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www.times.org Wind comes of age By Robin Klein Though it still represents “just a small niche in our supply,” says Terry Hudgens, president of PacifiCorp Power Marketing, it still represents a significant move toward embracing wind power for future energy needs. PacifiCorp Marketing is purchasing the power from the facility’s owner, manufacturer and operator, FPL Energy of Florida. The project is on schedule to be in full operation by December 31, says Dave Kvamme, spokesperson for Pacificorp Power Marketing. As conceived, the Stateline project would have been the world’s largest such wind power facility. Advances in turbine technology enhancing efficiency have made wind a viable contender for meeting today’s energy needs. “There are plenty more wind resources in the area,” says Kvamme. “Hopefully we can eventually expand to 300 Megawatts and then more.” But the discovery of a colony of Washington ground squirrels at the site on the Oregon side compelled FPL Energy to reduce the number of turbines from 450 to 400 to avoid construction in the squirrels’ hibernation area. The Washington ground squirrel is listed as endangered in Oregon. Sited on productive farmland near Columbia power grid, the project pays farmers for use of their land without disturbing their crop production. Construction costs are $300 million but proponents say that may be cheap compared to the expenses involved in building and operating fossil fuel plants. The strongest arguments against wind power has been the number of birds killed by wind turbine blades. Concern over bird kills has been the big one for many environmentalists and for a long time divided the broader community in its support for development and implementation. But in recent years this problem has been largely overcome through the sophistication of wind turbine technology, and data collection. Recent data comparing avian mortality at wind power facilities with other human structures shows that the turbines are a relatively minor cause, compared with buildings, vehicles, power lines and communication towers. The report recognizes that “Although wind energy is generally considered environmentally friendly (because it generates electricity without emitting air pollutants or greenhouse gases), the potential for avian fatalities has delayed and even significantly contributed to blocking the development of some wind plants in the U.S.” “Even if wind plants were quite numerous (e.g. 1 million turbines), they would likely cause no more than a few percent of all collision deaths related to human structures. There are also other sources of avian mortality. For example, the National Audubon society estimates avian mortality due to house cats at 100 million birds per year. Pesticide use, oil spills, electrocution, disease, etc. are other sources of unintended avian mortality.” Chart Estimated annual bird collision mortality in the U.S. Between 100 million and well over 1 billion birds are killed annually due to collisions with human-made structures. Vehicles: 60 - 80 million Source: Avian Collisions with wind turbines: A summary of Existing Studies
and Comparisons of Avian Collision Mortality in the United States
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