Integrating the Built and Natural Environments Through Renewable Energy Technologies: Supplying Wind Power to Kirkmont Center

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Integrating the Built and Natural Environments Through Renewable Energy Technologies: Supplying Wind Power to Kirkmont Center Integrating the Built and Natural Environments Through Renewable Energy Technologies: Supplying Wind Power to Kirkmont Center A thesis submitted to the Miami University Honors Program in partial fulfillment of the requirements for University Honors with Distinction by Mark Cerny Miami University Oxord, Ohio May, 2006 ii ABSTRACT Integrating the Built and Natural Environments Through Renewable Energy Technologies: Supplying Wind Power to Kirkmont Center by Mark Cerny Wind power is a renewable energy technology currently experiencing a huge growth in popularity due to its cheap cost, widespread availability, and clean nature. Ohio currently has largely unexplored wind resources waiting to be utilized for the generation of electricity. This thesis summarizes an initial feasibility study I conducted to understand the potential for installing a wind turbine at Kirkmont Center in Bellefontaine, OH to take advantage of wind resources on the site. Kirkmont boasts the second highest elevation in the state of Ohio, which makes it an excellent candidate for generating wind power, with average wind speeds of 6-7 m/sec at 30m. In addition, the wind turbine will correspond with the construction of a new interactive educational facility, serving as a valuable educational and marketing tool. My work also included finding potential funding sources, grants, and incentives to help cover the cost of constructing and maintaining the turbine; contacting manufacturers regarding providing their services to Kirkmont; and presenting my findings to the Kirkmont Building Committee. The research for this project was also used for the California Green Stop rest stop design competition with me serving as a consultant on wind power for the design team. iii iv Integrating the Built and Natural Environments Through Renewable Energy Technologies: Supplying Wind Power to Kirkmont Center by Mark Cerny Approved by: _________________________, Advisor (Kimberly Hill) _________________________, Reader (Scott Johnston) _________________________, Reader (J Elliott) Accepted by: _________________________, Director, University Honors Program v vi Table of Contents 1. Introduction 1 1.1 Executive Summary 1 1.2 Methods & Procedures 2 2. Wind Power for the 21st Century 4 2.1 How Does it Work? 4 2.2 Trends & Future Outlook 7 2.3 Case Studies 8 3. Project Data 14 3.1 Wind Velocity 14 3.2 Elevation 16 3.3 Wind Systems 16 4. Making the Case for Wind Power 19 4.1 Financial Case 19 4.2 Educational Value 28 4.3 Marketability 31 4.4 Environmental Benefits 34 5. Call to Action 37 5.1 Parties to Involve 36 5.2 Conclusion 39 6. Appendices A Bergey XL.1 Performance Model 45 B. Bergey Excel-S Performance Model 46 C. Bergey XL.1 Spec Sheet 47 D. Bergey Excel-S Spec Sheet 48 E. Carbon Dioxide Emissions Per Plant 49 F. Shaded Elevation Map of Ohio 50 Index of Figures Figure 1. Lucid Design Group Display for Oberlin College 13 Figure 2. Map of Ohio Wind Speed at 30m 15 Figure 3. Wind Speed vs. Height Graph 16 Figure 4. Dayton Power & Light cost per kWh 20 Figure 5. Carbon Dioxide Emissions Table 35 vii viii 1 Executive Summary Kirkmont has an excellent opportunity to take advantage of widespread public support for wind energy systems, a strong and consistent supply of wind, and a building campaign to improve onsite facilities to make the center more attractive to potential visitors. As resources become more scarce, problems associated with pollution and environmental degradation grow more severe. It is important for Kirkmont to install a wind system to show their commitment to the environment and desire to share ideas of how to do so with others, as described in their core values. With plans in development for construction of a new interactive educational facility, now is the time for Kirkmont to integrate sustainable design into their future plans. The new facility and wind system would complement each other nicely, with educational displays showing how each is functioning with the well-being of the environment as a primary concern. Furthermore, it makes financial sense for Kirkmont to invest in a wind system. The two most practical options I have investigated are a 1 kW and 10 kW turbine with 18m and 30m towers respectively. Both are manufactured by Bergey and available from regional dealer Third-Sun Solar & Wind. Kirkmont’s current electrical supplier Dayton Power & Light offers net-metering to its customers, which means Kirkmont will receive retail value for every kWh of electricity they produce. The average rate charged to Kirkmont per kWh in 2005 was $.11. Evaluating the wind systems on the basis of cost per kWh produced suggests both systems will produce energy at a lower cost over their 25-year lifespan, with the 1 kW system producing electricity at a rate of $.085 per kWh and the 10kW system for $.033 per kWh. With grants provided by the state of Ohio for renewable energy systems, the payback period for the systems are 21.2 years for the 1 2 kW system and 8.3 years for the 10 kW system. Kirkmont should consider these numbers when choosing a system to install while also looking at the educational, marketing, and environmental benefits provided by each tower in accordance with both their short and long-term goals for the camp. In an effort to gain a greater share of the educational field trip market (Delair, 2005), installing a wind system will allow Kirkmont to offer programming on the benefits of renewable energy that are currently in demand. As a camp dedicated to respecting and protecting the earth and its species, setting a good example for the students who visit should be a top priority for Kirkmont. Future generations will have to rely on renewable energy to meet their electrical needs, and Kirkmont has the opportunity to familiarize the next stewards of the environment at an early age, before they are set in the ways of their parents’ generation. With a commercial-scale wind farm in development for the surrounding areas in Logan County (Spartley, 2006), Kirkmont can fill the need to bring wind power into a more personalized and human-scale setting while capitalizing on the publicity, attention, and intrigue generated by the wind farm. Kirkmont is currently in a great position to supply all the benefits of wind power to a community looking ahead to a sustainable future, fueled by clean energy and environmentally-conscious decision making. Methods & Procedures My analysis focuses on the potential for constructing a wind turbine in two different setups. The first is a 1 kW, Bergey XL.1, battery charging version placed on an 18m tower. The second setup is a 10 kW, Bergey Excel-S, Grid Intertie placed on a 30m 3 tower. Both systems are evaluated for their effectiveness on the site of the new Interactive Educational Facility at Kirkmont Center in Bellefontaine, OH. Wind data for the site is based on measurements conducted by Green Energy Ohio and the Ohio Wind Working Group at 30m above ground level. Payback time is calculated as the time it will take the wind turbine to generate enough energy to offset the total cost of the turbine. Initial equipment, installation, and permit fees, as well as ongoing maintenance expenses, are included in the cost of the wind turbine. Revenues for the turbine are calculated based on kilowatt-hours (kWh) of energy produced at a rate of $.11 per kilowatt-hour. Since the energy produced will be used on site, each kWh of energy produced replaces a kWh that would have otherwise have been purchased from Dayton Power & Light at the rate of $.11 per kWh. Assuming constant energy prices for the life-span of the turbine, payback can be calculated in years as the total lifetime cost for the turbine divided by the energy rate of $.11 per kWh, which gives the total number of kWh that must be generated to produce revenues that equal costs. The total number of kWh that must be generated is then divided by the average calculated kWh production per year to find the payback period. Any production beyond this time period is positive revenue for the remaining useful lifetime of the turbine. In addition to developing the financial case for installing a wind turbine at Kirkmont Center, I have researched several case studies where wind turbines have been installed to discover the educational, marketing, and environmental benefits provided by the renewable energy systems. The case study for educational importance is a monitoring project that led to turbine construction at Lake Metroparks’ Farmpark in Kirtland, OH. Marketing benefits, thanks to increased interest and visitors, are evident in the Glacier 4 Ridge Metro Park installation in Dublin, OH. Environmental benefits can be calculated roughly as the amount of pollutant emissions avoided by producing energy with the wind rather than fossil fuels. These environmental effects also have a huge impact on quality of life issues on a national and even global level. I will not address the environmental costs associated with harmful energy production in my research, but the importance of such issues will continue to gain more and more relevance in the near future, and should not be overlooked. 2. Wind Power for the 21st Century How Does it Work? Wind energy is ultimately a form of solar energy in motion. As the sun unevenly heats the earth’s atmosphere, areas of high and low pressure result from the temperature differences. As the warmer air rises, cooler more dense air rushes in to replace it, generating the wind currents we feel. The fact we can feel the wind demonstrates that air has mass, and when put in motion, possesses kinetic energy. Wind turbines are designed to capture this kinetic energy from the moving air and convert it to mechanical energy.
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