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Quebec oks wind-power proposal

Monday, May 5, 2008

Quebec (CBC News) Hydro-Quebec has accepted 15 bids to provide a total of 2,004 megawatts of wind-generated electricity, which will come on stream between 2011 and 2015.

The government-owned utility said Monday the average price is 10.5 cents per kilowatt-hour and the projects involve estimated capital outlays spending totalling $5.5 billion, including $1.1 billion for transmission infrastructure and transportation costs.

The contracts arise from a call for tenders issued in October 2005 seeking Quebec-generated wind power.

The outcome "ensures a supply of renewable energy at a highly competitive cost for wind power," stated Hydro-Quebec chief executive officer Thierry Vandal.

The majority of farms will be built outside of Quebec's urban areas for the most part, will spur local economies in eight regions, the power corporation said.
Quebec will triple its wind power production over the next decade.Quebec will triple its wind power production over the next decade. (Charlie Riedel/Associated Press)

All the winning bidders have promised that at least 60 per cent of the cost of each wind warm will be incurred in Quebec, and at least 30 per cent of the cost of the wind turbines must be incurred in Matane in Gaspesie-Iles-de-la-Madeleine.

Hydro-Quebec will now draw up firm contracts with the project proponents, which must arrange environmental and municipal permits.

The projects will undergo environmental impact assessments and will be submitted to the province's environmental public hearing board (BAPE).

The 66 bids totalled more than 7724 MW, about four times what the province was seeking.

* Monteregie: 2 proposals from Kruger energie et Venterre for 150 MW.
* Central Quebec: 1 proposal from Enerfin Sociedad de Energia for 100 MW.
* Chaudiere-Appalaches: 2 proposals from 3CI and St-Laurent energies for 306 MW.
* Greater Quebec City region: 3 proposals from Consortium Boralex and Societe en commandite Gaz Metro (2), St-Laurent energies (1) for 345.9 MW.
* Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean: 1 proposal from St-Laurent energies for 350 MW.
* Lower St-Lawrence: 4 proposals from Invenergy Wind Canada, Kruger Energie, St-Laurent energies and B&B; VDK Holdings for 606.6 MW.
* Gaspesie-Iles-de-la-Madeleine: 1 proposal from Venterre for 66 MW.
* Cote-Nord/Mingamie: 1 proposal from St-Laurent energies for 80 MW.

Many of the wind farms will be built in outlying regions.Many of the wind farms will be built in outlying regions.
Hydro-Quebec could take more risks, but gamble is good

The projects will make Quebec a leader in Canada in clean energy, environmental groups said.

"Coupled with energy efficiency, wind power, one of the cleanest forms of energy, is without a doubt the most responsible way to respond to [energy demands]," said Steven Guilbeault, a spokesman for equiterre, in a written statement.

"When wind energy replaces another source of energy, it can significantly contribute to reducing greenhouse gases, whether it's used domestically, or is exported."

Hydro-Quebec could have taken more risks, but decided to play it safe with its winning bids, said wind energy expert Jean-Louis Chaumel.

"[They are] clearly focusing on very credible, stable and safe companies and promoters, rather than on innovative or community approaches," he said Monday. "It's a political choice."

The huge cost involved makes established companies with stable financing more appealing, Chaumel said.

One of the main promoters picked - St-Laurent energies - is associated with France's public utility.

St-Laurent energies will produce nearly half of the megawatts up for tender. Projects closer to Montreal and in the Charlevoix region weren't chosen.

As published by CBC News
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2008/05/05/qc-windpowerbidresults0505.html

© 2008, Endurance Windpower.
www.endurancewindpowerinc.com

Quebec oks wind-power proposal
Posted by Endurance Windpower on Monday, May 05, 2008


Research finds wind power poses least risk to wildlife

Sunday, May 4, 2008

(Houston Chronicle)Wind and nuclear power plants have the lowest potential impact on wildlife among the major U.S. electricity sources, according to a report examining several decades of research.

Taking into account the entire life cycle of a power project " from extraction of the fuel through plant construction, operation and shutdown" the risks to wildlife ranged from low to medium for wind and nuclear, according to Christian Newman, president of Florida-based Pandion Systems.

Newman's firm did the study for New York state officials this year and discussed the findings at the American Wind Energy Association's annual conference, which concluded Wednesday at the George R. Brown Convention Center.

Coal power had the highest risk level, in large part because of the impact of smokestack emissions and habitat destruction related to coal mining methods such as mountain top removal.

Oil, which is declining in use as a power plant fuel, was given the next-highest risk rating based on emissions and transportation risks. Natural gas-fired plants followed, with only emissions raising their risk rating.

"All energy sources affect wildlife, but no one has looked at all the sources from cradle to grave for their impact," Newman said.

Answering concerns
The study can help answer concerns about the safety of wind power projects to birds, Newman said. Typically the wind industry responds by pointing to studies that say more birds are killed by cats or by running into cars and buildings than by collisions with wind turbines, he said.

"Unfortunately these arguments aren't comparing apples to apples and they don't fix the problem," Newman said. "Wind advocates now have a platform to start talking about the issue without having to point to cats or buildings."

Concern about wind power's effect on bird populations is based in large part on projects at Altamont Pass in California, which have been blamed for thousands of bird deaths since being installed in the 1970s. Those turbines are located on bluffs where hawks and eagles soar and hunt.

While bird kills on the scale of Altamont have not been reported at other wind farms, a pair of projects on the Texas coast along major bird migratory routes are raising new concerns.

A group including the King Ranch, the American Bird Conservancy, the Lower Laguna Madre Foundation and the Coastal Bend Audubon Society has filed suit in federal court to stop the projects being built by Babcock & Brown and Iberdrola Renewables.

The plaintiffs question the accuracy of the pre-construction bird studies the companies did and are worried roads being built to bring in the hundreds of turbines will impede the flow of freshwater into the Laguna Madre, a unique coastal habitat.

These critics also say the projects should have been subject to state review as required by a federal coastal management program that provides the state with millions of dollars in grants every year.

"With no regulation and all of this happening on private land, there's no avenue for anybody to express their concerns on these projects," said David Newstead, head of the Coastal Bend Audubon Society in Corpus Christi, in an earlier interview with the Chronicle.

Radar ornithology
Sidney Gauthreaux, a pioneer in so-called radar ornithology, said during the conference that pre-construction bird and bat surveys are not particularly useful for determining potential dangers to the wildlife. That's why he and colleagues studied historic radar weather data to develop what he says is a better way of assessing and managing the threats.

They found bird deaths are more likely during certain weather conditions, particularly low visibility and shifting wind patterns during the times of night when migrating birds are most active.

Those conditions are relatively rare, however, occurring on fewer than two nights per year at sites in Gauthreaux's study" one in Amarillo and three in New York state.

That means wind farms that are properly equipped can shut down to avoid possible bird kills without losing too much valuable power generation time.

John Calaway, chief development officer for Babcock & Brown, said the project south of Corpus Christi will use on-site radar and other weather-monitoring equipment to match bird migrations with weather conditions that create the greatest risk of bird deaths. Iberdrola said it may do likewise.

"The company realizes the importance of this and will shut in our production whenever visibility is lower than one-half mile during peak migratory times," Calaway said during the conference. But he said the likelihood the project would kill birds is low.

By TOM FOWLER
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle

As published on
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/5819709.html

© 2008, Endurance Windpower.
www.endurancewindpowerinc.com

Research finds wind power poses least risk to wildlife
Posted by Endurance Windpower on Sunday, May 04, 2008


Global wind installations pass 100 GW, and are predicted to rise to 240 GW by 2012

Thursday, May 1, 2008

European Wind Energy Associaton
Wind energy is booming worldwide. Following another record year in 2007 with over 20 GW of new wind capacity, and additional installations at the beginning of 2008, the global wind market has now passed 100 GW. On the second day of the European Wind Energy Conference (EWEC) in Brussels, the opportunities and challenges facing the world's leading wind energy markets, plus the huge potential for the future, were discussed.
Steve Sawyer, Chief Executive of the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), opened the session by presenting GWEC's new publication, Global Wind Energy Report 2007, which provides an overview of the situation worldwide and its impressive recent expansion.

"Due above all to the stronger than anticipated growth in the US and China in recent years, and China's emerging manufacturers, which are helping ease global supply, there has been an unexpectedly strong increase in wind deployment all round the world," he explained. "As a result, GWEC now foresees the global wind power market growing by over 155% to reach 240 GW of total installed capacity by 2012".

Birger T Madsen, from BTM Consult, explained that his company forecasts 140,000 MW of annual installations over the next thirteen years, which will give a cumulative installed capacity of nearly 1 million MW (1,000 GW) by 2020.

"1,000 GW of capacity will enable wind power to provide 7–8% of the world's electricity demand by 2020," he added.

There are many markets worldwide whose development will help ensure this wind energy expansion. Senior Energy Specialist from the World Bank, Søren Krohn, looked at some of those with the most potential. Mexico is a "fully developed market for independent power producers", but has transmission issues and supply bottlenecks to overcome. Turkey has a "feed-in tariff system, which gives access to a wholesale market". Meanwhile in Morocco "there is a strong government commitment to wind energy, with a target of 1,000 MW of installed capacity by 2012, up from the current total of 124 MW".

One country which has already started installing significant amounts of wind energy is the US, which in 2007 added a record 5.2 GW of capacity to reach 16.8 GW. This accounted for about 30% of the country's new power-producing capacity in 2007. In Europe, wind energy made up 40% of new energy installations last year.

Rob Gramlich, from the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), presented a new draft report, entitled 20% wind vision – a collaborative technical report. The document shows that it is technically and economically possible for 20% of US electricity to come from wind by 2030, up from just over 1% today.

Rob Gramlich stated that "we need to install over 16 GW annually in order to reach the 300 GW by 2030 that will give us the 20% of electricity from wind. We need to change people's perceptions so that they see that benefits such as jobs and a stronger economy are closely linked to our choice of power-generating technology."

While the North American wind industry is booming, South America has been slower taking off. Despite its vast natural resources, there is only 530 MW of wind capacity currently installed there. Christian Grütte from Leonardo Venablers in Spain presented the South American wind market. He outlined the reasons for the continent's slow start, citing political instability, lack of attractive incentives, limited grid access and restricted turbine supply as the major barriers.

He concluded that "South America has a potential wind energy capacity of more than 300 GW. In the coming years, governments should start introducing the reliable investor incentives and objectives the region's industry needs, in order to begin to fulfil this potential".

One of the South American countries with the best wind resources is Chile. Cristobal Garcia-Huidobro from Centinel presented the development of wind energy in Chile. Initially dependent on gas from Argentina, the country was left stranded when its neighbour cut off supplies in 2004. This eventually led to discussions on a renewable energy law, which came into force in March 2007. The law obliges generators with over 200 MW of installed capacity to meet a 10% renewables target.

Chile's first ever wind farm began operations in December 2007. Currently at just 18 MW, an additional 70 MW should come on line soon, and a second wind farm project is under development.

The chairman of the session, Peter Brun from Vestas, concluded by underlining, as all the speakers had done, the strong worldwide potential of wind energy.

He said, "Globally, we can see strong market trends, but there are still a lot of unclear areas and obstacles. The trends alone are not enough. We need policy stability and transmission planning. In this way, we can show policy-makers that wind is not a niche or ‘alternative' form of energy, but a mainstream source of power."

In a later session, various awards were presented. Four Poster Awards went to Rene Cattin, Florian Bertsch, Simon Watson and Gabriele Michalke for their innovative and interesting designs.

The Scientific Award was presented to Stig Oye for his outstanding work in wind energy technology. The Excellent Young Wind Doctor award, given for the first time at this year's EWEC, aims to bring recognition to recently graduated PhD students. It was won by Dr. Jason M. Jonkman and Dr. Tonis Sant.
As published on
http://www.ewea.org/index.php?id=60&no;_cache=1&tx;_ttnews[tt_news]
=1311&tx;_ttnews[backPid]=259&cHash;=cde5d628f4

© 2008, Endurance Windpower.
www.endurancewindpowerinc.com

Global wind installations pass 100 GW, and are predicted to rise to 240 GW by 2012
Posted by Endurance Windpower on Thursday, May 01, 2008


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