2013 wind energy

New transmissions

lines will allow more

wind energy growthBy LARRY KERSHNER

[email protected]

MILFORD — Al-though the growth of windfarms has slowed in Iowa,the state still leads the na-tion with 24.5 percent ofall electric its generatescomes from wind genera-tion. South Dakota runs aclose second with 23.9percent.

Although wind farm de-velopment has slowed, saidHarold Prior, executive director of theIowa Wind Energy Association, based inMilford, that won’t last for long.

Prior said there are transmission lineprojects in progress and on planning tables,plus other opportunities, which make himpositive of the wind’s future in Iowa.

Bullish about wind powerHe said Iowa is often looked-to from

other states because of its early leadershipin the industry, naming primarily Iowagovernors Terry Branstad, Tom Vilsackand Chet Culver and the state’s Congres-sional delegation for their efforts to makewind energy development happen.

“Two years ago,” Prior said, “no onewas sure what the federal energy regulationcommission was going to do about how wewere going to pay for all this generation.So the whole thing was just frozen up.

“Well now, recent rulings have pavedthe way for these projects to move forwardin significant numbers, creating billions ofdollars of capital investments and econom-ic activity, employment and construction.

“In turn, they’ll open more opportunityfor more billions of dollars in investmentsin manufacturing development, transporta-tion, construction, all just within wind farmdevelopment.

“I think we are going to continue toboom.”

The only dark cloud on the horizon, hesaid, is the uncertainty of the federal pro-duction tax credit.

“We are very pleased that the presidenthas called for a permanent refundable pro-

duction tax credit,” he said. “A permanenttax credit extension will provide a lot ofstability and growth for the industry.”

According to the latest report issuedApril 10 by the American Wind EnergyAssociation, wind energy is now 3.5 per-cent of all sources of the country’s electric

generation, which includes coal, naturalgas, nuclear, hydro, biomass and solar.

That computes to 60,000 megawatts ofinstalled capacity, with 45,000 turbines inoperation around the U.S.

2 FArM NEWS / FOrT DODgE, IOWA www.farm-news.com FrIDAY, APrIl 26, 2013

2013 Wind Energy

IWEA: Bullish on wind future

-Farm News photo by Larry Kershner

A FEW OF THE commercial-scale wind turbines that dominate the landscape inthe Palmer and Pomeroy areas in Pocahontas County.

HaroldPrior

By the numbersAccording to the American Wind

Energy Associations market report is-sued on April 10:

∫ Iowa is back to No. 1 in the na-tion with 24.5 percent of its total elec-tricity generation through wind energyat the end of 2012. In 2010, Iowa wasthe first state to exceed 20 percent ofall electric generation through wind.

∫ Iowa is third in the U.S. in total in-stalled capacity.

∫ Iowa is third in the U.S. in totalemployment attributable to wind gen-eration industry.

∫ There was more than 12,000megawatts of installed wind energynationwide in 2012.

∫ In all of the U.S., among all elec-tricity generation sources, wind ac-counted for 41.6 percent of all newgeneration in 2012.

∫ Iowa is sixth in the U.S. in newwind power built in 2012. There arenine states now producing more than10 percent of its power generationfrom wind, which is up from five in2011 and one from 2007.

∫ The Midwest states built themost new wind turbines equal to2,700 megawatts in 2012, more than22 percent of all new wind capacity inthe U.S., which tallied 13,000 MW.

∫ The number of utilities purchas-ing or generating wind-generatedelectricity totals 66 nationwide, includ-ing Mid-American and NextEra Ener-gy.

∫ There are a total of 559 manu-facturing companies making windgeneration components in the U.S.,based in 44 states.

∫ Iowa has more than 6,000 full-time jobs related to all aspects of windgeneration, which is third in the na-tion, which has more than 80,000 full-time jobs directly related to wind en-ergy.

∫ Midwest Independent SystemOperators, the grid operator for Iowaand most of the Upper Midwest, hasmore wind on its system — 12,221MW — than any other system opera-tor, leading even Texas. MISO in-cludes Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana,Illinois, northern Missouri, northernArkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, andNorth and South Dakota.See FUTURE, Page 3

“All of a sudden, windhas gone from a novelty toa mainstream power gener-ator,” Prior said. “The thingI’m most encouraged by areincreased reports that windis providing a larger shareof utilities’ power needs,while becoming less inter-mittent with more windfarms where the wind isblowing, getting grids moreeffectively connected.

“Wind is producing elec-tricity at a very cheap rate,with zero fuel-price insta-bility. U.S. utilities areturning to wind because it’spredictable in terms of costof production.”

It has the potential forbringing good-paying jobs,he said, and young peopleback to rural communities.

He said people can al-ready see small communi-ties with new commercial

buildings being built, thefirst in many years forsome rural towns.

“It (wind energy) bringsgreat manufacturing oppor-tunities to our urban andsuburban areas,” Prior said.“It’s one of the few eco-nomic developments in thestate that distributed itsbenefits throughout Iowa.

“I think we’re going tocontinue to be a leader formany reasons and we’llcontinue to see the industryin Iowa grow rapidly,specifically for the nextseveral years.”

Referring to the debateover continued productiontax credits for the industry,Prior said, “There are somethings we need to be con-cerned about, but by thesame token we’re better offthan a lot of folks.

“Iowa is so central to the

nation — the transporta-tion hub for water, rail andhighways.

“I think this puts us inperfect position.”

Transmission projectsIowas has no room to

move massive amounts ofnew electricity along itstransmission lines.

As a result, Iowa’sgrowth in industrial tur-bines will be “be slowedfor a little while,” Prior

said, “because we havemaxxed out our wind ca-pacity in the areas wherewe have the best wind re-sources.

“Until we get that infra-structure built, or expand-ed, we aren’t going to havea whole lot of additionalwind farms in northwestIowa.”

However, in the marketreport, Prior said, “Thereare literally billions of dol-lars of capital investment in

transmission infrastructure,not only in Iowa, but na-tionwide.”

Mid-American is work-ing on building a transmis-sion line from O’BrienCounty to its substationnear Webster City, inHamilton County, he said;plus ITT Midwest has mul-tiple transmission line ex-pansions in the works,while Clean Lines LLC.,based out of Houston,Texas, is planning to com-plete its 500-mile, 3,600megawatt direct currentline in 2017 from O’BrienCounty to Joliet, Ill.

The report said 2013will be the busiest yearever in new transmissionto be completed with a totalof 16,000 MW of addition-al capacity nationwide.

“So that suggests thatwithin the next few years

we are going to be able tomore than double the60,000 MW of installedwind-generated electricityby the time those transmis-sion projects get complet-ed,” Prior said. “We’remaking great progress onthe build-out of our trans-mission infrastructure.”

He expects most ofIowa’s near-future newgeneration will be commu-nity-sized turbines, knownas distributed wind, for in-dividual businesses, insti-tutions and farms.

Clean Lines is expectedto announced its officialroute through Iowa afterfiling with the Iowa Utili-ties Board. “They’re mak-ing a real big effort to in-volve as many local con-tractors and labor as possi-ble for the construction ofthe project,” Prior said.

The Rock Island Clean Line will make possible more than 3,500 MW of new wind power.

THE FARM TO MARKET ROAD FOR THE 21ST CENTURY.

W W W. R O C K I S L A N D C L E A N L I N E . C O M

The Rock Island Clean Line will allow for more than $7 billion in wind farm investments in Northwest Iowa & the surrounding region.

FrIDAY, APrIl 26, 2013 www.farm-news.com FArM NEWS / FOrT DODgE, IOWA 3

2013 Wind Energy

Future Continued from Page 2

“I think we’re going to continue to bea leader for many reasons and we’ll

continue to see the industry in Iowa growrapidly, specifically for the next several

years.”—Harold Prior

Executive director, Iowa Wind Energy Association


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2013 Wind Energy

IlCC trains

techs for

growing

industryBy KAREN

[email protected]

ESTHERVILLE —Wind turbine blades turnquietly and peacefully inthe Estherville sky nearIowa Lakes CommunityCollege.

Inside the college aremore than 100 studentswho are using the turbine tobe educated in the wind en-ergy industry.

ILCC offers a two-yearcourse called Wind Energyand Turbine Technology. Itgot off the ground in 2004,after a year of planning andimplementing strategies tomake the course one thatwould turn out a knowl-edgeable work force oftechnicians.

The program’s beginninggoes back to 2003, whencollege directors decided topurchase a Vestas V82, 70-meter, 1.65 megawatt windturbine as an energy-savingmeasure. They had knowl-edge of nearby Spirit LakeHigh School’s experiencewith purchasing its firstwind turbine, making it thefirst high school in thecountry to be powered bywind.

“We started with one in-structor and 15 studentsthat first year,” said DanLutat, ILCC’s turbine tech-nology program director.“We’ve had anywhere from100 to 200 students a yearin this program since then.This year, we have 115 stu-dents.”

The college’s turbine wascommissioned and broughtonline in February 2005.Ground-floor students in2004 watched the turbinebeing constructed.

Today, the programboasts six full time instruc-tors.

“They’re passionateabout the program and wantto be part of the process ofturning out good techni-cians,” Lutat said. “Alongwith the advisory board,college leadership and in-dustry partners, this pro-gram was built from

scratch, and we’re alwaysmaking improvements,making sure we have theright equipment— and tak-ing on students with theright entry level skills.”

The program’s goal is toturn out technicians whocan take the advanced train-ing courses that their futureemployers will provide onspecific turbine models andstay current with industrychanges. Lutat said it de-mands a high degree ofcompetence.

“Some students will beon the engineering side of it

after their training,” he said,“some will be out buildingwind farms and some willbe out working on the tur-bines.

“Either way, they need tohave a grasp of basic con-cepts, like how electricityworks — from simple cir-cuits, to larger, complicat-ed power generation anddistribution circuits.”

Lutat said wind energy isthe wave of the future. Hesaid they program is train-ing technicians for an occu-pation that is not always un-derstood by the public be-

cause, in the big picture,wind energy is still relative-ly new.

National assets“We need to maintain our

national assets, and theseutility scale turbines are na-tional assets,” he said.“Wind energy contributesdirectly to the future of nat-ural gas and coal resources,because cheaply harvestedresources like coal and nat-ural gas are consumable, fi-nite resources.

“We need to prolongtheir life span. We know

they will be gone someday,and we need renewable re-sources. Wind energy con-servation is a viable optionbecause it’s always windysomewhere, and wind farmscompete very well cost-wise.”

The course involvessome classroom work, suchas design and analysis ofwind farms, pulling in envi-ronmental data, putting upmeteorological data centers,understanding the variousconcerns of power genera-tion and distribution, andlearning the issues faced bywind industry developers.

He said students use me-teorological information toexamine how weather af-fects turbines and helps en-gineers design better tur-bines. They read and devel-op electrical and hydraulicschematics and trou-bleshoot those systems asthey learn to maintain thesystems.

“We teach the studentsabout care and preventativemaintenance to keep theturbines running,” said Lu-tat. “They can run easily for20 or 30 years, but in theo-ry, could run forever withthe proper maintenance andupgrading of parts whennecessary.

“It’s all part of protectingour national security andhaving a positive impact onAmerica’s energy future.”

The course provides stu-

Keeping current

-Farm News photos by Karen Schwaller

LOUIS LEUGA came to the United States from Cameroon, Africa. He wanted a better life for himself, anddiscovered Iowa lakes Community College’s Wind Energy program, endorsed by the American Wind Ener-gy Association. It was enough to send him packing for Iowa.

See ILCC, Page 12

DanLutat

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2013 Wind Energy

By LARRY [email protected]

SPENCER — For seven years PaulRekow has been creating his home’sown electricity through a 10-kilowattturbine and solar panels.

Now that smaller turbines for farmsis seeing increased interest in Iowa,Rekow said he’s seeing instanceswhere a few companies are taking ad-vantage of the growing interest, sell-ing what he called substandard equip-ment, fudging their numbers for con-vincing a client that a turbine is idealfor them, mis-pricing their work andimproperly installing turbines.

Rekow, a self-described consumeradvocate, is a member of the speak-er’s bureau for the Iowa Wind EnergyAssociation. He travels around thestate offering his experiences in in-stalling and running a turbine, as wellas helping potential turbine owners towatch for pitfalls.

Rekow said some contractors areasking clients for 30 percent of moreof the total project up front. This is ontop of the 30 percent rebate they’ll re-ceive from federal incentive programsfor installing wind generation equip-ment.

“The rule of thumb,” Rekow said,“is never give a dealer greater than 15percent of the total project cost.

“Additional progress payments canbe made as equipment is delivered tothe site, construction is started and theequipment is fully functioning.”

He also recommends the client getsa list of at least three people for whomthe contractor has installed turbinesand in operation for at least one year.Then call the clients.

Rekow related how a contractormounted a turbine on the roof line ofa barn. He said that turbine will be in-efficient, under producing for the cus-tomer.

“The bottom blade,” Rekow said,“must be at least 30 feet over the near-est object, which should be 500 feetaway.”

That’s because other structures,such as barns, silos, or even a grove oftrees or a windbreak, will create tur-

Don’t rush into wind Attorney General issues

consumer advisoryOn the Iowa Attorney general’s website is a con-

sumer advisory to help prospective buyers of windgeneration equipment avoid doing business withsloppy contractors and/or buying substandard equip-ment.

The advisory reads in part:“As a state with a significant renewable energy po-

tential, Iowa is attracting the attention of numerousrenewable energy developers. residential energyconsumers may be eligible for federal grants or stim-ulus tax credits up to 30 percent of the cost of certainrenewable energy equipment.

“For more information regarding incentives visitwww.dsireusa.org. Consumers should be aware ofpotentially misleading claims and information regard-ing the suitability and expected payback period of al-ternative energy equipment.”

Before investing in renewable energy resources,consumers should do their homework, including atleast, but not necessarily limited to, taking the follow-ing steps:

∫ Obtain a detailed written proposal that describesthe cost (including the cost for any installation workincluded in the proposal) and the technical specifica-tions of the renewable energy equipment, includingthe equipment size in kilowatts, the expected annualkilowatt hour generation from the specific unit, thecost and details of associated support equipment(such as a wind tower), and requirements for annualmaintenance, warranty and grid interconnection.

∫ If the renewable energy resource is intended togenerate more electricity than the consumer will usein the home, consult the local electric utility about thesafety requirements, availability of net billingarrangements and expected costs for interconnect-ing renewable energy resources with the utility sys-tem.

∫ Ask dealers for their training related to the in-stallation and maintenance of the turbine andwhether their turbine has been submitted to theSmall Wind Certification Council for independenttesting and performance testing.

∫ Consult zoning authorities about any local lawsthat may restrict renewable energy installations.

∫ Seek a second opinion on cost and economicsof the recommended renewable energy product:

∫ I-rENEW maintains a list of renewable energydistributors in Iowa at www.irenew.org/Source-book.html.

∫ The Iowa Energy Center website provides ad-vice and tools for evaluating wind energy, including awind assessment calculator that can be used to esti-mate the output of many types of wind generators inIowa locations. Visit www.energy.iastate.edu/

∫ For more information on eligibility for tax incen-tives on alternative energy equipment, consumersshould consult competent tax advisors and IrSguidelines visit: www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-09-41.pdf


PAUL REKOW installed his own 10-kilowatt wind turbine, in back-ground, in 2007. He’s become a consumer advocate to assist new windpower customers to avoid pitfalls of buying inadequate equipment, orusing contractors not knowledgeable enough to properly install tur-bines, or determine if a farm site is suitable for a turbine.

Advocate: Not all gear, contractors are good, knowledgeable

See REKOW, Page 9

bulence as air moves over and aroundthem, which will cause the wind to not hitthe blades properly.

“And how many farms have groves?The taller the trees, the higher the towermust be,” he said.

In another situation, Rekow said an ac-quaintance told a contractor to run thewind, production and return on investmentnumbers by Rekow, before buying into asystem.

The numbers were unrealistic, Rekowsaid. The contractor, using a wind calcula-tor on the Iowa Energy Center’s website,entered inaccurate numbers that made theproduction of a small turbine appear to payfor itself faster than it possibly could.

The right gear“There are 41 different manufacturers

of wind generators,” Rekow said. “Onlyfive or six are good machines.

“Some of them are older refurbishedturbines.”

He suggested customers avoid refur-bished turbines and generators. “They’resomething that have been worn out.”

Rekow said the Small Wind Energy

Council was established to certify thequality of turbines that generate less than20 kilowatts of electricity.

Prospective customers should perform“due diligence” by checking if the equip-ment they are buying has SWEC certifica-tion.

In addition, he said consumers must un-derstand that if they install a wind genera-tion electric turbine, they must have agree-ments with a local utility to feed the elec-tricity onto its grid. One doesn’t use theelectricity straight from the turbine toone’s house or farm operation.

Turbine owners generate the electricitythat is fed onto the overall grid. They usepower from a utility, through its meter.The customer’s power usage bill is thencredited for each kilowatt the turbine pro-vides for the grid.

If the user generates more electricitythan is used, the user is paid for the excessby the utility.

Rekow said his home is totally run onelectricity, so he uses more than the aver-age rural Clay County household. When heuses more than he generates, he pays IowaLakes Rural Electic Cooperative between

11 to 12 cents per kilowatt hour. If hefeeds more power than he uses, he’s paid4.5 cents per kilowatt.

In 2012, his total electric bill for theyear was $500, after consuming a total of12,763 kilowatt hours.

-


2013 Wind Energy

Rekow Continued from Page 8


REKOW CONSULTS the monitor on his conversion box to keep tabs on theelectricity being generated by a 10 kilowatt turbine.


Audubon County (Audubon) 712-563-4239Boone County (Boone) 515-432-3882Buena Vista County (Storm Lake) 712-732-5056 Butler County (Allison) 319-267-2707 Calhoun County (Rockwell City) 712-297-8611Carroll County (Carroll) 712-792-2364Cherokee County (Cherokee) 712-225-6196Clay County (Spencer) 712-262-2264Crawford County (Denison) 712-263-4697Dallas County (Adel) 515-993-4281Franklin County (Hampton) 641-456-4811Greene County (Jefferson) 515-386-2138Grundy County (Grundy Center) 319-824-6979 Guthrie County (Guthrie Center) 641-747-2276

Hancock County (Garner) 641-923-2856Hardin County (Iowa Falls) 641-648-4850Humboldt County (Humboldt) 515-332-2201Ida County (Ida Grove) 712-364-3003Kossuth County (Algona) 515-295-2469Lyon County (Rock Rapids) 712-472-2576O’Brien County (Primghar) 712-957-5045 Osceola County (Sibley) 712-754-3648 Pocahontas County (Pocahontas) 712-335-3103Sac County (Sac City) 712-662-7131Sioux County (Orange City) 712-737-4230 Story County (Nevada) 515-382-6551Woodbury County (Sioux City) 712-276-2157Wright County (Clarion) 515-532-3453

Iowa State University Extension programs are available to all without regard to race, color, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. veteran. Inquiries can be directed to the Director of Equal Opportunity and Compliance, 3280 Beardshear Hall, (515) 294-7612.

www.extension.iastate.edu

CER 04 April 2013


2013 Wind Energy

dents options for post-grad-uate life. They learn to as-semble networks, under-stand electrical and powertheories, and acquaintsthem with instruments withwhich they will be work-ing. Upon graduation, stu-dents are able to join com-panies that operate, main-tain, construct and commis-sion wind turbines, and as-sist in project development.

“When a student comesthrough here, they’rebrought to a high levelknowledge of process con-trol,” Lutat said. “Studentsat (our) wind energy pro-gram build their own net-works, put together theirown interface, work withschematics, etc.

“Those things are allbuilt by hand, by the stu-dents so they can learnwhat it takes to be success-ful in that part of the indus-try.

“Everything is math-based from formulas to the-ories, which they will useon the job every day. Wehave high entrance skillshere because we want ourstudents to have optionswhen they leave here sothey’re not pigeon-holedinto one aspect of the in-dustry.

“They have a high levelof technical competency,and they’re likely to do bet-ter and advance further inthe industry because of it.”

Instructors agree thatthey don’t want to educatethrough simulation only.Hands-on experience isparamount, Lutat said. Stu-dents climb the turbine,work on it and the blades,learn about all aspects ofpower and personal safety,along with working atheights, and first aid proce-dures.

The college also has aturbine standing outside theclassrooms on a short tow-er, making it easier for stu-dents and instructors to

have access to one close-by. They also perform safe-ty and rescue training fromthat turbine.

Wind ambassadorsLouis Leuga, 36, came

to the U.S. from Cameroon,Africa. He arrived in NewJersey four years ago, bare-ly able to speak a word ofEnglish. He grasped thelanguage and began search-ing for a college experiencethat would give him thekind of life he wanted.

He read reviews for IL-CC’s wind energy programand that it was endorsed bythe American Wind EnergyAssociation.

He learned that it wasone of the first three col-

lege programs to have thatapproval, and that soldhim.

“I like the hands-onlearning here,” Leuga said,“and that the instructors arevery experienced. I know Iwill do very well after Ileave here.”

Leuga will graduate inMay, return to New Jerseyand be a traveling techni-cian.

Holly Johnson is one ofa handful of women whohave been in the program.She will also graduate inMay and is awaiting herjob with NextEra Energy inFlorida.

“I got a wide variety ofexperiences in this field,”Johnson said, “and I plan to

keep moving on up the lad-der.

“I feel like I have a goodgeneral knowledge of thewind energy industry.”

Johnson is part of theWomen Of Wind Energyorganization, presenting toschools and other organiza-tions about the industry.

Patrick McCoy has beenan associate professor withthe wind energy programsince 2008.

Being the first college tooffer a two-year degree inwind energy and turbinetechnology, McCoy said,“makes us the oldest,though we’re still not veryold. The college supportsthis program, and it hasgrown to be one of the best

in the nation.“The variety of students

we have brings differentperspectives to the pro-gram.”

McCoy said the broadspectrum of students in theprogram, included thosewith master’s degrees inother areas, engineers andothers who enter the pro-gram at mid-life seeking acareer change.

“The challenge in teach-ing all of our students iskeeping up with technolo-gy,” he said. Instructorsseek that information con-tinuously via other industryleaders, in an effort to keeptheir program on the cut-ting edge, and a leadingprogram in the nation.

“I tell students who arehere on college visits to besure and look at other col-leges that offer a wind en-ergy program- — butthey’ll be coming backhere,” McCoy said.

Lutat said he is proud ofthe WETT program, alongwith those involved withteaching it.

He compared modernwind turbines from theirearliest designs as the differ-ence of bi-planes to the jet.

ILCC is in the process ofexpanding the WETT pro-gram to include classroomsfor environmental studiesas they relate to wind ener-gy, giving their students aneven broader perspective ofthe energy industry.

ILCC Continued from Page 6

-Farm News photo by Karen Schwaller

PATRICK MCCOY, standing, a professor of the Wind Energy and Turbine Tech-nology program at IlCC, works with student John Veenhouwer on problem-solv-ing techniques in the college lab. Veenhouwer came to IlCC’s wind energy pro-gram from Olympia, Wash.

-Contributed photo

KATHERINE GREMS, an office associate for the tur-bine tech program, celebrates making her climb up atower. Behind her is one of the turbine’s blades.

By LARRY [email protected]

CRANBURY, N.J. —It may seem strange tothink that a manwith a wind tur-bine, wants to meeta man with abroadcast tower toconduct business.

After all, tur-bines have longbeen a bane forbroadcasters, sincethey interfere witha tower’s radio fre-quencies.

But according toFrank Marlowe, the manwith the turbine, vice pres-ident of engineering for

Broadcast Wind LLC,based in New Jersey, thatproblem has been over-come.

So, he’s lookingfor a broadcasterwilling to set up apilot project inIowa to use wind-generated electrici-ty to provide thepower for a broad-cast tower.

A member of theIowa Energy Asso-ciation, BroadcastWind, Marlowesaid, is a small com-

pany at the marketing in-tersection of distributedwind, the size where indi-

vidual farms can generatetheir own electricity foroutbuildings and farmhomes.

The other connection toag is that, like broadcast

towers, the turbines wouldbe in open fields.

Marlowe said his com-pany has a U.S. Depart-ment of Agriculture con-tract to study the interac-

tion with wind turbines andbroadcast signals.

Broadcast towers, Mar-lowe said, are usually inwindy areas where turbinescan transmit a constant

load.Since New Jersey has

banned wind turbines,Marlowe is looking toward

New Jersey company seeks

broadcaster for pilot project

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2013 Wind Energy

Bringing turbines, broadcasters together

-Submitted photo

BROADCAST WIND LLC., based in New Jersey, is seeking pilot projects to test using wind power to gen-erate electricity for broadcasting towers. The company said it has found a way to avoid turbines creating ra-dio frequency interference with the broadcast towers.

See PILOT, Page 17

FrankMarlowe


2013 Wind Energy

Study: Wind can

be used to

make NH3By LARRY KERSHNER

[email protected]

SPIRIT LAKE — Although afeasibility study, commissionedby the U.S. Department of Agri-culture, concluded last year thatwind powercould be used toproduce ammo-nia as a farm fer-tilizer, it alsoconcluded thatright now, theprocess is notcost-efficient.

According toSteve Gruhn,president of Free-dom Ag LLC,based in SpiritLake, the study showed that am-monia, or NH3, could indeed beproduced using wind-generatedelectricity, making it possible tocreate the ag fertilizer withoutfossil fuels.

“But right now with the cost ofnatural gas falling,” Gruhn said,“it’s borderline of cost competi-tiveness.

“But someday we’ll have tofind an alternative. We can’t befossil fuel-dependant for our ni-trogen needs.”

Gruhn said he grew up on afarm near Spirit Lake — the exactsite which has been deemed bywind prospectors as the windiestspot in Iowa. As a result, wind-generated energy has been a focal

point for him, he said.It started in earnest when the

Spirit Lake Community Schooldistrict erected a 250 kilowattwind turbine in 1993. “It was thefirst use for wind power for insti-tutional use in the country,”Gruhn said.

At the same time, the districtwas also wired for internet capa-bilities and the production of theturbine was collected and up-loaded for the public to read.

According to Gruhn, thosewatching the production numberswere surprised at how much pow-er the small turbine was generat-ing.

“I give a lot of credit to the tur-bine,” Gruhn said. “It started theprospecting rush for wind powerin Iowa.”

In 1998, the Spirit lake areawas deemed as a prime locationfor wind turbines, but the problemwas no adequate transmissionlines in that area to easily feed on-to the electrical grid.

“So I started looking for waysto use wind power off the grid,”Gruhn said.

Through the Iowa Energy Cen-ter Gruhn said he met Norm Ol-son, a proponent for alternativemethods for producing NH3, andDr. Jon Holbrook, of NHThreeLLC., who designed a solid stateammonia synthesis process, with-out using natural gas as the feedstock.

“About 2 percent of all fossilfuels (processed in the U.S.) areused for NH3,” Gruhn said. “Syn-thetic nitrogen is a high-volumeconsumer of fossil fuels.”

In 2008, the USDA’s feasibil-ity grant was awarded to see how

effective wind generation couldbe used to power Holbrook’ssolid state ammonia synthesisprocess, using primarily waterand electricity.

In a nutshell, he said the

process includes fusing nitrogenand hydrogen. The wind-gener-ated electricity’s role is in sepa-rating hydrogen molecules fromwater. A co-product would becollecting the oxygen gas.

The results showed that on anindividual unit scale a turbinecould produce 2 to 3 tons of fer-tilizer per day — a mere fractionof what large fertilizer plants canproduce.

“And that does not take intoaccount for intermittent wind,”Gruhn said.

When the study was commis-sioned, the fertilizer energy wasin the lowest trough of manufac-turing, since natural gas priceswere at all-time highs. However,at about the same time, theprices started falling and contin-ued to fall.

As a result, fertilizer plantsacross the country started ex-panding their manufacturing ca-pability, including Koch Indus-tries near Fort Dodge.

In Southeast Iowa, Iowa Fer-tilizer Co., a subsidiary Egypt-ian-based Orascom ConstructionIndustries, plans to invest morethan $1.3 billion to construct anitrogen fertilizer manufacturingplant near Wever, in Lee Coun-ty.

These developments are a re-sult of the favorable drop in nat-ural gas prices, Gruhn said.

Being about to produce moreNH3 for a cheaper price, Gruhnsaid, is an advantage for estab-lished manufacturers

“But for a small upstart com-pany,” Gruhn said, “it’s virtuallyimpossible.” However, he said,certain scenarios in the futurecould make the prospect price-competitive.

“The good news is that asyields go up,” Gruhn said, “thedemand for nitrogen will rise.”

Ag fertilizer from wind power?

SteveGruhn

-Farm News graphic

THE AMMONIA moleculeconsists of one part nitrogenand three parts hydrogen.

-Contributed photo

FREEDOM FERTILIZER, based in Spirit lake, has been in-volved in increasing awareness of how wind can produce a vi-able, safe and green alternative fertilizer and fuel.

www.farm-news.com EQUIPMENT

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This 21st Expo will pack a punch with a member and exhibitor reception and keynote kickoff on Friday night followed by a full day of educational activities and exhibits all day long on Saturday!

Specialized youth program with an Interactive Learning Lab.

Self-guided tours of sustainable sites around the city.

The state-wide initiative, Iowa Renewable Energy Jobs 2020 (IREJ2020) will lead an informative discussion on the need for advanced renewable energy policy in Iowa to spur job growth and a cleaner environment!

Art exhibit and workshop with renowned artists Anthony Castronovo and Nacho Zamora, Solar Artworks

Expert presenters, exhibitors, and members of the University of Iowa Solar Car Team will demystify the 5 W's to help you make your renewable energy goals a reality...!

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ENERGY EXPO

rein the city

New tech, wind

forecasting are

a few new toolsWASHINGTON (Union of

Concerned Scientists) — Renew-able energy is providing reliableelectricity today in the UnitedStates and around the world, ac-cording to the Union of Con-cerned Scientists.

From 2007 to 2012, electricityfrom renewable sources such aswind and solar nearly quadruplednationally.

This growth is part of a transi-tion away from dirty, coal-burn-ing power plants — which harmspublic health and destabilizes cli-mate — toward cleaner, moresustainable sources of electricity.

Using existing technologiesand smart policy decisions, theU.S. can continue this clean ener-gy transformation while maintain-ing a reliable and affordable elec-tricity system.

Transitioning to a system thatrelies heavily on wind and solarfacilities — which provide vari-able amounts of power — doespose challenges to managing theelectricity grid.

After all, the wind doesn’t al-ways blow and the sun doesn’t al-ways shine, and grid operatorsmust match electricity demandwith supply each and every mo-

ment of the day.However, meeting electricity

demand in the face of variabilityand uncertainty is not a new con-

cept for grid operators. They al-ready make adjustments for con-stantly changing demand, plannedpower plant outages for mainte-

nance, and outages stemmingfrom severe weather, equipmentfailure, and other unexpectedevents.

Adding variable energy sourcesto the system may increase thecomplexity of the challenge, butdoes not pose insurmountabletechnical problems or significantcosts.

We know this because the U.S.grid and electricity grids through-out the world have already reli-ably integrated variable energysources such as wind and solarpower.

We have the tools to signifi-cantly ramp up renewable energyuse and keep the lights on.

With ingenuity, innovation, andsmart policies, we can fully tran-sition to a clean, renewable elec-tricity system.

Wind power growthA number of utilities, states and

countries already have muchhigher percentages of renewableenergy than many people thoughtpossible just a few years ago.

Wind power is growing rapidlyin the United States — more thantripling from 2007 to 2012.

The nation broke a record in2012, installing more than13,000 megawatts of wind powercapacity and investing $25 billionin the U.S. economy.

This made wind power theleading source of new capacity inthe United States, representing 42percent of the total, and surpass-ing new natural gas capacity.

While wind provided only 3.5

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2013 Wind Energy

U.S. can ramp-up wind generation

-Contributed photo

BRAXTON DAHL, a graduate of Iowa lakes Community College’s wind turbine maintenanceprogram, sits atop a nacelle against the anemometer and looks out over a foggy landscape withother turbines the only structures visible.

See RAMP-UP, Page 18

Powering Iowa Whispering Willow Wind Farm and Franklin County Wind Farm are proud to provide wind power to over 75,000 Iowa homes. 1-800-ALLIANT alliantenergy.com/wind

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2013 Wind Energy

the Midwest, where thewind industry is embracedand generally has a posi-tive reception.

Typically, he said,when a turbine goes up inthe vicinity of a broadcasttower and a receiver, itbreaks up signals. In thosecases, the company erect-ing the turbine must offerother cable options to localresidents.

Finding a willing broad-caster to partner with thepilot program will be achallenge, Marlowe said.“They most likely won’twant us close to their tow-ers.”

Without explaining thetechniques that BroadcastWind has determined willavoid frequency problems,he said, the pilot program“will determine how to de-

velop the engineeringtools to get turbines placednear a transmitter and howto determine safe zones forexisting antennas.

The formula his teamdevised is called the windturbine interference mod-el, or WINTIP.

Without WINTIP, Mar-lowe said, “there would befar too much risk of an on-site turbine interferingwith reception cable adsatellite head ends.

Marlowe said his com-pany has worked in con-junction with Dr. StevenSapp, an Iowa State Uni-versity sociologist.

He said Sapp has stud-ied the impact of televi-sion on a rural communityand determined that Mar-lowe’s project would ben-efit rural areas, since it

would make broadcastersmore efficient.

According to BroadcastWind’s research, Iowa ishome to 35 full-powerdigital television stations,broadcasting from 23 lo-cations.

These stations consume34 gigawatt hours peryear. All but one of the an-tennas are located on, oradjacent to, agriculturefield.

Marlowe said BroadcastWind is in the midpoint ofa two-year project.

The first half was deter-mining the height, nowthey are looking to fieldtest the project.

Each turbines will cre-ate a lease agreement withfarmland owner for eithercash or power.

For the rural communi-

ty, it will create temporaryemployment in erectingthe wind turbine and willgenerate more long-termtax revenues for countygovernments.

A $1.4 billion marketBroadcast Wind pre-

dicts that the new potentialmarket for the distributedwind industry could tally$1.4 billion.

The market is targetingbroadcasters, tower own-ers, wind developers andturbine manufacturers.

Since the U.S. Depart-ment of Energy has estab-lished a goal of 20 per-cent of the country’s elec-tric generation comesfrom wind, BroadcastWind’s study has deter-mined that more turbineswill create problems for

broadcasters.For wind developers,

the study said, distributedwind-sized turbines willwind developers since:

∫ Locations are alreadyzoned for large towerstructures.

∫ Roadways, electricalconnection points and gridinfrastructure are existingto accommodate a broad-caster’s heavy demand.

∫ Sites come withbuilt-in consumers whowill pay a premium overstandard wind farm ratesto lower retail electricalcosts.

∫ A variety of subsi-dized government loans,grants and productioncredits are still available tothe developer, which canoffset as much as 50 per-cent of a project’s cost.

Pilot Continued from Page 13


2013 Wind Energy

NEVADA — On May 4,fourth- through 12th-graders and their parentscan learn about energy re-lated STEM skills whenthey design wind turbinesand tour the BECON Bio-mass Energy Conservation

Facility in Nevada.The tour is from 9 a.m. to

10 a.m. and the workshop isfrom 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Pre-registration is required. Costis $10 per youth; no cost forparents. Lunch is providedfor youth and parents.

This experience is part ofthe Partnership for Engi-neering Educational Re-sources for Schools pro-gram through the Gover-nor’s Science, Technology,Engineering and MathScale Up Initiative for

which Iowa State Universi-ty Extension-Region 8 re-ceived funding.

The goal is to provideyouth and parents an oppor-tunity to learn about the in-teresting and rewardingskills and careers in STEM.

The field trip is availableto all fourth- through 12th-graders and their parents inBoone, Hardin, Marshalland Story counties.

To participate, completethe registration form byApril 26; form is available

www.extension.iastate.edu/boone.

Non 4-H youth will alsoneed to complete the healthform. Questions may be di-rected to Annette Brown,ISU Extension at (515)432-3882.

Wired for Wind workshop and biomass facility tour set

percent of the country’selectricity in 2012, severalstates and regions havereached much higher lev-els. These include:

∫ In 2012, wind powerprovided 24 percent of theelectricity generated inIowa and South Dakota,and more than 10 percentin seven other states.

∫ On Oct. 23, 2012, thePacific Northwest set anew record as electricityfrom wind power exceededthat from hydropower.

∫ On Nov. 23, 2012,the Midwest set a recordwhen more than 10,000MW of wind power sup-plied 25 percent of the re-gion’s electricity.

∫ On Dec. 5, 2012, theSouthwest Power Pool —which includes Kansas,Oklahoma and the Texaspanhandle — set a recordas wind power suppliedmore than 30 percent of theregion’s electricity.

∫ On Jan. 29, the maingrid operator in Texas set arecord when wind powerproduced 32 percent of to-tal supply — enough topower 4.3 million averagehomes.

Texas leads the nation ininstalled wind power ca-pacity, with more than12,200 MW at the end of2012.

New tools availableSeveral new approaches

to operating electricitygrids can help integratevariable renewable energyresources while lowering

costs, reducing emissions,and maintaining reliability.

Many of these approach-es are being evaluated atthe state and regional lev-els.

The Federal EnergyRegulatory Commissionand the North AmericanElectricity Reliability Cor-poration are changing plan-ning and operating proce-dures at the national levelto remove barriers to inte-grating renewable energy.

The new approaches thatFERC, NERC, regionalgrid operators, and utilitiesare implementing include:

∫ Better forecasting. Allgrid operators use forecast-ing to understand how theweather will affect electric-ity demand.

With growing relianceon wind and solar energy,some larger utilities and re-gional grid operators areusing weather observa-tions, meteorological data,computer models, and sta-tistical analysis to projectwind and solar output, andto reduce power and re-serves from fossil fuels,cutting costs in the process.

Wider use of that ap-proach could save $1 bil-lion to $4 billion annually,according to a study by theNational Oceanic and At-mospheric Administrationand the U.S. Department ofEnergy.

∫ Improved scheduling.In much of the westernUnited States, operators ofwind and solar facilitiesmust schedule power deliv-

eries to the grid on anhourly or day-ahead basis.

If actual generation doesnot match what they havepromised, they often facesignificant cost penalties.When they produce muchmore power than expected,they are forced to curtailoutput.

Because wind and sun-light can fluctuate over rel-atively short periods oftime, allowing operators toschedule power delivery ona sub-hourly basis canmake the grid more effi-cient, save money and re-duce emissions.

∫ Geographic disper-sion. In a large intercon-nected power system, thewind does not blow every-where, although it is usual-ly blowing somewhere.The amount of sunshine al-so often varies within a re-gion.

Integrating wind and so-lar projects over larger ar-eas helps smooth out an un-even supply of power fromindividual projects.

∫ Building new trans-mission lines. Adding largeamounts of renewable en-ergy (or conventionalsources) to the electricitysystem — and deliveringhigh-quality wind andlarge-scale solar from re-mote areas to cities — willrequire new transmissionlines.

New lines will also beneeded to make the gridmore reliable, and to inte-grate wind and solar overlarger areas.

Ramp-up Continued from Page 16

-Contributed photo

THE TIP OF a turbine blade slices through the air. A study done by the Union ofConcerned Scientists, based in Washington, D.C., said new turbine technologiesand tools set the industry for more expansion. Utilities with wind generation areusing meteorological data to forecast electricity turbines can produce on any giv-en day, then plan on cutting back on fossil fuel-generation energy.


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2013 wind energy

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