Inherit the Wind

By Bertha, Debbie

Pennsylvania is one of the leading producers in the eastern United States of the fastest growing, renewable energy source in the world. Wind energy is a clean, efficient and reliable way to generate power or electricity.

Sufficient wind resources along Pennsylvania’s mountain ridges coupled with government leadership and technological advances and decreasing costs have created a growing market for wind energy production in the state. Pennsylvania’s eight commercial-scale wind farms total 179 megawatts of generating capacity, according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), the national trade association for the wind energy industry.

Wind projects are sited in areas where there is adequate wind, the ability to transmit energy and where the Ian is compatible with a wind farm. Variations in win direction, speed and intensity cause some turbines to spin while others nearby may be idle. When the wind is calm, the turbines are at rest although it is unusual, since a site is selected for its wind resources. The state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) estimates that there are more than 5,000 megawatts of untapped wind power in the state, with the potential to generate 45 billion kilowatt-hours annually or enough to power more than five million homes.

Gov. Rendell has put in place a number of initiatives to promote alternate energy projects in Pennsylvania where residents spend approximately $30 billion a year on imported energy fuel.

“Pennsylvania is home to one of the nation’s most progressive alternate energy portfolio standards, ensuring that 18 percent of all energy generated comes from clean, efficient sources by the year 2020,” says Charlie Young, spokesperson, DEP. “To meet that requirement, the industry will need to make substantial investments in clean energy generation. The need for investment is what is attracting several international companies to set up business in the commonwealth. As these companies begin manufacturing here, they spawn economic activity on suppliers furthering the economic impact.”

Technological advances in wind energy are driving down the cost of wind power to competitive levels. These include sophisticated wind assessment tools, high-tech electronic controls and advanced materials design, according to the AWEA.

The price of electricity generated by wind energy plants has dropped from as much as $.30 per kilowatt-hour to $.03 to $.06 in the past 10 years. The cost to develop and build a wind energy facility is approximately $1.3 million to $1.7 million per megawatt. Although a fossil-fuel plant is less at $550,000 to $700,000 per megawatt, once wind facilities are constructed, there are no fuel costs and minimal maintenance expenses.

Northeastern Pennsylvania is home to several commercialscale wind farms, including the first commercial wind project in the state. In 1999, Pennsylvania Wind Energy, a renewable energy partnership, constructed a .13 megawatt facility at the Humboldt Industrial Park in Hazleton, Luzerne County, and Energy Unlimited Inc., West Conshohocken, provided the two wind turbines.

During 2003, the largest commercial-scale wind farm in Pennsylvania and the second largest wind facility east of the Mississippi was constructed atop Moosic Mountain, Wayne County. The 64.5-megawatt Waymart Wind Energy Center is located in Canaan and Waymart Townships and is connected to the transmission lines of PPL Corporation, Allentown.

The FLP Energy-owned facility is operating at a 30 percent capacity factor, which is standard for a Pennsylvania wind farm, says Mary Wells, community outreach manager at FPL’s Lancaster office. FLP Energy has headquarters in Juno Beach, Fla. The 43 General Electric wind turbines produce approximately 170,000 megawatt-hours of energy annually or enough to power approximately 22,000 homes.

Exelon Generation Company purchases the electricity produced by the wind turbines and markets it through a partnership with Community Energy, Inc. CEI is headquartered in Wayne, near Philadelphia, and a whollyowned subsidiary of IBERDROLA of Spain. Regional customers include Penn State University, Drexel University, Aqua Pennsylvania Inc., GlaxoSmithKlein, and the National Geographic Society.

CEI is the owner of the Bear Creek Wind Power Project which began commercial operation in Luzerne County during February, 2006, increasing wind generating capacity in Pennsylvania by almost 20 percent. Investment partners include Babcock & Brown and Central Hudson Energy Group Inc.

The 24-megawatt facility is located along the Pennsylvania Turnpike on Bald Mountain in Bear Creek Township. It consists of 12 Gamesa wind turbines which produce 75 million kilowatt-hours of wind energy annually – enough to power more than 8,500 homes. Spain- based Gamesa Corp., whose largest shareholder is IBERDROLA, recently located its U.S. headquarters and four manufacturing facilities in Pennsylvania.

The Bear Creek project was largely made possible by commitments from PPL Corporation and leading wind energy customers such as the University of Pennsylvania and PECO Energy Services, says Paul Copleman, CEI’s sales and marketing operations manager.

CEI also developed the Locust Ridge Wind Farm in Mahanoy City, Schuylkill County. The 26-megawatt facility includes 13 Gamesa wind turbines and became operational in November, 2006. It generates enough power for about 9,000 homes, Copleman says. PPL EnergyPlus, energy marketing subsidiary of PPL Corporation, has agreed to purchase energy, capacity and renewable attributes from the facility which produces 80 million kilowatt-hours of energy annually.

Energy Unlimited Inc. is awaiting decisions from Commonwealth Court on several appeals filed on various aspects of two related projects at a proposed Penobscot Mountain Wind Farm in Bear Creek Township, Luzerne County, says John Connelly, wind developer, at the firm. The township supervisors have zoning issues and others have environmental concerns, including preservation of open space, maintenance of the integrity of a nearby watershed, and the potential impact on rare animal habitat and plant species.

Look for continued domestic growth of this promising form of power – which proponents hope will lead to decreased dependence on foreign nations and improvements in the economy and environment.

Copyright Northeast Pennsylvania Business Journal Mar 01, 2007

(c) 2007 Northeast Pennsylvania Business Journal. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.