EcoEnergy continues plans for wind project near Broadhead (Town of Magnolia)
From an article by Gina Duwe in the Janesville Gazette:
MAGNOLIA TOWNSHIP — Planning for EcoEnergy’s 100 megawatt wind project in Magnolia Township will continue despite the town board’s approval of what the wind developer says is a “very prohibitive” ordinance and non-supportive town leadership.
“We’re certainly not giving up,” project developer Curt Bjurlin said.
But he said as a business looking to develop projects in towns that help developers, “Magnolia could have acted in a way that was more enabling to allow us to build this project in a more efficient way.”
Board supervisor and town spokesman Dave Olsen disagrees.
“I think that’s incorrect. We have to have rules for everything,” he said.
“We do now have an ordinance that very clearly has rules that they (wind developers) can work with. Now they know where they stand.”
The board on July 3 unanimously passed an ordinance with turbine setbacks of a half mile from homes and 1,000 feet from property lines. Willing homeowners can have turbines placed closer—1,000 feet minimum—to their homes.
While Bjurlin repeatedly said EcoEnergy wants to work with the town, he and Olsen traded jabs in separate interviews with The Janesville Gazette:
– Olsen said the town approved an ordinance with “very reasonable setbacks.” He cited a July 8 article in The Daily Reporter, a Milwaukee business newspaper, that quoted Tim Le Monds, governmental and public affairs director for the state Public Service Commission, saying “That’s a pretty safe distance. It’s acceptable to us.”
– Bjurlin said he has read only a draft of the town ordinance and will be reviewing the approved version and firming up plans through summer on how the company will proceed.
“As this stands with the EcoMagnolia project, the current regulatory environment is not particularly favorable for building a project,” Bjurlin said.
The message the ordinance sends, Bjurlin said, is that you need a half-mile setback to be safe.
“I think it’s clear that that’s not needed,” he said. . . .
Construction on EcoEnergy’s proposed 100 megawatt wind project in Magnolia Township wouldn’t start for about two years, project developer Curt Bjurlin said.
Plans haven’t changed, despite the town passing an ordinance that makes it “very difficult to build an economic wind energy project,” he said.
The company still is proposing a 100 MW project, or 67 turbines at 1.5 MW each, he said.
Changes always are possible, he said, but EcoEnergy has no plans for different turbines, such as 2 MW turbines that would reduce the number of turbines needed to reach 100 MW.
The project has not been mapped out yet, he said, but he noted the township has many scattered high ridges rather than a broad open plateau. He said he doesn’t think Spring Valley Township would be a part of the project.
Given the proposed size of the project, it is required to be permitted through the state Public Service Commission—a process that can take about a year, Bjurlin said.
Read an intereview with Wes Slaymer, EcoEnergy’s Vice President of Wind Development, in the summer 2008 issue of RENEW’s quarterly newsletter.
Wind Turbines are an intermittent source of power and their output is not considered dispatchable generation. So, I wonder which coal fired plant will remain on line when this facility needs power to start and run the turbines?
kitfox
September 3, 2008
When the turbine blades begin to turn to generate electricity, they require a small amount of power from the grid for less than a second, as I understand the technology.
In the future, let’s hope that the second’s worth of power will more likely come from a generation source that doesn’t use coal. (See RENEW’s testimony in Alliant’s proposal for the Cassville plant.)
Even today, the necessary power may come from other wind, biodigester, solar, or natural gas generation facilities on the grid.
edblume
September 3, 2008
My understanding of the power requirements for a turbine are different than yours. The heart of a wind turbine is an asynchronous (induction) generator. It is primarily an electric motor that can produce power when it is turning above its no load speed. It requires continuous power from the grid to start and run. The support system for the turbine needs grid power also. The yaw system, pitch control, heating and air conditioning, computer controls, oil heaters, cable unwind control, all require grid power. The wind at cut in speed 3M/S will not start the turbine, it must be spun up to speed like an electric motor with grid power.
If you could provide a circuit diagram including power requirements from one of the turbine manufactures I know an electrical engineer that would be give his opinion of actual grid power that is being used just to start a 1.5MW asynchronous (induction) generator.
kitfox
September 3, 2008