Winds of opportunity – and challenge – blow around the world

The imperatives and challenges of growth in difficult economic conditions around the world was a hot topic of conversation at the recent Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) conference in Toronto. Panelists from the United States, Europe and Canada spoke about global wind industry trends in their jurisdictions to a packed audience on the first full day of the conference.

Denise Bode, head of American Wind Energy Association drew on the strong leadership of President Obama in talking about the advance of wind energy in the States. However, Bode also said that the ability of the Department of Energy to implement federal energy policy through federal stimulus money across the country is being hampered by state-level fragmentation. The clear implication was that Canada’s challenges in establishing national energy policies is echoed south of the border.  So “hang in there”, in other words.

Similarly, Christian Kjaer, head of the European Wind Energy Association spoke of challenges stemming from trying to drive supra-national energy policy in a region of 27 member states, all of whom have policy levers over and considerable interests in the development of energy in the European Union.

Germany, for example, is a global leader in solar power and Denmark a global wind leader. Both countries have policies contributing to that leadership. At the same time, other EU-based countries lag in renewable energy, comparatively speaking, but are leaders in – or at least more reliable on – fossil fuels. Among other things, this contributes to a European hot house of technological innovation in energy amidst increased citizen expectations. Not surprisingly, Europeans look eagerly at Canada in terms of wind given the ample natural resources here and the lack of domestic industry (at least for turbines and blades).

The next CanWEA conference will be held in Montreal from October 31 to November 3, 2010.

Floating wind turbine and wave power

As solar and wind power become more mainstream, companies and environmentalists alike are searching for new and improved ways to push the green envelope even further. 

 

And while wind turbines are now a pretty common sight, any opposition to them floats around the disruption they cause to migratory birds and well, the fact that thousands of towering two-hundred foot wind turbines just look kind of ugly. 

One way to increase curb appeal is being pushed out to sea by Norway’s StatoilHydro. Appropriately named the HyWind, it is the world’s first full-scale floating offshore windmill. 

The HyWind is a 2.3 MW turbine with a floating segment that continues 100m below the ocean’s surface. Anchored to the seabed with 60-tonne concrete weights and cables that can be up to 700m long, power is transmitted back to the shore via undersea cables. 

One problem that needs to be overcome: the cost. Wind speeds may be higher offshore, generating more energy, but the turbines are also more expensive to build offshore. 

Floating turbines are also causing waves of excitement since they open up the possibility of simultaneously harnessing wind and wave power. 

Green Ocean Energy Ltd’s Wave Treader generates power as the side arms float up and down. The electricity produced is sent back to shore through the same cable as the wind turbine, proving that darling it’s better, down where it’s wetter, under the sea. 

Floating wind turbines and wave power devices may be soon become…er…the wave of the future.

What is all this wind about wind?

Pick up any newspaper or tune into any newscast, and you no doubt will have witnessed the groundswell of support, both public and official, for “green” energy. In practice, “green” means clean, renewable, and above-all, low-or-zero greenhouse gas emissions.

In Canada, one energy industry in particular has emerged as the star: wind energy.

Why wind power?

Well, for starters, Canada is windy. That sounds trite, but consider a province like Alberta. Hydroelectric power simply isn’t a possibility, even on a medium scale. Tidal power? Are you kidding? The province is blessed with an abundance of wind. It’s no coincidence that Alberta is Canada’s per-capita leader in wind power generation, and third overall behind Ontario and Quebec. 

That’s not to say Alberta is particularly “windier” than any other province. Overall, the quality of Canada’s wind resource is as good as or better than any in the world. With a huge landmass and lengthy coastlines, the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) says the country has more top-quality wind power sites than it could ever use. 

So what is all this wind about wind?

In short, its advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Besides an abundance of suitable sites for wind farms, wind is non-polluting, requires no water for cooling or cleansing, has been proven around the world, produces reasonably-priced electricity, and the initial construction costs are low enough for medium-sized municipalities to bear.  

There are, as with any technology, disadvantages. The most common complaint is about the noise from spinning turbines, or otherwise-natural vistas being “ruined” by the tall towers. Also, reliability: when the wind isn’t blowing, no power is being generated. This means either (a) enough power must be generated while the wind is blowing to save for down-time, or (b) keeping traditional power around, at least as a backup. In the Centre for Energy’s most recent edition of Energy in Canada, this argument is addressed, saying, “While no form of energy can be relied upon 100 per cent of the time, variations in the output of wind energy are minimal over and above the normal fluctuation in electricity supply and demand. Therefore, at penetrations of up to 10 per cent in the electricity grid, wind energy requires very little additional back-up resources beyond those already in place within the electricity system.” 

As well, the same article addresses the challenge of wind’s reliability, mentioning that although wind doesn’t blow all the time, it is important to remember that the wind doesn’t stop blowing everywhere at the same time – that large numbers of wind turbines spread over a wide geographic area do, in fact, produce a consistent amount of power. Some food for thought. 

Building a Green Energy Economy

The Canadian federal government is certainly convinced. Ottawa has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent by 2020, setting aside $702-million aside for development of a more sustainable environment through 2011, including $400-million to transform to a “Green Energy Economy.” 

Wind energy is a lynchpin of this plan. CanWEA believes wind energy can satisfy 20 per cent of the nation’s electricity demand by 2025 – a mere 16 years away. Among other economic and ancillary benefits, it’s estimated this would reduce Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions by 17 megatonnes.  

To achieve this plan, three things need to happen. First, Canada and its regions need smart investment and to play to their natural strengths and advantages. Second, the wind industry needs to continue working on mitigating wind energy’s weaknesses. Third – and let’s not mince words here – a massive commitment and capital investment is required. 

Smart Investment

First, smart investment. Think of it as “chipping away.” For example, way back in 2001, Calgary Transit formed a partnership with Vision Quest Wind Electric – “Ride the Wind”. From that point forward, the city’s growing Light Rail Transit (LRT, or “C-Train”) system would be run entirely on wind power.  

Previously, the electricity used for C-Train traction power came from coal or natural gas facilities. At last estimate, wind power reduced Calgary Transit’s annual carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 46,000 tonnes – and as the city’s LRT system grows, so will the savings.  

What’s the significance? That transforming to clean energy doesn’t have to come in one painful, chaotic spasm of upheaval, but through careful, strategic investment by interested companies and governments. Indeed, there are dozens of wind projects from coast to coast to coast, from small to large.

Smart investment can also be driven by individuals, not just Microsoft-sized corporations and national governments. Consumers in Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia can choose “100 per cent green electricity” by choosing Bullfrog Power as their provider.  

Bullfrog works something like an independent phone company. Bullfrog uses the same grid, but injects as much electricity into grid as its customers use. This is done via Bullfrog’s wind and hydro facilities, all certified by Environment Canada as low-impact. What difference does that make? Bullfrog’s growth has necessitated the construction of five new wind farms – four in Ontario, one in Alberta – to meet rising demand.  

Address the challenges

Secondly, the wind industry needs to mitigate its inherent drawbacks. One encouraging development is “urban turbines” for use in small settings – even backyards. Based on ancient Egyptian windmills, the turbines don’t look like massive propellers, but hand-powered lawn mowers placed vertically.  

With more surface area devoted to harnessing the wind, they spin much more slowly (up to twice the speed of the wind), making the blades visible to bats and birds, and thus much safer. The urban turbines are also quieter, and relatively cheap – a small model can supply around two-thirds of a typical household’s energy needs; a medium-sized version can power an entire house.  

Capital investment on wind infrastructure

The third thing is simultaneously the most challenging and most encouraging: a massive capital investment. There are wind power projects literally across the country. In Quebec, there are 23 separate wind power projects either under construction or planned for the very near future. There are even two turbines just outside Whitehorse, in the frigid Yukon Territory, where it was said the cold would make wind power impractical.  

In Ontario, Canada’s largest province, wind power is an integral part of the grid, the economy, and plans for the future. There are 24 wind farms operating, with eight projects planned or under construction. The combined total capacities of the existing and under construction wind farms in Ontario is 1436.9 MW, which will increase; the Ontario Power Authority’s Integrated Power System Plan calls for 4,600 megawatts of wind energy by 2020.

Canada’s smallest province is on board as well. PEI has seven wind farms, with a total capacity of 75.36 MW. Construction is underway on a second phase of the West Cape Wind Farm, which will more than double the province’s wind power capacity.  

Achieving CanWEA’s WindVision 2025 (1MB PDF) will have other benefits, too. All that infrastructure doesn’t just appear and disappear. CanWEA says it will create at least 52,000 high-quality, full-time jobs in Canada, including and particularly in rural communities. It will also produce $165 million in new annual revenues for municipalities.  

Wind power isn’t just Canada’s future in the far-off, Buck Rogers sense. It’s very much part of the present and immediate prospects for the economy, and in reducing the entire country’s ecological impact.

$5 million for wind energy

What’s powering the wind energy industry? The simple answer is the wind.

But a recent $5 million research grant awarded to Professor Liuchen Chang at the University of New Brunswick shows that the wind isn’t the only power behind the industry.

Part of a larger $35 million sum awarded to seven research networks by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the grant gives the wind power industry a much-needed boost towards technology commercialization.

In general, grants such as these support science and technology, increase research and training and create jobs, all of which lead to an improved quality of life and a stronger economy. The professor and his team plan to hire almost 200 students.

He’ll also be working with researchers from across the country on the project to develop made-in-Canada applications for generating wind energy. The New Brunswick professor has also partnered with 16 universities, 39 top-researchers wind-related researchers and 15 supporting partners from the wind industry.

Why is this important?

Well, because it will help to strengthen the wind industry. And in establishing wind energy as an economically viable and environmentally beneficial supplement to Canada’s energy portfolio, the Network will help drive growth in the Canadian manufacturing sector.

Indeed, wind energy is powering more than just our lights and electronics; it’s powering our economy.

Wanted: super batteries – mere mortals need not apply

Solar and wind power are fantastic energy alternatives to non-renewable fossil fuels. But as everyone knows, they only work when the sun is shining or the wind is blowing. So far, wind and solar count for only 3 percent of the energy needs in the United States. But with plans to increase wind power supplies to 25 percent by 2025, a reliable and stable back-up is essential.

Enter Plan B. Plan Battery, that is.

A small wind farm in Luverne, Minnesota is leading the charge with the nation’s first wind-to-battery setup. It uses the wind to charge batteries that in turn release the wind power onto the grid.

These aren’t your typical double-A batteries. They are super-batteries the size a double-decker bus, complete with mask, cape and superpowers. Though they can’t leap tall buildings in a single bound, they certainly can power them.

A Super Battery can soak up 7.2 megawatt hours of power with help from his trusty sidekicks: Wind Turbines. The superhero team belongs to MinWind, a Minnesota wind-power developer.

Overseeing the entire super battery project is Xcel Energy, a Minneapolis-based utility, which bought the batteries from NGK Insulators, a Japanese battery supplier. The reason? A year ago, their wind capacity was at 2,700 megawatts compared with about 3,000 megawatts today, an amount it hopes to double by 2020.

Research is being done to see how much power the sodium-sulfur battery system can absorb, how quickly, at what cost – and then deliver it to the grid.

It’s a bird, it’s a plane. No – it’s Super-battery!

Image: XCel Energy

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