Understanding Small Wind

David Ryan PENCAT3040 Continental DriveButte, MT. 59701406 494 8644

About the National Center for Appropriate Technology

• Founded in 1976• Championing sustainabletechnologies and helpingpeople, especially economically disadvantaged people, to be more self reliant.• Focus on local and simple, sustainable and

clean solutions to energy problems

About the ATTRA Project• Funded by USDA Rural Development• Free information services for farmers• Sustainable farming methods• Organic farming• Farm energy• www.attra.ncat.org

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What We’ll be Talking About

Codes and safety Energy conservation and efficiency Distributed wind powered electric

generation “small wind” Net metering and Interconnection Renewable energy sale to utilities Questions

Codes and Safety

Just because it is green doesn’t mean it isn’t electricity

Green electricity is just as shocking and is just as dangerous as standard electricity.

Distributed electric generation must be installed to meet National Electric Code and IEEE standards, equipment must be UL compliant and should be UL listed.

Use a qualified installer

Energy Conservation and Efficiency

• No cost or low cost• Least sexy, most practical• Great resource for efficiency

• http://www.deq.mt.gov/Energy/MTEnergySaversGuideHiRes.pdf

• Commercial efficiency see• http://www.ncat.org/com_e_s

ervices.php

Power and Energy ConceptsWe have to provide the power needed to

run our equipment (pump, lights, whatever).

If we are going to make our own power, we have to size the generator to meet the power requirements (also called “demand” of the equipment).

How much of the time the equipment runs then determines how much energy the equipment uses, and how much energy the generator has to make.

Wind and solar generators are capital intensive – Means first cost is high, O&M is low

Fuel powered generators are O&M cost high, capital cost low.

Wind and solar generators make energy and replace fuel costs, but in general cannot be counted on to provide power.

Self-generation facts

Wind and solar energy production depend upon the location of the generator

Wind and solar energy is intermittent

Can use as is, or can be stored in water tank, pond, or electric storage batteries.

Larger generators (10 KW+) need to be grid tied or used with thermal generators (reciprocating engines for example) in a hybrid system

Self-generation facts

What you need to make wind work for you

Load Wind WECS (Windmill) Interconnection or Storage

What are “Small” wind systems?

Used with permission www.pineridgeproducts.com

Used with permission. C2005 Home Power magazine, www.homepower.com

Turbines500 Watt –50,000 Watt

500 W

10,000 W

50,000 W

15 M

What are “Small” wind systems?

Towers

What are “Small” wind systems?

Can be connected in parallel to the electric distribution service

provider - “On Grid”

Used with permission. C2005 Home Power magazine, www.homepower.com

On-Grid System

Used with permission. C2005 Home Power magazine, www.homepower.com

Off-Grid System

Can operate independently from the electric distribution

system – “Off Grid”

Power Inverters

Inverter Converts DC Generated to AC

Storage Batteries

• Small systems are less expensive, BUT

• Small systems are more expensive per kilowatt-hour generated.

• Large systems may generate energy that you cannot use BUT

• Large systems are less expensive per kilowatt-hour generated

How do I know what wind system I need (Goldilocks

Problem)?

How do I know what wind system I need?

Elementary school energy use

24000025121 KWh per Year

What revenue can I expect?Depends on wind

http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/images/windmaps/mt_50m_800.jpg

What revenue can I expect?Depends on wind

http://nris.mt.gov/gis/gisdatalib/downloads/windpower_Flathead.pdf

Wind Resource Estimating

http://www.undeerc.org/wind/winddb/mtwindsites.asp

Wind Resource EstimatingOther Sources of Wind Data

Airport Data - http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/ncdc.htmlAgriMET Data - http://www.usbr.gov/gp/agrimet/agrimet_station_list.cfm

Hey, go out and get your Own!

How do I know what wind system I need?

Get Wind Data!

Onset Data Weather Station - $1,300.00Davis Instruments - $1,000.00LaCrosse Technology - $300.00

Rainwise – $2,000.00

Wind Resource EstimatingSerious Wind Prospecting

30-60 Meter Towers and Instrumentation - $10,000.00 -$30,000.00Data Analysis and Site Layout - $10,000.00

Wind Analysis

Wind Analysis

Wind Analysis

How do I know what wind system I need?

Wind Frequency Distribution

How do I know what wind system I need?

Generator Power Curve

How do I know what wind system I need?

Energy use example - Hand Calculation of Energy Production

How do I know what wind system I need?

Energy use example

Host energy use average of 25,121 Kwh per year

Generation from 10 KW wind turbine 22,634 KWh per year.

Good fit for annual energy true-up

Actual Case Histories13,500 KWh

7,500 KWh

10,000 KWh

13,000 KWh

Interconnection

On-Grid Larger System (10KW up)

Steps to follow:

• Contact Utility, get their agreement and process• Understand agreement and process• Negotiate and execute agreement• Step through process• Pay for any required studies• Buy generator and install

Net Metering

On-Grid Systems

• Basics• Meter sits between customer-

generator and utility• Meter can turn both ways.• If load greater than generation,

meter turns “forward”• If generation greater than load,

meter turns “backward”• Utility subtracts backward from

forward rotation, bills for net forward rotation

Net Metering

On-Grid Systems

• Up to 10 KW on Most Rural Electric Cooperatives

• Up to 50 KW on NorthWestern Energy, 100 KW on MDU

• Generator Located on Customer Side of Meter

• One Generator per Meter• One Meter per Generator• Rate is same as rate on power bill

($0.10/KWh)• Generator Does Not Contribute to

Demand Charge (Energy Only)

Net Metering

On-Grid System

• Annual true-up Most Rural Electric Cooperatives• CHECK WITH YOUR UTILITY

• Annual true up NorthWestern Energy and MDU

• Not Rocket Science – Over 350 systems net metered on NWE, 2 on MDU, several on RECs

• Safe – If installed per utility requirements

Net Metering Ponderables

• One meter, Two meter question• One generator, two meter question• What the heck is “Retail” energy

Resources

http://www.nrel.gov/learning/fr_wind.htmlhttp://www.montanagreenpower.com/http://www.northwesternenergy.com/

http://awea.org