Wind Power Fact Finding Visit to the United States 14 – 27 October 2002
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Wind Power Fact Finding Visit to the United States 14 – 27 October 2002 Department of Primary Industries Water and Environment DPIWE Wind Power Fact Finding Visit to the United States - October 2002 Page 2 of 25 DPIWE Wind Power Fact Finding Visit to the United States - October 2002 1. Background Generating electricity from wind energy is currently the most rapidly growing sector in the renewable energy industry. As of January 2002, the worldwide installed wind power generating capacity was in the order of 25,000 megawatts (MW), of which 18,000 MW was installed in Europe and 4,500 MW installed in North America. The worldwide installed capacity is projected to double within 5 years. In Australia, current installed wind power generating capacity is of the order of 100 MW, with an additional 1,600 MW of projects currently proposed. In Tasmania, Hydro Tasmania’s Woolnorth Wind Farm has a current generating capacity of around 10 MW, with a further 120 MW under development. Hydro’s proposed Heemskirk and Musselroe Wind Farms are each in the order of 160 MW generating capacity. Further wind farms of similar magnitudes are currently being investigated for several other sites within Tasmania. Hydro Tasmania has projected that the State has the potential to generate around 1,000 MW of electricity from wind power. Wind power has the potential in Tasmania (via the Basslink interconnector with Victoria) to provide significant renewable energy to mainland Australia, and contribute to reductions in greenhouse gas emissions for the electricity generation industry. The expansion of wind power in Australia is principally being driven by the Commonwealth Government’s Mandated Renewable Energy Target (MRET) legislation, which requires that an additional 9,500 gigawatt hours of Australia’s electricity be provided from new renewable sources by 2010. Wind farm developments have a number of potential environmental and planning issues. These include noise impacts, visual impacts, transmission line issues and flora and fauna impacts. In Tasmania, potential impacts on birds are likely to be the most significant environmental issues associated with wind farm developments. Wind farms do kill birds, and a number of State and Commonwealth listed threatened and migratory species occur in high wind resource areas targeted for wind farm development. These species include the endangered Orange-bellied Parrot and the Wedge-tailed Eagle. All three of the major wind farm developments to date have triggered the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act on the basis of the projects’ potentially significant impacts on listed threatened and migratory species. The Department of Primary Industries, Water and Environment is responsible for the regulation of environmental requirements associated with the Woolnorth Wind Farm, and is currently assessing the proposed Heemskirk and Musselroe Wind Farm developments. It is critical that Departmental Officers have up-to-date knowledge of this rapidly expanding industry so that wind farm developments can be assessed and regulated at a high standard consistent with international best practice. While still in its infancy in Australia, the wind power industry in the United States and Europe is well established, and research into avian (bird) impacts and other issues has been undertaken for many years. Page 3 of 25 DPIWE Wind Power Fact Finding Visit to the United States - October 2002 The Departmental fact-finding visit provided an opportunity to attend a peak conference of North American specialists in the field of avian impacts with wind farms (EPRI Conference on Avian Impacts with Wind Power Structures in Wyoming). It also enabled site visits to several large wind farm sites (Foote Creek Rim Wind Resource Area in Wyoming and the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area in California), and to visit the peak wind power research centre in North America (at the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado). Participants Mr Stewart Johnson – Head of the Major Projects Assessments Section, Environment Division. Stewart is responsible for managing the environmental assessment of wind farm proposals and preparing the assessment report and recommendations to the Board of Environmental Management and Pollution Control. He was responsible for preparing the environmental assessment report for the Woolnorth Wind Farm on behalf of the Board and played a key role in negotiating the approval and conditions for that project with the Commonwealth. Mr Mark Holdsworth – Project Manager of the Orange-bellied Parrot Recovery Program and State representative on the national Recovery Team (OBPRT). Mark was instrumental in establishing Aurora’s Bird Mortality with Power Assets Project and has been intensively involved in the assessment process for Tasmanian wind farm projects. In consultation with the OBPRT, he has provided advice to wind farm developers, planners and consultants on issues relating to the conservation of the Orange-bellied Parrot. He has also been involved in providing advice in relation to potential impacts of wind farms on other bird species, including the Wedge-tailed Eagle and White-bellied Sea-eagle. Mr Eric Schwarz, Environmental Consultant with Hydro Tasmania, also participated in the visit. Page 4 of 25 DPIWE Wind Power Fact Finding Visit to the United States - October 2002 2. EPRI Conference – Avian Interactions with Wind Power Structures, October 16 – 17, Jackson Hole, Wyoming The conference was organised by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) in cooperation with the US National Wind Coordinating Committee (NWCC). Representatives from most North American organisations associated with research into wind power avian impacts, as well as State and Federal regulatory authorities and wind power utilities attended the conference. There were also delegates from South Africa, Norway, United Kingdom, Spain, and China. Mark Holdsworth gave a well- received presentation to delegates on Wind Power and the Orange Bellied Parrot. The key points from the presentations were as follows. Robert Thresher, Director, National Wind Technology Centre, NREL • Wind is the cheapest renewable energy source at present. Biomass and photvoltaics also have possibilities. • Turbine technology has moved from 50 kW machines in the early 1980s to 1.8 MW machines now, with projections of 5 MW machines by the end of the decade. • Energy costs are decreasing as a result of increased turbine size, research and development advances and manufacturing improvements – from 40¢/kWh in 1979 to 4-6¢/kWh in 2000 and projected to 3-4¢/kWh by 2004. • Limited potential exists for further cost reductions with current technology. The greatest potential is from improving rotors and controls (advanced materials and blade design) and drive train (eliminating gearbox with direct drive, multi generator drive). Other areas for gains are from new tower concepts (tall towers, self erecting towers, on-site manufacture), improved availability of generation and reduced energy losses, manufacturing improvements and regional and site tailored designs. • Technology limits likely to be 2-5 MW machines, with flexible, thin, high speed hybrid rotors up to 120 m diameter with self erecting towers up to 100 metres height. • GE has 3.6 MW prototype in Spain. It has a hybrid tower, concrete base, 104 metre diameter rotor, and a helicopter platform on top of nacelle. It is being developed for offshore application. • US Department of Energy is seeking to improve low wind speed technology to increase areas available for wind power development. • Wind energy sites should not be positioned within avian migratory paths as this has serious implications under national legislation if collisions occur. Richard Anderson – California Energy Commission Page 5 of 25 DPIWE Wind Power Fact Finding Visit to the United States - October 2002 • Provided background to National Wind Coordinating Committee (NWCC). NWCC was formed in 1994 to provide a forum for identifying issues and impacts, promoting coordination, and catalysing actions to reduce barriers to future wind power development. NWCC includes representation from power companies, industry organisations, environmental organisations, State and Federal energy agencies and regulators. • NWCC established a number of subcommittees, including the Avian Subcommittee. Outlined work of Avian Subcommittee, including studies commissioned, research topics explored and identified for future research, documents prepared (Permitting of Wind Energy Facilities: A Handbook – updated August 2002, and Studying Wind Energy/Bird Interactions: A Guidance Document – the ‘metrics’ document) • Despite significant increases in our knowledge of avian–wind power interactions, avian impacts remains a serious consideration for new wind farm siting. Problem sites can be avoided by adequate consideration of avian issues early in the site selection process. • The Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area (APWRA) in California was the first site where avian collisions were recognised as a significant environmental impact of wind farms. Siting of this facility did not take into account bird usage. Deaths of birds were initially reported by the public and have involved politically sensitive species such as the Golden Eagle. The public controversy that has surrounded bird deaths at this site caused significant damage to the reputation of the wind energy industry and has been widely used as an example of how not to design and develop wind farms.