Community vs Industrial Scale Wind Energy Production Design, Implementation & Employment Opportunities (View PPT in “Normal” view to see slide notes) Sean

Community vs Industrial Scale Wind Energy Production

Design,

Implementation

&

Employment Opportunities

(View PPT in “Normal” view to see slide notes)

Sean G. O’ReillyE-mail: [email protected]

Green Group Boston

mailto:[email protected]

Green Group Boston 2

Wind Energy StatusDivisions of Wind Generation:

Residential 0-100 KW

Community 100 KW-1 MW

Industrial wind 1MW+(currently 1-7 MW range)


Topic List

• Site assessment• Permitting and environmental hurdles• Turbine technologies• Materials issues in design• Infrastructure to construct• O&M - Operation and maintenance• Pain points in development• Industry needs and job opportunities


Site Assessment• Wind conditions (Met towers, Sodar, Lidar)• Terrain (local obstacles and turbulence factors)• Footprint and foundation (space needed, anchoring)• Onshore vs offshore (industrial only, considerations)


Turbine Tower Footprint Examples


Permitting and Environmental Hurdles

• Time scale

• Government and state bodies involved

• General points on the process

• Environmental hurdles

• Small (community) wind process, vs

• Large (industrial) wind process


Basic Anatomy of a Wind Turbine (HAWT)

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

• Note: The coming era of direct drive for large turbines, may eliminate gearboxes


Turbine Technologies

• Styles (Vertical horizontal, Cycloidal, shrouds & multi-rotor)

• Upwind or downwind orientation for HAWT’s

• Gearbox or direct drive• “Smart” turbines (self

protection, energy optimization)

• Energy storage




Turbine Technologies

• Shrouded turbine with multiple rotors

• Typical small wind turbine


Who Are the Top Players? Large Wind HAWT:

1 Vestas Denmark

2 Enercon Germany

3 Gamesa Spain

4 GE Energy Germany/ US

5 Siemens Denmark/Germany

6 Suzlon India

7 Sinovel China


Examples of Small Wind Companies, Design Variety:Company Name Turbine Type

1 FloDesign HAWT Shrouded

2 Mariah Power “Windspire” VAWT

3 Southwest Windpower HAWT

4 URwind VAWT

5 Cascade Eng. Inc. “Swift” HAWT

6 Enflo HAWT Shrouded

7 Optiwind HAWT Shrouded

8 Bergey Windpower HAWT


Materials Issues in Design

• Blade scale-up• Composite materials• Testing and

qualification• Automated

production• Tooling• Superconductors

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (LZW) decompressor





Infrastructure for Assembly and Erection

• Trucks, barges, cranes, airlift cranes

• Double wide roads• General terrain• Handling issues (dock

transfer, skill level and risk)






Operation and Maintenance• Performance: SCADA network• Damage from lightning, wildlife,

snipers, various• Component life: Not all 20 yrs• Lubrication: Vital• Coatings and corrosion: Wind is

abrasive• Repair and replacement: Do at

height where possible• Reality of operation: Always

need O&M staff on site at large farms 24/7


Environmental Impact Studies

• Contentious issues• Birds / bats / fish -

positives and negatives

• Some realities from industry findings

• Design for low noise


Industry Pain Points, Large Wind

Large wind:• HAWT blade size limitation (cost versus

physics)• Production scale-up difficult for massive blades• Need increased quality at lower cost• Need to store power to offset down time• Grid integration varies and relies on utility co-

operation• Max. wind land sites will fast become scarce


Industry Pain Points, Small Wind

• Not as cost effective, bigger is better• Less corporate sponsorship /tougher

financing• NIMBY issues in urban areas• Grid intertie not standardized between states• Duplication of grid interconnect effort vs once

for a large wind farm• Cruder turbine protection technology• Need UL approved generators for grid intertie


Lrg Wind Industry, Needs = Job Opportunities

• Custom composite ply kitting for blades• Automation machinery for blade production• Full scale static and dynamic testing of blades• Auxiliary repair materials and tooling• Specialized coatings for ice, oils & corrosion• Transport and handling logistics & equipment• O&M subcontracting• Project management of wind energy contracts• Feasibility analysts, wind resource specialists• Federal permitting experts• Health and safety engineers


Sml Wind Industry, Needs=Job Opportunities

• Safety products and practices• Small, high efficiency, cheap, quiet turbines• Local permitting and incentives experts• Recycling/ refurbishing of used turbines• Custom build O&M• Building integrated wind turbines/ urban feasibility • Portable MET towers (products and service)• Hybrid use of cell phone/other towers for metrology• Portable SODAR, & LIDAR (affordable)• Home PC/ Mac software (SCADA-lite?)• Financiers for novel turbine / hybrid systems


Links to more Information• AWEA: www.awea.org• NREL : www.nrel.gov/wind• State Incentives Database: www.dsireusa.org• Bergey Payback Calculator

www.bergey.com/Channels/1F2.htm• Legal and Safety Issues – U.S. DOE Small Wind

System Installation Reference Briefwww.eren.doe.gov/consumerinfo/refbriefs/ja2.html

• AWEA Advice: www.awea.org/faq/sagrillo- Tribulations, Hearings, Zoning, Perceptions

• “Connecting a Small-Scale Renewable Energy System to an Electric Transmission System” U.S. DoE : www.eren.doe.gov/consumerinfo/refbriefs/ja7.html

• “Connecting to the Grid” Interstate Renewable Energy Council: www.irecusa.org

http://www.bergey.com/Channels/1F2.htm


Gov’t Funding Program Links:• U.S. Dept. of Treasury: Renewable energy

grants (ARRA) (Enacted 2-’09)• 30%+ funding available• www.treas.gov/recovery/1603.shtml

• USDA: Rural energy for America Program (REAP) (Enacted 5-’02)

• 25% of project cost• www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/busp/bprogs.htm

• Clean Renewable Energy Bonds (CREB’s) (Latest version enacted 10-’08)

• Federal loans, amount varies• www.irs.gov/irb/2007-14_IRB/ar17.html

http://www.treas.gov/recovery/1603.shtml

http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/busp/bprogs.htm

http://www.irs.gov/irb/2007-14_IRB/ar17.html


References / Credits

• Slide 2: 2005 Chart from NEI International Energy Agency’s key world energy statistics 2007, updated 1/08

• Slide 4: From a NREL report for DOE, entitled “Small Wind Electric Systems, a Minnesota Consumer’s Guide”

• Slide 5: Appalachian State University, Office of Sustainability, Boone, NC• Slide 7: Anatomy picture source unknown. Scout Moor gearbox picture:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Scout_moor_gearbox%2C_rotor_shaft_and_brake_assembly.jpg

• Slide 8: Darrius picture : http://deppenschmidt.wordpress.com/2009/02/11/energy-saving-now/. Cycloidal picture: “Aerocam”, Broadstar Wind Systems

• Slide 9: Open type: Bergey Windpower, Shrouded type: Windtamer Turbines Corp.

http://deppenschmidt.wordpress.com/2009/02/11/energy-saving-now/


References / Credits (Cont’d)

• Slide 12: Blade test picture: LM Glasfiber, preform layup picture: Vien Tek• Slide 13: Source unknown, Google web images• Slide 14: Source unknown, Google web images• Slide 15: Bat image: Google web, copyright free. Fish image: Google web,

copyright free

Documents

Community vs Industrial Scale Wind Energy Production Design, Implementation & Employment Opportunities (View PPT in “Normal” view to see slide notes) Sean