10 Things About...Mandi, Marketing

The "10 Things About" posts are designed to better acquaint you with the WECC team.

1. My favorite childhood memories come from the summers that I spent in the mountains of Upstate New York and Pennsylvania, covered in dirt and leaves and loving every second of it.
2. If I had to choose one "favorite" thing about working at WECC, it would be the people that I interact with each day. I am constantly being inspired by the people around me.
3. I would move to Manhattan just for the food - specifically: Bagels, bakery, deli and pizza.
4. I am fascinated by science and history.
5. My favorite color is charcoal grey.
6. My least favorite color is orange...a terrible thing for a Gator grad to say, I know!
7. My favorite drink is tea - hot or cold.
8. I have an Australian Cattle Dog named Emma. She spent a confusing couple of months convinced that she was a cat.
9. My favorite thing about the wind energy industry is the way that wind energy projects are being used to revitalize entire communities. It is inspiring!
10. My understanding of evolution at seven years old led me to believe that the lizards I saw walking on two feet meant that by the time I was ten, there would be T-Rex's in my backyard.

Top 6 Tips to Choosing the Right Small Wind Turbine

The previously unregulated small wind market takes one step for small turbines, one giant leap for the industry with the announcement of four National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) certified small wind testing sites. (Disclosure: WECC worked with the Kansas State University team on one of the approved site proposals.)

The shift to a regulated market represents a victory for consumers who will now be able to easily verify the claims made by manufacturers of small wind turbines. Small wind turbines are any turbine that is less than 100 KW. These smaller systems represent a rapidly growing portion of the overall wind turbine generator (WTG) market, especially in the United States.

Testing of the turbines has yet to begin and the tests are expected to take at least a year for the initial WTGs selected. The stimulus package’s Federal ITC Grant provides for up to 30% of the cost of the project back in cash and is set to expire at the end of this year, before any WTGs are certified.

How can consumers be sure that they’re making an informed decision when choosing a WTG in the interim? Here are 6 tips to help you get your money’s worth.

1. Read the fine print.

A manufacturer may claim that their turbine produces 5 kW of electricity…in 25 mph sustained winds or more…how realistic is this?

2. Do your research.

What are people saying about the product online? Do you see multiple stories about products malfunctioning and not performing up to expectations?

3. Speak to a former customer.

Ask the manufacturer to connect you with a former customer who would be willing to talk to you about their experience. If they’re not willing to do it, it could be a warning sign.

4. Discuss warranties and servicing options.

Reputable manufacturers will warrant their systems from 2 to 5 years and will fully support.

5. Know your wind speeds.

A great turbine won’t produce any electricity if you don’t have adequate wind. NREL’s wind resource map is a great starting point. NREL Wind Map of America

6. Get a Free WindSight Assessment.

WECC’s wind engineering team has vetted a list of wind turbines and can make recommendations specific to your location and energy usage. Remove the guesswork and a free assessment today at www.FromBeginningToWind.com

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Wind Power Does Not Impact Residential Property Value

Yesterday the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory released a new report: "The Impact of Wind Power Projects on Residential Property Values in the United States: A Multi-Site Hedonic Analysis." The full report is available for download at http://eetd.lbl.gov/ea/ems/re-pubs.html - and associative Power Point presentation is available for download at http://eetd.lbl.gov/ea/ems/emp-ppt.html.

With a view toward addressing community concerns regarding the growth of the U.S. wind industry, the report authors and researchers collected data on approximately 7,500 homes sales within 10 miles of 24 existing wind facilities in 9 states. Using 8 different hedonic pricing models, as well as repeat sales and sales volume models, the research determined that statistically there is no widespread negative impact on the sales of residential properties that are located near wind facilities. Please review the full report for a complete analysis and summation.

Information on Small Wind

WECC recently launched a small wind information site to assist consumers and businesses by providing information on the benefits of a small wind solution, help determine if a small wind system is right for you, and with providing guidance on implementation. Siting, understanding interconnection with your utility and turbine selection are critical factors to understand; although there are many additional factors to consider. Especially with turbine selection, since there currently is no true certification system for small wind turbine generators, the buyer is at the mercy of claims by the turbine manufacturer. Although this soon changing in North America.

The Small Wind Certification Counsel now exists and will begin to accept applications from wind turbine generator manufacturers in early 2010. In fact, at next week's AWEA Small & Community Wind Conference and Exhibition in Detroit, the SWCC with submit and approve plans that will be utilized to certify wind turbines to the AWEA Small Wind Turbine Performance and Safety Standard. This is a significant step toward protecting consumers and improving industry credibility and performance.

WECC offers a FREE WindSight initial wind assessment with no obligation. Upon submitting basic information into a simple online form regarding your site and electric usage, a report will provide prepared by a WECC Wind Technician. The report will be sent to you that informs of the wind regime at your location, an initial siting assessment and a recommendation on the turbine size (if good wind exists) to help you get started with the decision process. Give it a try!

The Aesthetic Excuse

Americans have long been known for our obsession with appearances. Our collective beauty obsession and the pursuit of perfection have spawned multiple magazines, miracle creams and, no doubt, trips to the therapist’s office.

You may be wondering why I’m discussing the American aesthetic on a blog about wind energy. Did you know that there is a movement against wind energy based almost entirely on the aesthetics of wind turbines?

Perhaps it’s just me but I cannot find a single aesthetically pleasing thing about a power plant. I’ll admit, my opinion may be unfairly influenced by the ever present aroma of chemical pollutants or the surprising sting of smog as it hits my eyes – but I just don’t get it. I cannot find any logic to the argument that since some people in our country don’t like the way that turbines look, we’re going to continue poisoning ourselves by building more of what is apparently seen as the more attractive option – the conventional power plant.

I’ve included some photos for comparison:

Feel free to tell me how crazy I am for not finding the smoke spewing, pollutant belching power plant more aesthetically pleasing than a wind farm.

Wind turbines, some of which are designed to be no taller than a cell tower, are an excellent way to produce our own clean, renewable energy. We've grown accustomed to the sight of cell towers, water towers and utility poles on the horizon - why not turbines?

I think we can all agree that it is in our best interest to be less reliant on foreign powers for our energy needs. We all share a common desire to protect that which is dear to us. Decisions that will affect the future of the prairies, lakes, beaches, rivers and mountains of this great country should not be made based on someone’s idea of beauty.

*Power plant photo from www.coal-is-dirty.com, Wind farm photo from www.focalenergy.nl

Wind Project Risk Assessment

Risk management is critically important in a wind project. A systematic method is required to identify risk factors, quantify the risk factors, compute the impact of risk factors on project performance and mitigate the risk.

Download Wind Project Risk Assessment whitepaper for details. In it a framework is presented for: Categorizing risk, quantifying risk and assessing impact of risk on the project. In addition, strategies for mitigating risk are described.

Risk is categorized based on phases of a wind project:

• Planning/installation risk is related to factors during the pre-energy production stage that impact the cost of and timeframe for implementation of a project.
  
• Operational risk factors are those that lead to uncertainty in revenue and cost after the implementation, which is during the energy production phase of the project.
  
• Systemic risk factors are those that impact both implementation and operations.

Planning/Installation Risk	Operational Risk	Systemic Risk
Prospecting risk: Cost and time of finding the most suitable parcel of land for wind farm	Wind resource: Uncertainty in energy production due to wind speed, shear, turbulence, air density and others	Interest rate risk
Land lease risk: Cost and time of signing a land lease agreement	Turbine and plant performance: Uncertainty in energy production due to power curve, losses	Currency risk
Permitting risk: Cost and time of state/local government permits, environmental and transmission permits	Grid access: Energy cannot be delivered due to grid outage	Locale risk

In the framework risk is quantified along three parameters:

• What does this risk factor impact? Choose one or more.
  
  • Revenue
    
  • Cost
    
  • Time
    
• What is the amount of uncertainty?
  
• What is the impact of risk factor on Revenue, Cost and Time? And how does the impact change over time?

The impact of risk is estimated based on the P84, P90 and more generically Pn estimates, where n is any number greater than 50 and less than 100. In the whitepaper the concept is explained through examples.

Article written by Pramod Jain

Visit Wind Energy Consulting and Contracting Inc.

New Free WindSight Small Wind Assessment

We recognize the inherent value of wind energy projects, of all sizes. And, no matter the size of your project, you need to do your homework. For everyone considering a wind project, we've created the Free WindSight Assessment for you. Whether you are just curious about what kind of wind resource your site has, or if you have a real project in mind, Our WindSight Assessment is a quick and easy way for you determine if wind will work for you.

Our simple, straight-forward online form takes just a few minutes to fill in, then we get your report back to you in two days. We're going to ask about your electricity use, so have your latest utility bill handy. Our WindSight Assessment is your first step to going green. Go to www.wind-consulting.com/websales/ to request your free WindSight report.