Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
to the downtime (and combustion ineiciencies) that is common to reserve
generators.
29
he other approach is to store wind energy that has been generated but
not yet utilized. For utility-scale storage, prominent current options include
advanced battery storage, pumped hydro, and compressed air energy stor-
age.
30
Compressed air energy storage systems are purportedly the most ei-
cient of the universally mobile storage technologies; however, the systems
are still expensive to construct, require fuel to drive the compressor and leak
energy (only a fraction of the energy gets stored).
31
In short, although stor-
age is a feasible solution, it adds to the cost of electricity generated.
Although the added cost of adding storage or reserve back-up is frequently
raised by wind critics as a reason to avoid ampliied levels of wind power
capacity, many of these cost concerns are exaggerated. For example, a report
by the Australia Institute contends that adding approximately 5% wind power
to the existing grid would only cost consumers AU$15-$25 per year extra.
32
Another study, indicates that the additional cost of backup generation (i.e.,
gas-ired generators) necessary to allow wind power to reach high contribu-
tion levels (i.e., 40%) in Australia would increase the cost of wind power by
approximately 25%.
33
his amounts to roughly US1-2ยข per kWh.
In summary, the intermittent property of wind can indeed pose logisti-
cal problems for managing regional electricity grids but not at the current
levels that exist in most countries. At low levels of wind power integration
(i.e., 5-10%) existing generation capacity may be able to support additional
wind power contribution without any additional costs. At higher levels (i.e.,
20%+) adding spare capacity or energy storage systems will increase the cost
of wind power, but not to the cataclysmic degree espoused by wind power
critics.
2.4 ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS AND REALITIES
Aside from technological challenges, which as the previous section has dem-
onstrated can be largely attenuated or eliminated altogether through stra-
tegic and technological ixes, there are a number of environmental threats
that have been attributed to wind power. As this section will demonstrate,
some of these concerns are valid and some are not. However, as the next two
sections will demonstrate, even for valid issues, there are strategies which
can be employed to signiicantly diminish the concern.
Many environmental concerns stand to be exacerbated as the size and
the number of wind power projects increase. herefore, there is understand-
able apprehension that the expansion of wind power capacity may begin
