{lr Feb/Mar l9Z7 RAIN page Z WIND An Eaaluation of tbe Potential Enaironmental Effects of Wind Energy Systems Deo9l9 Fment (ERDnlNSrloT lig-z S t tl, available from, National Technical Information Service 5285 Port Royal Road Springfield, VA 2Tt6t The first completed.study on such questions, covering the degree that largescale wind-turbine deployment induces changes in nearby vegetation, animal habitat and climate. As most people would intuit, the report supports'rhe conclusion that windpower is benign in comparison to existing conventi6nal energy systems. Very useful to antinuclear intervenors, electric utilities doing environmentai impact statements on windmills, state energy agencies and college-level courses in envi16nmental science and engineering. "Wind Energy" by Bent Sorensen, in Bylle.tin of tbe Atomic Scientists, Sept. 1976, pp. 38-45. An excellent ihtroduction to the potential for large-scale wind-electricity,'covenng energy storage methods, the relative costs for wind- and nuclear-power, and their environmental impacts. "Fresh Breeze for Denmark's Windmills" by Don Hinrichsen and patrick C,awood, in Neu Scientistr l0 June r976, pp. 567-569. Very useful to nuclear plant intervenors as it contains a comparison by Bent Sorensen of the relative reliability (i.e. capacity factor) of a modern U.S. nuclear reactor and the existing Danish Gedser windmill with and without a 24-hour storage facility. Even that small energ'y storage makes the power availability of the windmill as good as rhat of the nuclear plant. In addition, a description of the Tvind Colleges consrruction of a 2MW, 3-bladed wind-turbine shows that the NASA-ERDA wind program, with a smaller 1.5 MW ma- 'chine scheduled for demonstration in 1979, may be beat by a Danish vocational-industrial high school and college consortium in the "big machine" sweepstakes. A Dutch Wind-powered Sawmill Converting wind motion into electricity then back to mechanical energy to run motors to pump water, saw wood, run shop tools or other industrial processes is.expensive and roundabout. Using windmills directly to provide mechani- "al power can be considerably cheaper than wind/electricity and less than grid electricity in some situations. Wateipumping windmills, grainmills, and sawmills were common in the early part of this cenrury, along with many windpoweied farm shops, and their economics-are appearing more favorable again t9day. Used to stretch electrical supplies, or used independently with cbmpressed air energy srorage or possibly flywheel srorage in the future, windT mechanical systems deserve closer examination, along with their more glamorous slste{s. Wind-Mechanical Power The Homemade Windmills of Nebraska, 1976, $3 from, Farallones Institute 15290 Coleman Vatley Rd. Occidental, CA 95465 Excellent reprint of classic survey, show- 'ing mechanical windmills pumping water, .running' direct-driven iarm' shSp equipment, grinding grain, shelling corn, sawing 1god. Community shops Jf tt. future will store energy uia compressed air tanks.to-fower aiitools during slack wind periods. Food from Windmills, Peter Fraenkel, 197 5, $8.15 surface, $10 airmail from: I.T. Publications Ltd. 9 King Street London WC2E 8HN England An excellent nuts and bolts case study of the development of low-cost, effective water-pumping irrigation windmills in Ethiopia. Economic, social and engineering factors evolved a Cretan sailwing windmill at a cosr of $700 Ethiopian that out-performed imported Dempster pumpers that cost Eth. $2,0O0 each. A fine account of various options developed and suggestions for furlher refinements. Federal power agencies [such as BpA, TVA, Bureau of ReclamationJ could meet the present cost of oil with wind energy from.turbine generators with initial production order of 40 units." The 2nd report states, "A recently completed study sponsored by ERDA shows that the full potential of the wind is far greater than previously estimated.t' These publications are vitally useful to nuclear power intervenors, those opposing utility rate hikes and energyoriented public interest and environmental groups, since they provide a solid economic basis for asking why wind energy, which can't rise in cost due to fuel price rises, is not yet being rapidly implemented by ERDA and utilities with the speed its economic costs justify. The plain fact is that the large wind-electric alternative is now cheaper than subsidized nuclear power in many areas of the nation. What's the "Effects of Initial Production euantity and Incentives on the Cost of Wind Energy" by Ugo Coty and Lou Vau$hn, Jan. 3, 1977 , and "The High Potential of Wind as an Energy Source," by Ugo Coty and Michael Dubey, May 19, !976, f.or price and availability, send a self-addressed, stamped business envelope to: Wind Energy Program Dept. 7 5-21-63A Lockheed-California Co. P.O. Box 551 Burbank, CAglS2O Ugo's technically tempered enthusiasm seems to have broadly infected the entire Lockheed wind team, as exemplified by these excellent studies, which clearly.lay out the increasingly promising wind-electric option for o"ur nation. The first reports state, "Ii is concluded that without incentives [such as the billions still being spent on nuclear powerJ and with wina iites having 7 meters/second annual average wind- :p9.d, the initial productiori quantity is 26O units to bring the cost of wind energy down to thJpresent price of orl (2.6d/kwh) for private utilities and down to l.SLlkwh for public utilities. Alternative Sources of Energy (Rt. 2, Milaca, MN 56353) is now aicepting proposals for the ASE Minigrants piogram-$200 or so for development of small alternative technology projects. Write them for details. hold-up? -Lee Johnson
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