in the area. According to the two reports, both of the areas have estimated the wind speeds in order to make sure of the feasibility of those projects.

Some of the requirements for wind turbines are constant exposure to the blowing winds and a certain sufficient amount of average annual wind. The requirement of the wind is not specific but it varies for every project depending on the infrastructural costs. However, an average annual wind speed of 7 meters per second at the height of hub is considered satisfactory.

With the advanced technologies the speed of the winds can be generated by computer “wind flow models.” Moreover, the data from the Meteorological Office is present. Thus, the studies consider both these sets of information and secede upon the location. Usually, high areas such as hills are preferred. Moreover, islands and forests have been considered as well. Using the data the reports refer to the Benbecula and Tiree areas to be the most suitable for wind turbine installation.

Therefore, it could be concluded that an area slightly (about 3 meters) above the ground level would generate more air than the ground level. The report states that a wind speed of 7.2 m/s at 12 meters above the ground level have been estimated at the Tiree Airport. Moreover, the wind turbine farms require open space so as to extract the wind energy. Therefore, they cannot be close to buildings or in the hub of cities.

Not only this but the infrastructure has to take into account the roads and ferries as well. They do not have to interrupt them. Moreover, aviation problems may occur which need to be accounted for. In addition to this, infrared and television signals may get disrupted.

The power generating capacity of the wind turbines vary in the area depending on the specific location constraints. The normal range for the wind turbines is between 200kW to 700kW. The turbines are built at a height ranging between 50 to 80 meters with the energy capacity being 0.85MW to 3MW for commercial projects. This range has been maintained even for the Tiree Project which is estimated to yield 650kW at a height of 65 meters. It has been further stated that energy generation below 0.75MW is not considered feasible due to certain constraints.

Second hand turbines are being used as well. This is because they reduce the initial costs significantly. However, risk is associated to them due to no warranties and greater chances of wear and tear. The Ghiga Project is based on this. The output from these second hand turbines could range from 80kW to 660kW.

The costs are based on various factors. These include the size of the project the community want and finance in addition to the grid and location constraints. The costs of plant, grid and turbine are accumulated. The infrastructural costs are related as well. The study for the Tiree site states that the cost of wind turbine for 300kW would be greater than that of 600kW. The wind turbines do not only have installation costs. They also have operational costs associated with them as well. The lowest cost for large-scale farms could be £650/kW which is quite high. However, equity requirements and IRR are considered for the projects. Once their comparison is done then a 0.85 MW project seems deliverable. Moreover, bank loans and investors investing in these projects are considered as well.

Against in the Effort

            I am against with this effort of building up this project. This is because, wind turbine projects, if made on a massive scale, can have severe economic aspects. Most of the areas considered for the construction of wind farms are of great botanic and ecological importance. This coincidence is due to the special requirements of wind farms too. Such areas are home to several habitats. Thus, the infrastructural activities can result in a great loss of many species, including birds. They too die in the construction process. Moreover, their habitual cycle gets disturbed which can result in the decimation of species in a particular area. Regulations by the US government are administered and the projects therefore, make considerations before initiating any activity. The turbines are quite tall which create a visibility impact. Although, this technology is carbon-free, it inculcates noise pollution.

Planning Permissions

U.S has one of the windiest Climates in Europe (European Wind Atlas). Therefore, the government of U.S encourages the exploitation of this resource. A number of policies have been laid down in regards to the renewable energy projects. The terms and conditions have been stated and the projects are required to abide by these instructions. Renewable Energy is encouraged in all policies. They also involve community involvement in the projects. Special considerations have been given to environmental issues and the habitat residing in those areas. Visual amenity and noise limitations have been levied down as well. The key point is that the efficient generation of energy is permissible simultaneously with satisfactory technological impacts.

Conclusion

The government of U.S has set goals to move towards an emission free technology to meet U.S’s energy requirements. The studies consulted here reveal various factors. The formation of wind farms is indeed a complex task. However, large scale farms would be a better option for U.S d in general, in order for the country to meet its goals in terms of renewable energy production. The main reason is that screening and topographical limitations have to be dealt with. In addition to this, environmental aspects, especially relating to birds, have to be considered. Roads, ferries and aviation issues are to be dealt. Connection to the grid system has to be also considered.

However, small-scale community based wind energy projects in rural areas on the coastal fringes of U.S have been proven to be beneficial to local communities as source of local energy production. So these types of projects have a place in the U.S government’s plan to wean the country off fossil fuels be self-sufficient in energy production from primarily renewable sources.

References

Alldritt, D. & Hopwood, D. (2010) Renewable Energy in Scotland. Renewable Energy Focus.      Vol.11, No.3, May-June, pp.28-30, 32-33.

Anderson, C. (2004) Assessment of Community Wind Energy For The Isle of Tiree. [Internet].

Eriksson, S., Bernhoff, H. & Leijon, M. (2008) Evaluation of Different Turbine Concepts for Wind Power. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. Vol.12, No.5, pp.1419-1434.

European Wind Atlas. [Internet]

Moran, D. & Sherrington, C. (2007) An Economic Assessment of Windfarm Power Generation in Scotland Including Externalities. Energy Policy. Vol.35, No.5, pp.2811-2825.

Planning Policy Statement 22: Renewable Energy (PPS22) 2004. [Internet].

Strachan, P.A., Lal, D. & von Malmborg, F. (2006) The Evolving UK Energy Industry: Critical Policy and Management Aspects of the Emerging Research Agenda. European Environment. Vol.16, No.1, pp.1-18.

The Renewable Energy Centre. [Internet]

UK Wind Speed Database. [Internet].

Warren, C.R. & Birnie, R.V. (2009) Re-Powering Scotland: Wind Farms and the ‘Energy or Environment?’ Debate. Scottish Geographical Journal. Vol.125, No.2, June, pp.97-126.

West Coast Energy Ltd. (2006) South Uist, Eriskay and Benbecula Wind Energy Feasibility Study. [Internet].

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