Wind Energy Story Of The Day -- August 12, 2019

Last week the wind energy story was the National Grid failure in London, affecting one million folks, due to offshore wind farm failure.

From big to small. Today's story: a single turbine.

Location: St. Cloud, MN, VA hospital.

Data points:

• turbine had not worked "for years" despite much time, money and effort to get it to work
• from 2012 to 2019 -- seven years -- trying to get it to work; it worked for maybe 18 months
• will now be taken down
• cost: $2.3 million in federal stimulus money as part of a pilot project o use renewable energy
• during the Obama administration
• would have supplied 15% of the VA's electricity demand
• cost to bring this monstrosity down: $326,000 (of course that's just the estimate; we will probably never know the final bill0
• the turbine functioned for about 18 months, April, 2011, to August, 2012
• much more at the linked story including links to stories from the very beginning on this one

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Still My Favorite Renewable Energy Site

The deplorable climate science blog.

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455 Rocket, Kathy Mattea   It seems this would be a great cover for Joan Jett and the Blackhearts.

The Political Page, T+300 -- November 17, 2017

Updates

Later, 2:36 p.m. Central Time: see first comment. It is easy to "verify" the comments regarding health risks associated with wind farm noise. A simple google search (altered cortical and subcortical connectivity) will yield 426,000 hits regarding the wind noise issue, about 420,000 more hits than necessary for most lawyers.

Original Post

 

A second reader alerted me to this story so I will post it. I'm trying to minimize my comments on global warming and renewable energy since I feel I am preaching to the choir, but when multiple readers alert me to same article, I figure there is enough reason to post it, at least for the archives.

From the [Minneapolis/St Paul] StarTribune, "wind project in southern Minnesota gets pushback." The opposition has already gotten half the project built in Iowa. As the reader noted, Minnesotans appear to like wind energy but not in their immediate backyard. Iowa is as close as many Minnesotans want renewable energy. Apparently, some in Minnesota see the light: there is not one redeemable aspect to wind energy, as we've said before.

Wind farms commonly generate some local antipathy as they grow both in number and economic importance to the energy industry, but the Freeborn project has sparked a higher level of opposition. It has been intense enough to prompt Freeborn Wind’s developer, Invenergy, to move more than half the project — 58 turbines — across the border to Iowa.

“Iowa loves it,” said Dan Litchfield, senior manager for Chicago-based Invenergy, which is developing Freeborn Wind for Xcel Energy. As far as state permitting, “the Iowa portion of the project is done,” Litchfield said. In Minnesota, Freeborn Wind has sparked a fight before the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC).

There are issues over the proximity of wind turbines to some houses. And opponents of the project are concerned about unwanted noise, potential health effects, visual pollution and declining property values.

Litchfield said it’s a “myth” that wind farms can cause ill health, and the Freeborn project will “comply with the law” as far as noise levels and distances between houses and turbines.

Both sides agree one on matter: Poor perception of an existing wind farm in Freeborn County, the Bent Tree project north of Albert Lea, has helped spark opposition to Freeborn Wind.

The more rural folks see wind farms in California, Kansas, and Oregon, the more they will try to stop wind farms in their area. 

Nothing About The Bakken -- October 26, 2016

A list.

Bring it on. North American Wind Power: Xcel has plans for huge Midwest wind portfolio --

• Dickey County, ND: 150 MW project, NextEra Energy Resources, Foxtail Wind
• Freeborn County, MN: 200 MW project, Invenergy, Freeborn Wind Energy
• Lincoln County, MN: 200 MW project, Geronimo Energy, Blazing Star 1
• Lincoln County, MN: 200 MW project, Geronimo Energy, Blazing Star 2

Dickey County lies a couple of counties east from the Standing Rock Reservation, most likely on sacred tribal burial grounds, and along the South Dakota border.

These projects will bring a lot of money to ND and MN; and will make a lot of farmers rich, especially those farmers growing corn to support the highly-subsidized ethanol industry. North Dakota is quickly becoming the Elon Musk of renewable energy among the 50 states.

But best of all, these projects will require a lot of fossil-fuel back-up.

If Americans like wind energy, they might as well send their money to North Dakota, as long as those wind farms are not in my backyard (I have never been in Dickey County as far as I know).

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Amazon Not Stealing Costco's Customers

Over at Yahoo!Finance.

This is a great story. Amazon is place to buy books or pick up that one item you forgot or didn't see at Costco.

Costco, on the other hand is a destination.

Costco is a destination for shoppers. A destination. Sort of like a cruise ship stay-cation. Once a month or once-a-week. Duty free (local sales tax and that's it). And at Costco, one doesn't window shop with plans to buy it "cheaper" at Amazon. Whether or not it would be available at Amazon, it doesn't matter.

• the price at Costco "can't be beat" 
• hey, that's why we're here -- to buy, not window shop
• I brought the SUV; I have plenty of room for these huge packages; why else would I have a(n) SUV?
• this is what you do on stay-cations: you shop
• Costco is a social outing; Amazon is something you do when alone at home (or more likely bored at work)
• it's a shame to leave a huge shopping cart half-filled 
• all Costco shoppers -- regardless of ethnic background -- "share" white privilege: one has to be a member to shop at Costco; they don't let just anyone in; and, now that I'm in, I'm gonna shop
• Costco has the best hot dogs in the world; and they only cost a buck

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Random Thoughts On EVs

I have spent a large portion of my adult life in England. If I had all the money in the world, one of my homes would be in northern England, near Scotland, overlooking a river.

I've often thought that if any country was the perfect country for EVs, it would be England, or Great Britain, in general. The Brits love to pay "up" for quality; they are used to high taxes; their commuting distances are short. So I was curious. I assume wiki would provide the quickest answer but I chose not to look at wiki. Instead, I went to a site where they love EVs, insideevs.

The link is from an article almost a year old, but it pretty much told me everything I needed to know:
the Brits prefer plug-in hybrids, not all-electric cars

• November, 2015: registered EVs in the UK -- 1.27%
• December, 2014: registered EVs in the UK -- 1.29% (the "previous" record)
• growth rate has been slightly over 20% year-over-year (so the fact that registrations as a percent dropped, means that overall Brits are buying more cars, but not necessarily more EVs -- as a percent of vehicles sold)

Spin it however one might, this is not a good news story for EVs. This comes on top of a recent story that the Germans have lost their appetite for EVs, also. 

The real question is to what extent the British government is marketing/incentivizing EVs. The price of gasoline  per gallon in:

• Netherlands, Amsterdam: $6.48
• Norway, Osla: $6.27
• Denmark, Copenhagen: $5.96
• UK (London): $5.79
• NYC: $2.16

By the way, Venezuela? $0.12. Yes, 12 cents a gallon. Assuming there is gasoline to be found.

The difference in price between gasoline in London and the price of gasoline in NYC: taxes.

That should probably answer the question to what extent the British government is marketing/incentivizing EVs.

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Another List

If I have time, I might come back to this. Someone else pointed this out. It's now an original thought with me, but I have not seen this list before:

• The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
• Girl with Pearl Earring
• Girl in the Dark
• The Girl on the Train 

While traveling earlier this month, or was it last month, I forget, I missed a number of New Yorker magazine issues. I thought I had caught up with them all, but it appears I missed one of the better issues, the September 26, 2016, issue. That's what got me thinking about the list above.

Among many, many other good articles in that issue, there's a nice review of Ron Howard's new Beatles movie (which I do not plan to see). The reviewer references one of the best movie scenes ever:
... if you want to know how Uma Thurman felt, in Pulp Fiction, when that syringe of adrenaline was harpooned into her chest, here's your chance (Howard's movie on the Beatles).

I noted earlier that The New Yorker "missed it by that much" when the profile of Leonard Cohen appeared about the same time that Bob Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. To make up for that, The New Yorker has a black/white caricature of a young Bob Dylan on the cover of this week's issue, but, of course, no article on him in this issue.

Unfortunately this week's issue appears to be have been written and edited by a Hillary Super PAC.

And we move on.

New Tourist Attraction Planned For Northern Minnesota's Boundary Waters -- August 23, 2016

Regular readers will remember this story (I've re-posted it below the "jump").

Don sends me an update from today's StarTribune. Some data points:

• Great North Transmission Line
• $560 million to $710 million
• three years to build
• one of several that will cross the US-Canadian border
• will help address the intermittent nature of wind power for the majority owner, Duluth-based Minnesota Power
• with wind power on the increase, stable sources of electricity like hydro are needed to fill in production gaps
• Manitoba Hydro is a partner with Great Northern  
• earlier this year, Minnesota regulators approved a new route
• 225-mile-long high-voltage line
• will cross five northern counties through pristine 10,000 border lakes

Local note from International Falls:

The power line, announced publicly in February 2012, is a proposed 500 kV single-circuit transmission line, which will run approximately 220 miles depending on the final route selection. The line will be capable of transmitting at least 883 MW of clean, flexible hydropower and is a part of Minnesota Power’s Energy Forward initiative.

Minnesota Power would pay property taxes on the line, and payments would begin in 2018, with the full amount coming in 2021. The company is expecting to pay $40,000-$70,000 per mile annually on the line.

About $11 million / year "mailbox money" for this transmission line will be paid by the utility rate payers. 

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 Original Post

This was the original post back in May, 2015 (link here).

SeeNews Renewables is reporting:

Minnesota Power has secured a key approval for its plan to build a 500-kV transmission line that will facilitate the delivery of renewable and carbon-free hydropower from the Canadian province of Manitoba to the US state of Minnesota.

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission has cleared a request for a Certificate of Need for the Great Northern transmission line, according to Allete Inc.

The transmission project will require an investment of [about $750 million]. Minnesota Power will own a majority stake in the system, which will help it deliver at least 383 MW of energy to its clients by June 1, 2020 under power purchase agreements with Manitoba Hydro.

The planned transmission system will allow Minnesota Power to use Manitoba Hydro’s hydroelectric system to store electricity generated by the Bison wind power center in North Dakota. The company commissioned the 205-MW fourth phase of the particular wind project in January 2015, bringing the complex’s total capacity to nearly 500 MW.

As I wrote the reader who sent me the link:

This is really quite a story, thank you.

It is amazing how fast the Minnesota PUC can approve any project with the phrase "renewable energy" in it.

It's interesting that the transmission line is needed to provide back up power for the wind farm in North Dakota. If I read this correctly (and I know I am), Allete has a wind farm in North Dakota. We all know that a) wind doesn't blow at the right speeds all the time; b) the wind farm has a limited life span; and, c) one can't economically store electricity yet. So, the utility needed a back-up plan -- electricity from another source.

So, now, environmentalists can cut the ribbon on a new huge transmission line that will cut through the pristine land of 10,000 lakes.

Wind turbines are depreciated over 7 years; turbines have an expected lifespan of less than 12 years. It appears that the wind farm in North Dakota was used as a cover to get a 500-kV transmission line approved, something that would not have happened had it been for a coal plant out of South Dakota. I hate wind power, but when used as a cover for a huge transmission line, one can't but feel a bit of freudenshade for the Minnesotans.

Meanwhile, a pipeline that no one will see once it is buried, is sandbagged by "environmental groups."

Meanwhile, by law, the utility will be allowed to pass on costs of this new (unneeded) transmission line to its customers. All things being equal, electricity bills will increase in Minnesota once this transmission line is given the final go-ahead.

The likely route for this billion-dollar transmission line, simply required to back up a wind farm in North Dakota:

The Road To Minnesota Begins In North Dakota -- October 3, 2015

Updates

October 8, 2015: SC Times applauds Xcel's recent announcement to shut down two coal-burning plants but asks the question, "what's the cost?" LOL. These idiots never talk about the number of coal-burning plants China is building every week. But back to the question, "at what cost." We'll know in a few years. Electricity is so cheap in this country, Americans are willing to pay double just to feel good. Some data points from the article. From wiki: On October 2, 2015, Xcel Energy filed plans with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to shut down the plant's Unit 2 in 2023 and Unit 1 in 2026, each with a capacity of 750 MW (Sherco has three units).

• the two Sherco coal plants to be closed: 1,500 MW
• a new 700-MW natural gas plant: $700 million
• 50-MW solar installation: cost not provided, but at $2 million/MW = $100 million

Original Post
 

Perhaps this article is not worth posting. I don't know. But it's clear that I need to add a tag, "The Road To Minnesota." Oh, I see I already have that tag; completely forgot.

Someday, probably in the year 2020, we will see this headline on the op-ed page of the StarTribune: What Were They Thinking?

Anyway, today (October 3, 2015, 12:39 a.m.) the StarTribune is reporting that Xcel Energy plans more wind, solar power and less coal -- and sooner -- in Minnesota. [Actually, Xcel wants more wind, more natural gas, and less coal in North Dakota -- so the headline is wrong on almost all accounts. I guess Xcel will keep solar in the sunny state of Minnesota.]

Oh, that's right. This is why I wanted to post the story.

Earlier I commented on President Obama's Clean Power Act and how it might affect North Dakota in these two posts:

• August 29, 2015
• August 28, 2015

I must have been in a good mood based on the lengths of those two posts. But I digress.

I can't remember if I actually posted this, sent it in an e-mail to someone, or just thought it, but when it comes to the Clean Power Act and the new restrictions, this is an opportunity for North Dakota to really move to a new level in the energy sector.

And there it was, in the linked StarTribune article again.

Although Xcel already intended to double its investments in wind and solar power by 2030, the utility’s revised plan now calls for speeding up that effort, with significant renewable power additions before 2020. Clark said solar and wind power costs have dropped significantly, and he wants the utility poised to seize opportunities if Congress extends the federal wind production tax credit.

Xcel, which operates in eight states and serves 1.4 million electric customers in Minnesota, has been the nation’s most windpower-reliant utility for 11 years. Today, Xcel gets 15 percent of electricity from wind, and 37 percent from coal in its Minnesota region that includes North Dakota and South Dakota. If this plan goes forward, Xcel expects 33 percent of its regional electricity to be generated by wind and solar in 2030, while 15 percent would still come from coal.

Xcel also said it wants by 2025 to build a natural gas-fired generating unit in North Dakota. 

The EPA gave North Dakota a two-year extension to write its plan to comply with the Clean Power Act. What a great opportunity for the state to really put together a great plan.

Wind will continue to be problematic; it cannot be justified on any grounds, but regardless, wind is a sideshow in the energy industry in North Dakota. But look at that last line in the StarTribune excerpt above: Xcel wants to build a natural gas-fired generating unit in North Dakota.

And this comes on top of the possibility of more than one petrochemical plants in the state before it's all over.

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Using A Fork
She was distracted by the Alabama - Georgia NCAA football game.

Reason #12,546 Why I Love To Blog -- March 15, 2015

Based on the headlines this is how I understand the issue:

• Minnesota mandates a heck of a lot of renewable energy by 2025
• Minnesota plans to meet those mandates on the back of North Dakota wind
• but when the wind ain't blowing, Minnesota needs something to back up that non-blowing wind power
• enter stage right: hydroelectric power from Manitoba (Canada)
• Minnesota and Manitoba have an agreement for Manitoba to supply hydroelectic power to back up North Dakota wind farms
• the deal hinges on regulatory approval of a new 500-kV transmission line, but the speculative gamble is one parties in both countries are willing to make

I doubt there will be any problem getting the 500-kV transmission line approved but a lot of parties will be upset to see this line in their backyard. 

This is reason #12,546 why I love to blog. Prior to blogging I never would have followed the renewable energy story and the need for back-up power.

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Only The Most Obtuse Would Disagree

Breitbart is reporting:

Missouri Lt Governor: US Attorney General Eric Holder Incited Ferguson Mob Many Times 

The story:

Sunday on Fox News, Lt. Governor Peter Kinder said Attorney General Eric Holder “on many occasions” seemed to “be inciting the mob.”

Kinder  said, “He is sounding the right notes today, this afternoon. I just wish he had been more judicious and measured in his comments since the August 9. Because Mr. Holder came in and seemed on many occasions to be inciting the mob. He seemed to be putting his weight on the one side of the scales of  justice and not backing up law enforcement. And if he is now, you know, backing up law enforcement mode, then I will be among those cheering him. And I hope that’s the way he is from now on.”

When asked if he had spoken to Mr. Holder directly, Kinder said, “No, no, no, he doesn’t bend to speak with people like me. He comes into town and meets with one side. He met with the family of Michael Brown, and that’s fine that he met with them. But, he did not meet with the family of officer Darren Wilson or with his brother and sister officers to say I’m backing you up."

Futures Down Another Dollar, Now Below $44 / Gallon WTI -- March 15, 2015; Boston Breaks All-Time Seasonal Snowfall Record; Kennedys Take The Kids Sledding -- Might Be Last Time They See Snow

Breaking news, being tweeted now:

Boston breaks its all-time seasonal snowfall record with 2.9 inches falling in the city Sunday, reaching a total of 108.6 inches - @7News

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Hey, It's Just Cacti

Some idle chatter. Re-posting this from an earlier post:

Another great article -- Renewable Energy: The Vision and a Dose of Reality. This is another great article regarding renewable energy posted back in 2012, and nothing has changed. From the article, observations like this:

Solar power. While sunlight is renewable — for at least another four billion years — photovoltaic panels are not. Nor is desert groundwater, used in steam turbines at some solar-thermal installations. Even after being redesigned to use air-cooled condensers that will reduce its water consumption by 90 percent, California's Blythe Solar Power Project, which will be the world's largest when it opens in 2013, will require an estimated 600 acre-feet of groundwater annually for washing mirrors, replenishing feedwater, and cooling auxiliary equipment. 

To put 600 acre-feet in perspective, back in late 2011, it was estimated that approximately 6 acre-feet of water was used to frack a Bakken well.

So, every year from here on out, enough water to frack 100 Bakken wells will be used annually to wash those mirrors, and that's just one solar farm.

So, some more idle rambling, specifically, a deeper look at that Blythe Solar Power Project, from wiki:

• was to be world's largest solar farm
• originally planned to be 1,000 MW using parabolic troughs
• reduced to 485 MW using photovoltaics

Putting the 485 MW into perspective:

• California has mandated that 33% of the state's electricity must be from renewable resources
• to meet that mandate, 20,000 MW of renewable energy will be needed

485 / 20,000 = 2.5%.

I knew it was bad; I did not know it was that bad.

History of Blythe:

• the California Energy Commission unanimously approved the project on September 15, 2010.
• the Bureau of Land Management cleared the project to go ahead on October 25, 2010.[14] 
• in 2011, the U.S. Department of Energy offered a $2.1 billion conditional loan guarantee to Solar Trust, to reduce the interest on the $2.8 billion cost of building the first half of the project; the offer was rejected by Solar Trust. 
• in 2011, Solar Trust of America announced that the first half of the project would use photovoltaic panels instead of solar thermal power
• Solarhybrid is in talks with First Solar for supply of photovoltaic modules.
• in 2012, Solar Millennium tried to sell its stake in Solar Trust to other German solar energy developer, Solarhybrid; however, this deal collapsed after all three companies filed for bankruptcy protection.
• in June, 2012, NextEra Energy Inc. acquired the project as the top bidder
• in 2013, NextEra Energy submitted a proposal to reduce the project size to three 125 MW sections, and one 110 MW section, for a total of 485 MW; approval was granted in January 2014
• has not yet started construction but with Kaiser Permanente agreements in hand (February, 2015), construction should begin by 2016 -- construction needs to get started by the end of 2016 to qualify for a 30% tax credit
• developers have been given permission to begin mowing vegetation on 4,000 acres and transplant cacti before the nesting season starts for the area's breeding bird population; full approval for NextEra's construction program has not yet gotten approval 

So, now we have some data points:

• 4,000 acres
• 485 MW
• 2.5% California's mandate  

At the link:

The Blythe site holds "relatively intact native habitat" whose conversion to an industrial solar facility can potentially harm nesting birds, especially if that vegetation is cleared while birds are actively nesting in the shrubs and cacti. 

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Just 12 Cents More

For Minnesota:

• 2009 estimated qualified renewable generation: 13%
• 2010 renewable mandate: 15%
• 2025 renewable mandate: 25%; 30% (Xcel Energy)
• Xcel Energy must meet 25% of its standard from wind or solar by 2020 with a maximum of 1% from solar (sic)

Some advocates are now shooting for 40% by 2030, and it would add only 12 cents a month on the bills of consumers by 2030.

The expected concerns over higher utility rates was addressed by the report, which placed the extra cost at 12 cents a month on the bills of consumers by 2030. 

Wow, just 12 cents a month.

MinnWind Goes Broke -- February 17, 2015

This was reported over a month ago but not much national press. I completely missed it. A reader reminded me. StarTribune is reporting:

The companies that collectively own the two Minwind Energy projects filed for reorganization this week in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Minnesota. The owners stand to lose their investment, and the wind farms eventually may have to shut down, according to regulatory filings.

It is the first of the state’s approximately 100 operating wind power projects to seek bankruptcy protection, and the case is raising questions about whether the small-scale wind farm model still works in an era of ever-larger wind-generating projects.

Additional background:

The Minwind wind farms, with 11 turbines that went on line in 2002 and 2004, made a profit until 2012, and are still operating, according to its financial reports. The electricity is sold to Minneapolis-based Xcel Energy and Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based Alliant Energy under long-term deals. Some of Minwind’s power is fed into a giant battery built by Xcel near Luverne to store electricity for when the wind doesn’t blow.

Minwind has told federal regulators that the turbines have needed extensive repairs, including main bearings, and the company no longer can afford the upkeep.

To make things worse, Minwind got into a jam with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for not filing certain paperwork since 2006. The result is a $1.9 million regulatory liability that has left a potential buyer uneasy about signing a deal to acquire the wind farms.

Minwind’s attorneys have told the government that the owners were “unsophisticated” in regulatory matters, and should be excused from the filing lapse. Some of the owners also had invested in the former Agri-Energy ethanol plant in Luverne, which was sold in 2010 to another biofuel company.

From another article:

The 360 individuals who had invested in MinWind did so by purchasing $5,000 shares. Individuals could purchase as many shares as they wanted, and the one-time public offering led to a sell-out of shares in one night.