Wind power potential seen brewing - Business

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May. 13, 2008
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Wind power potential seen brewing

Energy Department report calls for 75,000 new wind turbines, new transmission lines

By SARA SPIVEY
STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

A wind farm is seen in Wasco, Ore., in January. A new report says 20 percent of the nation's electricity could come from wind power by 2030.
Associated Press FIle Photo

A windmill shares space with newer state-of-the-art wind turbines in Birds Landing, Calif. A new report sees potential in wind power.
Associated Press FIle Photo

WASHINGTON -- Wind power could provide 20 percent of the nation's electricity by 2030, according to a report released Monday by the Department of Energy that advances a plan for the industry's growth.

Today, wind farms produce about 1 percent of the nation's energy needs. A 20 percent share would put wind on par with nuclear energy as an energy source.

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In order to dramatically increase wind energy output, the report calls for about 75,000 new wind turbines and a new network of transmission lines to carry the power across the country.

The report "confirms the viability and commercial maturity of wind as a major contributor to America's energy needs, now and in the future," said Andy Karsner, DOE assistant secretary of energy efficiency and renewable energy, at a news conference.

Such growth would pose a number of major challenges, but is achievable without the need of major new technological breakthroughs, the department said in the report that was written in a collaboration between national laboratories and industry.

"The report indicates that we can do this nationally for less than half a cent per kilowatt hour if we have the vision," Karsner said.

Nevada is expected to provide about 1 percent to 3 percent of a national 300,000-megawatt goal by 2030, according to the report. One megawatt can power about 750 homes.

As of today, Nevada does not have any utility-scale wind farms producing power, but some are on the drawing boards.

Power companies in Nevada face a years-long process to obtain land and air use permits by the Bureau of Land Management, the Department of Defense and the Air Force before they can be given the go-ahead to build wind farms, said Tim Carlson, managing partner of Nevada Wind LLC.

"The land is pretty well taken by the federal government," Carlson said. "You fail to remember when building a wind project the air space is also very well covered."

Objections by Air Force officials caused a previous Carlson wind project, a $130 million farm on the Nevada Test Site, to be canceled because of national security concerns.

Both Nevada Wind and Nevada Power Co. have wind projects in development that appear to have government approval.

Carlson said he expects a 150-megawatt project along the Pah Rah mountain range to be completed by 2011. A second 750-megawatt, $500 million project spanning across the mid-eastern portion of Nevada will be finished around 2012, he said.

Todd Eagleston, Nevada Power's renewable-energy representative, said the company's 200-megawatt China Mountain project will be finished between 2010 and 2011.

Carlson said providing 20 percent of the nation's power through wind energy is a lofty goal but not unreachable.

"It's a great goal. I hope we achieve it," he said. "Can we? Is it realistic? We won't know for a few more years."

The report cautioned that its findings were not meant to predict that such growth would, in fact, be achieved, but only that it is technically possible. And it acknowledged "there are significant costs, challenges and impacts" associated with such rapid growth.

It would require improved turbine technology, "significant changes" and expansion of power line systems, and a major expansion of markets for wind energy to accommodate an annual growth rate of 16,000 megawatts of electricity a year beginning in 2018.

About 835 million metric tons of carbon dioxide -- a 25 percent reduction -- would be saved per year if wind power does account for one-fifth of the nation's energy, according to the report.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Contact Stephens Washington Bureau reporter Sara Spivey at sspivey@ stephensmedia.com or 702-383-0290.

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Please enter your name Name: Please enter your email Email: Please enter a comment COMMENTS : (word count limit is 300) You have reached the maximum number of words allowed Current Word Count: Note: Comments made by reporters and editors of the Las Vegas Review-Journal are presented with a yellow background. TimeRanger wrote on May 13, 2008 10:41 PM: Build a Solar Plant - You have to realize one disadvantage with a plan to cover that much acreage with solar panels - The amount of heat that is radiated back into the atmosphere from them. By creating a thermal updraft that large in one location, you may be severely affecting the weather patterns far downwind. Now, IF they could design light-colored panels that would not absorb and radiate like the current models do........ savor the irony wrote on May 13, 2008 12:25 PM: in order to secure the spice our empire must support the legions the legions are the largest consumer of spice in the world http://www.energybulletin.net/26194.html Build a Solar Plant wrote on May 13, 2008 11:59 AM: The "Talk of the Nation" show from National Public Radio (NPR) has had a couple of programs discussing the potential of building large solar thermal energy power plants in the Nevada desert. It is claimed (link provided below) that a solar farm covering 1/10th of Nevada's land could potentially supply ALL of the electricity needs of the entire United States; thus the arguments for a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain would be entirely eliminated. This program is from March 14, 2008: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=88239836 and that page also includes a link to a program broadcast on February 1, 2008 (which at about 6 minutes into the program mentions that 1/10th-of-the-land-of-Nevada estimate). Nevada is already home to one of the largest solar power projects in the world Solar One (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5733830). Too bad that all of the solar energy is currently just heating dirt. Vic's a Moron is the Moron wrote on May 13, 2008 11:58 AM: Yes, we all love coal. Nothing wrong with nuclear, except for the stupid plan to bury waste at Yucca Mountain instead of recycling and reprocessing it into fuel. Vic's a Moron wrote on May 13, 2008 09:16 AM: The only people I know that ever complain about "green weenies" and wind are people that love coal plants and want to see a nuclear revival. Most folks I know who care about wildlife are more concerned about the impacts of global warming than what impacts wind turbines might have on avian populations. Vegas Vic, you should volunteer to clean the crap off the wind turbines, since dealing in it seems to be something you are good at, at least in the comment section of the RJ. Cheers Vegas Vic wrote on May 13, 2008 06:46 AM: Build the wind turbines and then the eco-terrorists file lawsuits when birds start getting killed...as they've done at other wind turbine sites across the U.S. The "green weenies" yell for wind power and then sue the companies running them when birds get killed. You can't have it both ways. jun cordero wrote on May 13, 2008 06:32 AM: We are fighing for our economic life Without incrasng defense budget - absorb $3B per year outlay for wind power in all military installations extra wattages for sale to power companies... if necessary use military labor to reduce costs...allot certain percentage for maintenance... military manned