Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
hours annually, almost 10 times the total amount of electricity consumed
in 2011.
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he NREL also estimates that there is 4,150 GW of economically
viable ofshore wind power potential (at 80 m.).
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Moreover, thanks to supe-
rior wind quality, the United States generates more electricity than either
Germany or China for the same installed capacity. Such potential gives rise
to both commercial interest and political support for the technology.
Consequently, the market potential in the United States has fostered a
burgeoning wind power industry. According to the American Wind Energy
Association, there are over 500 facilities in the United States that manufac-
ture wind system components and this number is expanding each year. he
industry already employs 75,000 individuals and some estimates indicate
that it could employ as many as 500,000 by 2030.
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Over the past ive years,
average annual private investment has topped US$15 billion. With over 80
universities nationwide ofering courses in aeronautics and so much manu-
facturing activity, the United States is a hotbed for wind power technologi-
cal innovation.
68
In diametric opposition to the rosy prospects for wind power system inno-
vation, there is one technological concern that could severely impair the pace
and scale of industry development. he US electricity grid is unstable, inef-
icient, and inadequate. Investment in transmission infrastructure has failed
to keep pace with increased energy demand. he result is that the ratio of
transmission capacity to electricity demand has alarmingly decreased, par-
ticularly in the 1990s where the ratio declined by 16%.
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his poses a problem
for expanding wind power capacity due to the stochastic nature of wind power
lows. Grids that do not have suicient slack capacity, as the US grid exempli-
ies, become less stable at heightened levels of wind power contribution. he
US electricity grid is also ineicient due to aging and structural inadequacies.
It has been estimated that transmission and distribution (T&D) losses in the
American grid can exceed 25% in extreme cases and US electricity consum-
ers pay over US$200 billion annually to subsidize electricity that they never
receive because it dissipates en route. Energy policy expert Benjamin Sovacool
explains the ineiciencies in this way: “imagine purchasing a dozen eggs at
your local grocery store, but having between one and three eggs break every
time you transported them to your home, year after year.”
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Finally, the US
electricity grid is inadequate in terms of coverage, particularly in remote areas
where wind farms would most likely be developed.
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Although one purpose of
the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act was to earmark funds for elec-
tricity grid reinforcement and expansion, these activities take time and there
is no guarantee that enhancing grid coverage will necessarily occur in areas
where wind power is likely to develop.
here is one other structural aspect of the US electricity grid that is
hindering wind power development. In many cases, wind power is most
