Winds of change

Randall Swisher, Executive Director of the American Wind Energy Association, talks about how wind energy could provide the solution.

Cutting greenhouse emissions, reducing pollution and opting for alternative, sustainable energy has become one of the most pressing issues for governments and populations around the world. As a clean, renewable and efficient energy source wind could be the perfect solution. At present, wind supplies less than one percent of the nation’s energy, a tiny figure given that it has the potential to meet 20 percent of future electric power needs. Support and adoption appears to be on the rise, so it finally looks as if the renewable is being given the push it needs. In fact, wind power’s capacity in the US increased 27 percent in 2006 and is expected to grow an additional 26 percent in 2007, according to research from the American Wind Energy Association.

Many factors are contributing to the growth of wind energy, not least the threat of global warming. After a sluggish initial reaction, the Bush administration finally appears to be making a commitment to reverse negative practices. One such move has been the formation of the Advanced Energy Initiative, which will provide a 22 percent increase in funding for clean-energy technology research at the Department of Energy. The urgency of the problem is also being increasingly acknowledged by utilities, as Randall Swisher, Executive Director of the American Wind Energy Association, points out. “They are recognizing that there is value in having a diverse portfolio of resources and not becoming overly dependent on any one form of technology or fuel source,” he says. “As a consequence, this is serving wind very well right now. Utilities are feeling over-exposed to coal and gas.”

No single solution

Despite the potential that wind could bring, many experts still do not think that wind is the sole answer to solve the problem of global warming – unfortunately, there is no silver bullet. Realistically it will be a combination of renewable energy sources including solar, hydro, geothermal and other technologies that will go on to make a difference. “Robert Socolow and other academics at Princeton University have come forward with something known as the ‘Wedge Strategy’ to combat global warming,” explains Swisher. “Each of these wedges could amount to a significant piece of what needs to be done to stabilize the climate. We think it is very clear that wind could be one of these wedges. Our analysis shows that if wind were to achieve 20 percent of the US electric power generation by the year 2030 we would be reducing the projected CO2 emission for the electricity sector by 15 percent.”

One misgiving is that wind is not strong or constant enough in all states to make wind farms universally profitable. Swisher insists that this does not make the prospect of replacing other sources of energy with wind power unrealistic in the future. “Wind is unlikely to provide 100 percent of the generating capacity, but we are looking at wind becoming a significant contributor to meeting electric power needs. But there are lots of other resources that will be required as well. Wind power should be taken when the wind is blowing and we can rely on other resources when it is not. It still makes for displacing a lot of fossil generation.”

Overcoming opposition

The building of a new wind farm often provokes a mixed response, with opposition from local residents including complaints that turbines are ugly, spoil views, cause shadows and harm wildlife. Studies undertaken in the UK do hint that the low-frequency noise emitted by wind turbines can, on occasion, have an affect on inhabitants that live nearby. In one study it was revealed that vibrations from the 60-meter turbines at Dunlaw wind farm in Scotland could be picked up as far away as 10km, even when winds were low-speed. However, although some may oppose wind farms due to these complaints, overall support is strong. “In some areas there is visible and vocal opposition to some projects, but they tend to be a minority,” says Swisher. “Even in areas where there is a lot of noise, such as the Cape Wind project in Massachusetts, over 80 percent of the people in the state support the project.”

When it comes to the improving the appearance of turbines, there is little that can be done. “Shrinking the technology is not an option to make the visual impact go away,” says Swisher. “This is one of the tradeoffs that society will have to accept if it wants to play a growing role in the electric power system. Our experience here in the US is that in most parts of the country, certainly in the great plains and throughout most of rural America, wind power is welcomed with open arms because of the jobs and economic development it will bring. In some parts of the country (for instance New England), which are densely populated areas with more competition for land use, concerns are higher – particularly amongst people that own second homes. Therefore, it takes more time and work with the local community to find a place to develop a project.”

The damage wind turbines can do to wildlife, particularly to birds, has also raised a lot of concerns. One project that has stoked the ire of oppositionists is that of the 50-square-mile site in the Diablo Mountains between San Francisco and Central Valley. The annual body count here is put at around 4700 birds. The site is unique, however, as it spans an international migratory bird route. According to Swisher, this is an issue that has been overblown by the media. “We’ve been in significant discussions with groups like the National Audubon Society for years,” he highlights. “The Audubon supports wind provided that projects are properly sited. A much bigger concern for them is that hundreds of species are likely to be rendered extinct by global warming. It is essential therefore to put any opposition in context. It is very clear that the limited environmental impacts of wind really pale in comparison to the impact of fuel like coal.”

Wanted: policy support

A lack of stable policy support has hindered progress for wind energy in the US. “On the federal level, the major policy is a wind production tax credit, which has been expanded to include other renewable energy technologies,” explains Swisher. “This is a significant incentive but it has been allowed to expire three times in the last seven or eight years, inflicting a certain instability on the market for wind in the US.”

To firmly establish a solid wind-manufacturing sector in the US, long-term stable policy support is essential. “This could be through a longer-term extension of the credit (of at least five years) or the establishment of a federal renewable portfolio standard (a provision requiring that a certain, minimum amount of electricity be generated from renewable energy sources) that would provide stable policy support through to at least 2020,” Swisher explains. “This would open the door to billions of dollars of investments in the US in wind turbine manufacturing. Despite the fact that we are now the largest market, on an annual basis, for new wind turbines in the world, only one of the top 10 manufacturers is based in the US. This is because of the lack of stable policy support.”

Transmission revamp

One final obstacle for the wind power industry in the US to overcome is the need for additional transmission so that energy can be transferred from rural areas, where wind is plentiful, to urban areas. In many areas, wind farms can be built more quickly than transmission. “There needs to be transmission access where the wind resource is abundant and to be able to take the energy to the major population centers where it can be utilized,” encourages Swisher. “We feel there might be movement in this direction and broad recognition that more transmission is needed in this country, not just to serve the wind industry but the electricity industry, which is seriously under-built.”

Swisher is confident that this year will finally see wind getting more of the recognition it deserves, with much more backing from the authorities. “With a different set of priorities in front of the new Congress, I think there is going to be more attention paid to wind in our agenda this year,” he suggests. “We’ll see whether Congress is capable of getting the job done. Due to the amount of bickering between parties it has been increasingly difficult to get things accomplished. This may or may not change, but there is definitely more concern for the environment, and wind and renewable technologies are a higher priority in the capital today than they were a year ago.”

This is encouraging news for proponents of wind energy. Although some might have their reservations about wind farms, there is no question that this resource can play an important part in the energy mix of the future. It is therefore vital its benefits are fully realized and that it is promoted and encouraged by government.

Infographic:
15 percent
Projected reduction in CO2 emissions if wind were to achieve 20 percent of the US energy mix by the year 2030