understanding small wind david ryan pe ncat 3040 continental drive butte, mt. 59701 406 494 8644
TRANSCRIPT
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
Sign up for free information package!
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