Eric Isaksen 2019F ME-511-WS Homework Problems –Lecture 1 1.1 What would you recommend to overcome the challenges facing the wide use of wind power? In order to overcome the challenges facing the wide use of wind power I would recommend multiple actions such as increasing government subsidies on large scale wind farms, increasing research and development of wind farms, increasing public education and knowledge of wind power, and invest heavily in offshore wind farm installation/maintenance techniques. The barrier to entry and initial upfront costs in installing and building wind farms when compared to alternative sources of energy, both renewable and non-renewable, is a huge detriment to consider starting to build wind farms. By increasing research and development of these wind farms and wind turbines you could make it even more economically viable as an option to be installed and used over other forms of energy. Furthermore, by educating the public and helping people to understand the value of investing in wind farm technology to provide cheap energy that does not produce any greenhouse gases would help push the federal and state governments to invest in wind farms. The same situation could follow occur in the private sector as well with corporations fulfilling the needs and wants of its customers. It would also be great to get the public to understand that wind farms do not seriously cause cancer en mass, kill an obscene amount of birds, or cause global warming due to the warm power cables running underground (https://www.pressherald.com/2018/10/04/wind-power-canraise-global-temperatures-harvard-study-finds/). Finally, currently in the U.S. when compared to Europe. The amount of resources and know-how to install and maintain offshore wind farms cost effectively is lacking. Currently, there is a big push in the offshore industry to create offshore wind farms in the Northeast, but the specialized knowledge and resources to conduct this work is only found vastly in Europe. 1.2 What financial incentives are there in your state for the use of wind power? In New Jersey the current financial incentives for the use of wind power are offered through the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) through their Renewable Energy Incentive Program along with New Jersey's Clean Energy Program. Unfortunately, due to three failed wind projects there is a temporary hold on these programs related to wind power. Source: http://njcleanenergy.com/renewable-energy/programs/renewableenergy-incentive-program When it comes to offshore wind farm wind farm development, New Jersey does offer financial incentives though the Offshore Wind Economic Development Act (OWEDA). The NJBPU awards Offshore Wind Renewable Energy Certificates (ORECs) to companies developing offshore wind. These are subsidies from the state to help offset the costs involved with creating the farms. This also helps the company building the projects to qualify for federal tax incentives at approximately 12% of the total project. Source: http://njcleanenergy.com/nj-offshore-wind Eric Isaksen 2019F ME-511-WS Does the Federal Gov. provide any tax breaks to encourage usage of wind power? Yes, the Federal Government provides tax breaks to encourage the use of wind power in the form of Production Tax Credit (PTC), but unfortunately that is being phased out this year. At the time of its inception in 1992, it helped start the wind power industry in the United States and create a decently healthy industry. The hope is the long lasting benefits of PTC will keep the industry going. Source: https://www.awea.org/policy-and-issues/tax-policy 1.3 An office employs a space heater with a rating of 30 kW, a refrigerator (for snacks) that is rated for 5 kW and a light fixture with bulbs that dissipate a total of 2100 W, all operating at a constant rate for 8 hours. (a) What is the total power consumed at any given moment? 30 kW + 5 kW + 2.1 kW = 37.1 kW (b) How much energy is consumed in 8 hrs.? 37.1 kW * 8 hours = 296.8 kWh (c) Assume the local power company charges 11 cents per kWh, how much does it cost to operate the office for 8 hours? 296.8 kWh * $0.11/kWh = $32.65 1.3 What are the advantages/disadvantages of wind power? Advantages Zero greenhouse gas emissions produced Cheapest source of renewable energies Provides income to farmers, ranchers, and landowners in land lease payments The variability of size of wind turbine generators o Allows for remote off the grid powering Promotes global security of the energy market in the global economy while helping the global environment Can increase manufacturing and create thousands of jobs Disadvantages Variability of the resource Requirement for large investment in transmission o Large initial cost (especially for smaller scale projects) Impact on the environment o Harm to wildlife (birds, bats, etc.) Significant amount of land needed o For offshore projects, commercial fishing grounds are disturbed Reliance on government subsidies due to initial high cost Sources: Week 1 Lecture and Chapter 1, Wind Energy Engineering by Pramod Jain
