Landowners’ Guide to Wind Energy in Alberta Tim Weis $ Alex Doukas $ Kristi Anderson (Micro-generation appendix by Gordon Howell) September 2010 ORDER FORM Landowners’ Guide to Landowners’ Wind Energy in Alberta Guide to Wind Energy Format in Alberta :,20= B E * :0<10.> -9?8/ A4>3 ,::08/4.0= :<48> 19<7,> Tim Weis U Alex Doukas U Kristi Anderson Pricing (Appendix by Gordon Howell) -i«ÌiLiÀ 2010 Non-profit organizations and individuals ' '( Corporations :0< .9:C ' '( ,66 19< .9<:9<,>0 /4=.9?8>= 98 -?65 9</0<= %07-48, !8=>4>?>0 # &( Ordering information #,70 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ $<2,84D,>498 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ //<0== ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 4>C +++++++++++++++++++++++ %<[email protected] +++++++++++ %9=>,6 9/0 ++++++++++++++++++++++ %3980 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ,B ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 7,46 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Method of Payment 30;?0 7,/0 :,C,-60 >9 >30 %07-48, !8=>4>?>0 )!' 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The Pembina Institute Box 7558 Drayton Valley, Alberta Canada T7A 1S7 Phone: 780-542-6272 Email: [email protected] Additional copies of this report may be downloaded from the Pembina Institute website: www.pembina.org. About the Pembina Institute The Pembina Institute is a national non-profit think tank that advances sustainable energy solutions through research, education, consulting and advocacy. It promotes environmental, social and economic sustainability in the public interest by developing practical solutions for communities, individuals, governments and businesses. The Pembina Institute provides policy research leadership and education on climate change, energy issues, green economics, energy efficiency and conservation, renewable energy, and environmental governance. For more information about the Pembina Institute, visit www.pembina.org or contact [email protected]. The Pembina Institute’s engaging monthly newsletter offers insights into its projects and activities, and highlights recent news and publications. Subscribe to Pembina eNews at www.pembina.org/enews/subscribe. Acknowledgements This project was sponsored by Growing Forward, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative, and by Alberta Environment’s Climate Change Strategy. It was also made possible by financial support from the Economic Development Alliance of Southeast Alberta. The invaluable contributions of many stakeholders contributed greatly to the guide. We extend our thanks to Graham Gilchrist of the Farmers’ Advocate Office, Kelly Lund of Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, Tracy Heebner of the Economic Development Alliance of Southeast Alberta, Ron Vermeulen of Land Solutions, Kolja Vainstein of Suncor, Jason Edworthy of TransAlta, Paula McGarrigle of Solas Energy Consulting, Vadim Belotserkovsky of GPCo, Dan Tocher of Greengate Power, Philip Nelson of LandSolutions and David Huggill of the Canadian Wind Energy Association. 2 : LANDOWNERS’ GUIDE TO WIND ENERGY IN ALBERTA THE PEMBINA INSTITUTE ©2010 The Pembina Institute. For personal use only. Not for commercial use or printing. To order print copies, call the Pembina Institute at 780-542-6272 or visit re.pembina.org. About the Authors Tim Weis is a professional engineer and the Director of Renewable Energy and Efficiency Policy at the Pembina Institute. Tim has written extensively on renewable energy and energy efficiency on technical and policy issues at national, provincial and municipal levels, as well as issues specific to First Nations and northern contexts. He has assisted more than 20 communities at various stages of development of renewable energy projects. Tim has also worked as a renewable energy consultant examining wind energy challenges in Northern communities. Tim has a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Alberta where he studied ice adhesion to wind turbine blades. Tim can be reached at [email protected]. Alex Doukas is a former Technical and Policy Advisor with the Pembina Institute’s Sustainable Communities Group. Before joining the Pembina Institute, Alex worked with the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association (OSEA) on renewable energy education and policy development, and helped facilitate the development of community-based wind and solar energy projects. While with OSEA, he authored sections of the Canadian Renewable Energy Association’s National Renewable Energy Strategy, including “Distributed Generation” and “Community Power.” Alex has also worked with a Toronto-based biogas development company to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and landfill waste. Alex holds a BA in environmental policy and practice from the University of Toronto. Kristi Anderson is a Technical and Policy Analyst providing research support to Pembina’s policy and consulting groups on topics related to renewable energy, energy efficiency and environmental assessments. Prior to joining the Pembina Institute, Kristi conducted environmental impact assessments for utility-scale wind energy projects in Alberta and worked as a consultant on biogas electricity projects. She has also worked directly for electrical utility companies in both an environmental policy and business development capacity. Kristi has a bachelor’s degree in environmental biology, an MBA with a specialization in natural resources and energy from the University of Alberta, and a certificate in environmental protection from the Royal Military College. Kristi can be reached at [email protected]. Gordon Howell is an electrical engineer with Howell-Mayhew Engineering. He has 28 years of experience with grid-connected solar-electric systems and 20 years on international, national and provincial solar standards committees. His solar- electric house was the first grid-connected one west of Toronto and the 12th in Canada. Since then he has worked on the development of simple uniform steps to grid-connect all micropower systems. He has worked with Alberta’s government, electric regulators and utilities to resolve and remove barriers to solar electricity. His most recent work is in developing cost-effective net zero energy solar homes. Gordon has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Alberta. He can be reached at [email protected]. THE PEMBINA INSTITUTE LANDOWNERS’ GUIDE TO WIND ENERGY IN ALBERTA ::::3 ©2010 The Pembina Institute. For personal use only. Not for commercial use or printing. To order print copies, call the Pembina Institute at 780-542-6272 or visit re.pembina.org. Contents 1. Getting Started ............................................................................................................................ 8 1.1. Who Is This Guide For? ..................................................................................................................8 1.2. How to Use This Guide...................................................................................................................8 Part I Wind Energy Background....................................................................................................... 10 2. Wind Energy in Alberta.............................................................................................................. 11 2.1. Wind Energy Markets...................................................................................................................11 2.2. Alberta’s Wind Resource..............................................................................................................12 3. Wind Technology Overview ....................................................................................................... 13 3.1. Wind Turbine Basics .....................................................................................................................13 3.1.1. Wind Speeds and Turbine Operation .................................................................................13 3.1.2. Wind Turbine Size ...............................................................................................................13 3.1.3. Tower Types ........................................................................................................................14