Developing Powerful Communities: Small, community wind & storage projects

Deriving power from the wind is nothing http://new. Reports have windmills dating back to 200 B.C. What began as small-scale attempts to harness energy, have developed into multi-megawatt producing machines today. As technologies have advanced, approaches to generating power from the wind are more efficient than ever before. We’re collecting clean, renewable energy from wind comprehensively in larger and larger scales. But what does that mean for those smaller wind energy systems…or should we simply relegate them to the past?

Larger turbines might have replaced smaller ones in many cases, however, not everywhere. The global market for small and medium wind turbines (SMWT) is actually forecast to double by 2015, especially in developing markets, reaching US$634 million.

Aside from the environmental benefits of small wind (saving fuel transportation costs and transmission lines), perhaps the best argument for developing these turbines and incorporating them into residences and local communities relates to their flexibility. They can stand alone independently or integrate easily into hybrid systems, working together with solar power systems (even diesel, if need be, to reduce some of its impact) or hydrogen storage systems.  

Recently developed wind-to-hydrogen conversion and storage technology offers a prime example of such a partnership. On a larger scale, the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) has launched a wind-to-hydrogen (Wind2H2) demonstration project at the National Wind Technology Center in Colorado. The Wind2H2 project links turbines to electrolyzers, which pass the wind-generated electricity through water to split it into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen can then be stored and used later to generate electricity from an internal combustion engine or a fuel cell (www.nrel.gov). In terms of the value of smaller scale distributed wind utilization, this is also possible. Project developers from Eastern Europe, for instance, have been developing a distributed community wind project that involves a number or villages, with the help of hydrogen generators and fuel cells.

More locally, the Fuel Cell Technologies Office—a key component of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) portfolio—is seeking information related to a potential H-Prize competition* involving home hydrogen refueling systems, which would further the purpose of H-Prize in accelerating the development and commercial application of hydrogen energy technology. These systems would be designed to produce hydrogen applicable to residential settings for vehicle fueling, using feedstock with an existing residential delivery infrastructure. The potential prize award would be $1 million.

Now just imagine a system that coupled a hydrogen generator with distributed small-scale wind turbines. It could offer an efficient, environmentally friendly hybrid solution, providing storage and a refueling system. As wind is intermittent in nature, storage often remains the missing link, filling the gap and potentially providing continuous power during those less than windy times.

With the right technology, SMWT can offer many of the same benefits as larger turbines, just on a smaller scale. It just depends on the project. In fact, per kilowatt-hour (kWh) over the lifetime of a system, small wind can be cheaper than small-scale PV and some small-scale hydro solutions (www.ruralelec.org). In 2011, the American Wind Energy Association estimated the cost of small wind turbines in the United States to be $6,040/kW, an 11% increase from 2010 (www.awea.org). Of course, interested parties and communities need to be able to front those costs, but in some cases programs either encouraged by government or pursued by private owners are available to help. (Note: there are incentives in almost every state; for a summary of what’s available, check out www.dsireusa.org.)

Working with the wind
Distributed community wind projects are usually located adjacent to a community, directly supplying energy to end users. The exact power scale depends on the energy demand of the community served, but this is usually fairly small. Generally, these projects consist of a few single small wind turbines, which are readily available for residential, farm, business, and public sector applications.

•    Agricultural
Modern farms are often filled with various types of machinery—from tractors and harvesters to trucks and even small planes. These are all energy consumers, and serve as ideal examples where self-sustaining wind turbines can offset some of the power costs involved in running a farm. Moreover, The US Department of Agriculture offers various grants and other funding opportunities through their Rural Energy for America Program. Beyond agricultural endeavors, farmers might find new profitable sources by selling excessive energy from wind turbines to the local grid. 

•    Rural communities
For rural, especially remote residences and businesses, community wind projects can be established, owned, and shared, saving expenses on infrastructure for electricity transmission.
Usually, small communities can invest and own the system and, therefore, can together decide upon what procedures to adopt. Herein, hybrid systems could make a significant contribution, particularly where energy storage is concerned. For example, if a hydrogen generator and storage tank were properly equipped, supply could be further stabilized through the availability of a storage system. Residents could enjoy rural life without worrying about energy costs or power losses.

•    Urban communities
For urban areas, where infrastructure is well developed, wind turbines seem to only provide an ancillary effect. However, with hydrogen-driven public transportation coming in the near future, refueling stations are becoming necessary and more popular. Small wind turbines could serve to help power hydrogen generators.

•    Commercial
Due to energy density characteristics of commercial areas, community wind projects are supposed to be designed and equipped larger than ordinary projects. The intent is not only to produce sufficient energy to meet commercial demands, but also to sell some excess to utility company. Although larger equipment costs more, the cost of per kilowatt-hour decreases when compared to smaller systems.

In terms of eco-friendly engineering, low-cost energy, energy security, and economic growth, distributed small and community wind projects have the potential for great contributions. Small wind projects are constructed to be flexible, working for a specific site or community, and able to work within hybrid systems.

Ideally, to strengthen the advantages of SMWTs, the installation, maintenance, and operation of these turbine should be further simplified, and storage systems integrated to serve for any intermittency in the wind.

 
*The purpose of the H-Prize is to accelerate the research, development, demonstration, and commercial application of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies by offering prizes to motivate and reward outstanding scientific and engineering advancements. The H-Prize is currently administered by the Hydrogen Education Foundation (HEF) for the Department of Energy.

 
VERDE LLC is a technology manufacturer, specialized in designing and deploying residential, commercial, and industrial-scale electrolyzers used for renewable energy storage, distributed generation, and more.


VERDE LLC
www.verdellc.com