Renewable Energy Technology Assessments - Kauai Island Utility ...
Renewable Energy Technology Assessments - Kauai Island Utility ... Renewable Energy Technology Assessments - Kauai Island Utility ...
Kaua’i Island Utility Cooperative Renewable Energy Technology Assessments 3.0 Renewable Energy Technology Options Wind is an intermittent resource with average capacity factors usually ranging from 25 to 40 percent. The capacity factor of an installation depends on the wind regime in the area and energy capture characteristics of the wind turbine. Capacity factor directly impacts economic performance, thus reasonably strong wind sites are a must for cost effective installations. Figure 3-18. 9 MW Kahuku Wind Farm on Oahu, Now Decommissioned (Source: DBEDT). Because wind is intermittent it cannot be relied upon as firm capacity for peak power demands. To provide a dependable resource, wind energy systems may be coupled with some type of energy storage to provide power when required, but this adds considerable expense and is not common. For larger wind farms numerous studies have shown that relatively low levels of wind grid penetration will not necessitate additional backup generation. Efforts are currently underway by research agencies to forecast wind speeds more accurately, thereby increasing confidence in wind power as a generation resource and dependability in utility dispatching. Resource Availability Wind speed increases significantly with height above ground. Wind turbine power output is proportional to the cube of wind speed, which makes small differences in wind speed very significant. Wind strength is rated on a scale from Class 1 to Class 7, see 21 March 2005 3-68 Black & Veatch
Kaua’i Island Utility Cooperative Renewable Energy Technology Assessments 3.0 Renewable Energy Technology Options Table 3-30. Wind speeds and power densities (W/m 2 ) at a Class 1 site and at a 50 m height can go as high as 5.5 m/s and 200 W/m 2 . In comparison, wind speeds and power densities at a Class 7 site and at the same hub height may be above 8.80 m/s and 800 W/m 2 . Class 4 sites and higher are usually considered the lowest economically viable for wind project development, although Class 3 sites also may be viable in Hawaii. At Class 3 sites, annual average wind speeds may reach 7.0 m/s with a power density of 400 W/m 2 at a 50 m height. Regardless of the existence of high resolution resource maps for some regions, a minimum of one-year of site data collection is typically required to determine if utility-scale wind energy is viable at a specific location. Table 3-30. US DOE Classes of Wind Power. Height Above Ground: 50 m (164 ft) * Wind Power Class Wind Power Density, W/m 2 Speed ** m/s 1 0 – 200 0 – 5.60 2 200 – 300 5.60 – 6.40 3 300 – 400 6.40 – 7.00 4 400 – 500 7.00 – 7.50 5 500 – 600 7.50 – 8.00 6 600 – 800 8.00 – 8.80 7 800 – 2000 8.80 + Notes: * Vertical extrapolation of wind speed based on the 1/7 power law. ** Mean wind speed is based on Rayleigh speed distribution of equivalent mean wind power density. Wind speed is for standard sea-level conditions. To maintain the same power density, wind speed must increase 3%/1000 m (5%/5000 ft) elevation. Cost and Performance Characteristics Table 3-31 provides typical characteristics for a 10 MW wind farm and a single 600 kW turbine for distributed applications. Substantially higher costs are necessary for wind projects that require upgrades to transmission and distribution lines. 21 March 2005 3-69 Black & Veatch
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Kaua’i <strong>Island</strong> <strong>Utility</strong> Cooperative<br />
<strong>Renewable</strong> <strong>Energy</strong> <strong>Technology</strong> <strong>Assessments</strong><br />
3.0 <strong>Renewable</strong> <strong>Energy</strong> <strong>Technology</strong><br />
Options<br />
Wind is an intermittent resource with average capacity factors usually ranging<br />
from 25 to 40 percent. The capacity factor of an installation depends on the wind regime<br />
in the area and energy capture characteristics of the wind turbine. Capacity factor<br />
directly impacts economic performance, thus reasonably strong wind sites are a must for<br />
cost effective installations.<br />
Figure 3-18. 9 MW Kahuku Wind Farm on Oahu, Now Decommissioned (Source:<br />
DBEDT).<br />
Because wind is intermittent it cannot be relied upon as firm capacity for peak<br />
power demands. To provide a dependable resource, wind energy systems may be<br />
coupled with some type of energy storage to provide power when required, but this adds<br />
considerable expense and is not common. For larger wind farms numerous studies have<br />
shown that relatively low levels of wind grid penetration will not necessitate additional<br />
backup generation. Efforts are currently underway by research agencies to forecast wind<br />
speeds more accurately, thereby increasing confidence in wind power as a generation<br />
resource and dependability in utility dispatching.<br />
Resource Availability<br />
Wind speed increases significantly with height above ground. Wind turbine power<br />
output is proportional to the cube of wind speed, which makes small differences in wind<br />
speed very significant. Wind strength is rated on a scale from Class 1 to Class 7, see<br />
21 March 2005 3-68 Black & Veatch
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