Keith,
Thanks for inquiring about the wind
turbine project the county’s new EDA has proposed, a one turbine
demonstration project that would be entirely community owned. The proposal on
the table is to take only the first step in determining whether a utility-scale
wind turbine can work for us here in Winona County. (We already know that small, farm-scale turbines work very
successfully.)
On the physical side the first step, or
Phase I, involves engineering studies to determine just how strong the wind is
(Class II or III), and if the existing utility infrastructure will allow for
interconnection with the power grid.
On the community side of Phase I, the EDA
is in the earliest stages of discussions with potential partners. We’re
hoping that this can be a first project on which all three of Winona’s higher ed
institutions can collaborate, to demonstrate whether wind energy does indeed
hold promise for our area of the state, as many believe. We have begun initial
discussions with people at these institutions, as well as local school
districts. This part has been especially exciting, as responses have been
uniformly enthusiastic. Any public or non-profit entity is able to partner on
a community wind project, and we welcome all interested parties.
The results of Phase I would determine if the
EDA recommends proceeding to Phase II of the wind turbine project.
Though the location of the proposed
turbine is as yet undetermined, it most certainly will be along the I-90
corridor and parts west, where the wind blows the strongest. When the time
comes, the EDA will be soliciting landowners interested in hosting the turbine,
as there will be a 20 year lease payment that comes with being the host site. A
1.65 MW turbine requires roughly ½ an acre of space, and fits beautifully alongside
row crops in our farm fields. Make no mistake about it, wind generation has
the potential to be a big boon to the rural economy, and our neighbors who
reside there.
There’s much more to share, but I’ll
keep this first description brief, and people can inquire further if they’re
so inclined. In closing, I’ve copied below an article which appeared in
last Tuesday’s Pioneer Press. It gives some good background on state
level interests and concerns. Additionally, the federal energy bill that the
President just signed provides continued federal support for this form of
clean, renewable energy. The time has come for renewables, and the Winona County
EDA would like to explore their potential for it’s residents.
Anne Morse
Dakota, MN
State urges wind shift
Department wants Xcel to rely less on plants
powered by gas, coal
BY TIM HUBER
Pioneer Press
Wind energy got a big boost from the state
of Minnesota on Monday.
The Commerce Department recommended that
the state's largest electric utility,
Minneapolis-based Xcel Energy, limit new investments in natural gas- and
coal-fired generation plants in favor of a much heavier reliance on wind farms.
The recommendation came in Commerce's comment on
Xcel's proposed
resource plan, which lays out the amount of additional electricity-generating
capacity the company needs through 2020.
Xcel is proposing adding 1,685 megawatts of
wind energy by 2020, and 1,496 megawatts of generating capacity between 2011
and 2018 from so-called peaking plants that would likely be fired by natural
gas. The plants would come on during periods of heavy demand, such as hot
summer days.
Commerce wants the utility to add at least
2,800 megawatts from wind generators by 2020 and eliminate additional
investments in natural gas generation.
Commerce's recommendation
carries a fair bit of weight with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission,
which will make the final decision on the resource plan.
Commerce provides analysis to the PUC.
Assistant commissioner for renewable energy Mike Bull said, "I'm fairly
confident that the outcome will be good from our perspective."
Xcel responded with caution.
"We are going to have to look
carefully at what the impacts of that level of wind power would be on our
system," said Betsy Engelking, manager of resource planning and bidding,
in a statement. "It's one thing to recommend a large amount of
wind be added over the next 15 years, but another thing to figure out how we're actually
going to get there."
Xcel said it expects to file a formal
response to the department by Oct. 18.
Commerce's position, Bull
said, came about by reanalyzing Xcel's proposal using higher natural gas prices,
which he said the company underestimated. "All the natural gas fell out of
the analysis and was replaced by wind," he said. "This is the
least-cost supply mix."
The department's recommendation
comes during a boom in wind-energy construction.
Nationally, some 2,500 megawatts of new
wind power is expected to come online this year and the extension of renewable
energy credits for wind power, which is included in energy legislation expected
to be signed by President Bush, is likely to keep the boom rolling through
2007.
Minnesota, which has a
long history as a leader in the push for renewable energy, requires its
utilities to make a good-faith effort to increase renewable energy 1 percent of
sales this year and 10 percent by 2015. .
Tim Huber can be reached at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or
651-228-5580.
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