Montana State University o ta a State U e s ty
Great Falls Wind Turbine
Wind Turbine A Case Study
A Case Study
Experience & Lessons Learned
Wind Montana Project 1
The Montana University System (MUS)
1. MUS 14 campuses ‐‐ 47,000 students
2 Montana State University (MSU), University 2.
M t
St t U i
it (MSU) U i
it
of Montana (UM), colleges. 3. 5 Colleges of Technology (Great Falls, Billings, Butte, Missoula, & Helena) – 2‐year colleges. 4. Two‐year education ‐‐ fastest growing segment of higher education in Montana –
81% increase in 10 years.
Wind Montana Project 2
The Montana University System (MUS)
The Montana University System (MUS
5. 29% enrollment – MT public 2‐year colleges.
6 MSU‐Great Falls, and three other COTs, offer 6.
MSU G t F ll
d th
th COT ff
Sustainable Energy Technician training pro rams which cover wind energy.
programs –
hich co er ind ener
7. MSU‐Great Falls ‐‐ north central Montana leader in workforce development ‐‐ >10,500 area workers new skills or continuing education since 2002. 8. MSU‐Great Falls is home of the Wind Montana Project; DOL funded.
3
Where is Where is MSU
MSU – Great Falls?
Great Falls?
4
Wind Turbine @ MSU
MSU‐‐Great Falls
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Rated power‐50 kW 120’ base to hub
Blade sweep‐63’
Blade sweep‐63
Rotor speed 41 rpm
Cut‐in speed‐7.8 mph
Cut‐out speed 56 mph
Turbine w/ blades, e g t 8,800 pou ds
weight‐8,800 pounds
Wind Montana Project 5
Wind Turbine @ MSU
MSU‐‐GREAT FALLS • Tower weight‐35,307 pounds
Foundation‐15’
15 deep
deep
• Foundation
• Supplies electricity to Skilled Trades
to Skilled Trades Building, grid tied
• Turbine mfg
T bi
f by b
Endurance Wind Po er
Power 6
Wind Montana Project 6
Wind Montana Project 7
Pre‐
Pre‐Operation Operation –– 31.1 months Design 7 mo
P
Permitting 5 mo
itti 5
Start June 2009
Permit March 2009
Feasibility 3 mo
Planning 12 mo
2008 master plan shows proposed turbine
proposed turbine
Contracting 3 mo
MT Dept of Administration
MT Dept
of Administration
Construction 1.1 mo
Start Feb 2010
Operation ‐ Commissioned April 9, 2010
Wind Montana Project 8
MSU‐
MSU‐Great Falls Great Falls Wind Turbine Wind Turbine Production
Production
14 months of production as of June 9, 2011
117,000 kWh ‐ About 8,300 kWh per month
Covers about half
MSUGF Skilled Trades Building electricity use
Building electricity use
17.5 kWh /sq ft /yr
Commercial
Buildings avg
Buildings avg
13.4 kWh /sq ft /yr
Wind Montana Project 9
Project Schedule
j
Wind Montana Project 10
Permitting/Construction
Wind Montana Project 11
MSU‐
MSU‐Great Falls Great Falls Wind Turbine Wind Turbine P ‐Operational Challenges
Pre‐
Pre
O
i
l Ch ll
1 C
1.
College level approval for feasibility assessment & ll
l l
l f f ibilit
t&
potential funding.
2 MUS Board of Regents approval.
2.
MUS Board of Regents approval
3. City of Great Falls approval (turbine height, location & noise). noise)
4. Contracting (State Dept. of Administration).
5 Turbine selection 5.
Turbine selection (limited choices, regional wind data).
(limited choices regional wind data)
6. Unanticipated geotechnical issue and related construction cost increase.
construction cost increase.
Wind Montana Project 12
Turbine Selection
p
Power Production Comparison
Higher production at lower wind speeds ‐ large swept area
Recent results suggest superior performance at high wind
gg
p
p
g
Recent
R
Results
lt
Annual estimates MSUGF site for 50kW tturbine
rbine
100,000 – 150,000 kWh
Wind Montana Project 13
Unanticipated Soil & Subsoil Conditions
More foundation & structural fill!
More foundation & structural fill!
Base is 25’ x 25’ x 3’
Pier is 8.5’ x 8.5’ x 12’
Structural fill in 8” lifts & compaction to 95%. Wind Montana Project 14
State GMP –– Design Build $
State GMP TOTAL COST
FFeasibility Study, ibilit St d
$20,000
+
Contractor Cost,
$369,800 +
State Admin Fee
$11,100
= $400,900
Note:
Feasibility study total project cost
estimated to be $224,000
Wind Montana Project 15
Simple Payback Analysis
Simple Payback Analysis
• First
First Year Production was 100,000 kWh/year
Year Production was 100,000 kWh/year
• MSUGF Skilled Trades Building electricity from the ggrid gross cost is $0.12‐
g
$
$0.14 per kWh
$
p
• Value of turbine‐produced electricity based on first‐
yyear production = $12,000 ‐
p
$14,000 per year
p y
• Cost of turbine, in place, was about $401,000
p
y
33 years
y
• Simple Payback estimated to be 28 –
(depending on the grid price of electricity)
g
• 30‐ Year Design Life
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Maintenance
- Lessons Learned 1.
State of the Art is a term of art when it
comes to comparing wind turbines – from
a buyer’s perspective.
2.
30 year design life may/may not equal
operational life or production life. Industry
track record ??
3.
Annual maintenance for the first 5 years
is $10,000 ($2000 per year). Annual
maintenance cost after the first five years
i ??
is
4.
Cost escalation was large: $224,000
(feasibility est.) to $401,000 (final
construction).
t ti )
5.
Get on-site data early for wind resource
assessment and geotechnical evaluation.
6.
Institutional timelines add costs, but
provide safeguards.
Wind Montana Project 17
MSUGF Campus
Wind Turbine Experience
Wind Turbine Experience
• Excellent cooperation & teamwork – federal, state & local. NorthWestern Energy grant $10,000. Federal DOL‐Wind Montana Grant $100,000, MSU‐Great Falls institutional funds $291,000.
$
$
• Significant
Significant benefits to the College, community and benefits to the College community and
State. Opportunity for payback from production, educational opportunities, and public accessible example of renewal energy. • Highly visible symbol of wind energy production. Wind Montana Project 18
Thank You!
http://207.196.151.237/
Wind Montana Project 19
QUESTIONS ?
QUESTIONS ?
Contact:
Mel Lehman
Wind Montana Project Manager
melvin.lehman@msugf.edu
MSU-Great Falls , College of
Technology
Great Falls, Montana
[406]771-5143
www.msugf.edu
Wind Montana Project 20