Energy for Sustainability

Randolph & Masters, 2008

Chapter 12:
Renewables Revolution:
Large Scale Wind and Solar
Photovoltaic Capacity Growth
Biofuels: Ethanol & Biodiesel
Growth in Global Wind Capacity
Renewable Energy Indicators, 2007
Renewable Energy Investments
Average Annual Growth Rates, 2002-2006
Global Renewable Power
Cumulative Solar Hot Water, 2007
Global Wind Capacity Growth
GWEC Forecast Wind Growth

94.1
Cumulative Installed Wind Capacity, 2007
Annual Installed Wind Capacity
Annual Installed Wind Capacity
U.S. Wind Power Capacity,
Annual & Cumulative
Installed Utility-Scale Wind, Dec. 2007:
16.8 GW
Installed Utility-Scale Wind, Jan. 2007
11.4 GW
Virginia 50 m Wind Resource Map
 Small-scale Applications
Farms, Homes, Businesses
Off-Grid Water Supplementing Grid Power
Pumping with Wind
• Supplies
water for
120 head
of cattle
• 1 kW,
• Connected to utility grid
9-ft
through house/farm wiring
rotor,
30-ft • 3 kW, 15-ft rotor, 23-ft tower*
tower • Produces ~ 5,000 kWh/yr

• Produces ~ 2,000 kWh/yr • Offsets ~ 3.8 tons CO2/yr

• Costs ~ $10,000
• Offsets ~ 1.5 tons CO2/yr
* due to zoning restrictions
• Costs ~ $4,000 installed (not recommended)
 Small-scale Applications
Farms, Homes, Businesses
Offsetting Selling Power
All Utility Power Back to Utility
• Excess
power
sold to
utility
• 50 kW,
49-ft
rotor,
•“Net metering” utility power 90-ft
tower
• 10 kW, 23-ft rotor
diameter, 100-ft tower • Produces ~120,000 kWh/yr
• Produces ~ 15,000 kWh/yr
• Offsets ~ 91 tons CO2/yr
• Offsets ~ 14 tons CO2/yr
• Costs ~ $150,000
• Costs ~ $35,000
Large-scale Wind Farms
What about negative impacts of Wind?
 Aesthetics?
 Noise?
 Land use conflicts?
 Bird mortality?
Causes of Bird Mortality
 Controlling Bird Loss?

Although measures should be taken to reduce bird mortality, in

siting and operating wind farms, the National Audubon Society
strongly supports wind power development as a means to
mitigate GHG emissions and climate change, a far greater