Sunday, November 27, 2011
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Winds of change Farmers find profits blowing in the wind
By JIM OFFNER jim.offner@wcfcourier.com
WATERLOO — Of the 480 acres Tim Hemphill owns and 1,200 he farms near Milford, he sets aside three for two wind-turbine towers. In exchange for the small plot of land Hemphill would have devoted to his corn and soybean products, he collects $20,000 a year. “It’s worth it, even with high grain prices,” Hemphill said. “When we put them up, corn was around $3 a bushel, and it has doubled since then, but it’s still worth it.” “The check’s always good,” he said. Hemphills’s towers have been up for two years, and the checks will flow in quarterly for the run of a 30-year contract, he said. Hemphill said he is but one of an increasing number of Iowa farmers who have watched wind towers go up on their acreages. “There’s quite a few farmers I know who have them,” he said. “My neighbor has six of them and another with seven.” Hemphill said his motivation transcends finances, although he acknowledges the income certainly doesn’t hurt. “I think we need more green energy,” he said. “People in California and the cities have brownouts. Besides, it’s a good revenue source.” Iowa is home to 80 wind installations and has more than 50 manufacturers in the wind supply chain, including two large turbine assemblers and two blade and three tower and lift manufacturers. Professional service businesses throughout the state also have expanded to meet the demand from the wind industry. Turbine towers still pale in comparison to cornstalks as dominant features of Iowa’s rural landscape, but
they are gaining ground, experts say. Iowa currently ranks second behind Texas in wind energy production, according to the American Wind Energy Association. Iowa is home to 1,999 wind turbines that produce nearly 2,800 megawatts of electricity each year, according to the office of Gov. Terry Branstad. For farmers and their surrounding communities, it translates to “green” in more than energy. There’s plenty of money to be made, officials say. “The wind farms have $11 million in annual landowner lease payments,” said Mark Douglas, executive director of the Iowa Utilities Association. “As far as communities, there are obviously supplies purchased in local communities and construction workers spending money in local communities. There’s some property taxes that go and hundreds of millions of dollars that are invested in manufacturing facilities in Iowa. So, it’s been very, very beneficial.” There are trade-offs, though, said Mike Duffy, extension economist and professor of economics at Iowa State University. “It definitely has an effect, I guess you could argue, positive and negative,” he said. “It adds a stream of income, so that would get factored in. Let’s say you’re looking at a 40-acre plot. You’d lose the amount of easement, but you would gain the expected income from the electric generation. So, a lot depends on the nature of the contract.” On balance, it’s a gain, he said. “In a general sense, that will end up being positive; it becomes another factor,” Duffy said. “When I do my appraisal class and talk to students about it, you typically think of corns
See WIND, page H3
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COURTESY PHOTO
The wind slip ring assembly line for utility-grade wind turbines at United Equipment Accessories in Waverly.
Wind brings manufacturing jobs back to Iowa By JENNIFER DeWITT jdewitt@qctimes.com
DAVENPORT — The arrival of the wind energy industry to Iowa provided a lift at a time the state was feeling the loss of some legacy employers and just ahead of the national recession, which eroded some of the state’s manufacturing base. While new investment in the wind sector has slowed of late, advocates of the renewable energy and economic development leaders still see potential for more wind turbine manufacturers and suppliers to plant roots in Iowa. “Wind is re-creating and reinvigorating Iowa’s heavy manufacturing,” said Harold Prior, executive director and founder of the Iowa Wind Energy Association. In fact, he said Iowa leads the nation in the number of wind-related manufacturers in its borders and in the number of components it produces. According to the 4-yearold association, Iowa has seen more than $5 billion in capital investment in the past 10 to 15 years — from the development of wind farms to the opening of new manufacturing facilities. “In the last five years we’ve gone from sourcing 25 percent of the components of a wind turbine to sourcing about 60 percent, and it’s still growing,” Prior added. A supply chain study by the Environmental Law and Policy Center, conducted a year ago, reported that 80 Iowa companies — including 50 manufacturers — already were engaged in the wind energy industry. But Prior said his association boasts more than 200 members, located in 56 of Iowa’s 99 counties, who are involved in some fashion in the industry. With 8,000 components in a single wind turbine, Prior said there is more room in the market for new and existing companies to
“We have the wind and a population to utilize the power that comes from that, and that’s how we have been able to get on the ground floor of some of the manufacturing we’ve seen.” Tina Hoffman owa Economic Development Authority’s communication and marketing director,
join the supply chain. “From the huge bolts to wiring to control systems and hydraulics, there is such a variety of components that it can attract a wide variety of manufacturers.” Iowa already has been successful in luring more of the major component manufacturers, he said. Those original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs, produce everything from the turbine assembly to the blades, towers, gearbox and nacelles, the structures at the top of wind turbine towers that house key components. Some of the major companies to land on Iowa soil are Clipper Windpower in Cedar Rapids, Acciona Windpower in West Branch, Siemens Wind in Fort Madison and TPI Composites and Trinity Structural Towers, both in Newton. Tina Hoffman, Iowa Economic Development Authority’s communication and marketing director, said the industry describes Iowa “as the place where the resources meet the population.” “We have the wind and a population to utilize the power that comes from that, and that’s how we have been able to get on the ground floor of some of the manufacturing we’ve seen.”
She added that the agency — and state leadership — remain focused on attracting the supply chain piece of the industry in order to “help Iowa manufacturers diversify to become a supplier to some of these large OEMs.” The state also continues working to seize opportunities to attract foreign investment in the industry. Many of the largest manufacturers to bring production facilities to Iowa are headquartered overseas. But homegrown Iowa businesses also are benefiting from wind energy, like United Equipment Accessories in Waverly. The family-owned business, which will mark its 60th year in 2012, produces electrical slip rings. A slip ring is a rotary coupling used to transmit electrical power or data from a stationary unit to a rotating unit. Jesse Shearer, a design engineer with United Equipment, said the crane industry had been the backbone of the company, but five years ago the business was pulled into the wind industry by local companies servicing installed wind turbines. At first, United Equipment supplied hub slip rings to those maintaining the small, personal windmills. But it eventually moved to supplying some of the major manufacturers. “Obviously, when the economy went down we were impacted. But we were lucky enough to have wind, and wind didn’t suffer as much as other industries like cranes and construction,” he said, adding that some of their newest employees had been laid off from other companies. Due to its involvement in wind energy, United Equipment expanded its facility, increased its workforce by 25 percent and enjoyed a 42 percent increase in revenues, he said. The company also
expanded its global reach as it began supplying more and more foreign companies. Today, it employs about 90 people. Shearer said the company continues to largely supply the industry “through the back door by supplying to the aftermarket” but is working to break into OEMs. Prior said that part of the success story behind wind energy is how these manufacturers have filled a gap
in some communities burdened by plant closings. “Of the five major component manufacturers, three are located in former manufacturing plants,” he said. Clipper Windpower assembles its turbines in a Cedar Rapids plant where printing presses had once been made by Rockwell Goss. Trinity Structural Towers filled one of the former Maytag factories left vacant in Newton. Siemens
Wind produces its tower blades in the shuttered Wabash National Corp. tractor-trailer facility it acquired in Fort Madison. Hoffman, of the state’s economic development agency, admits that wind energy helped keep the economy going during the recession. But it has also become a highlight of the state’s business community. “We have made a name for ourselves,” he said.
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‘Small wind’ proponents see big profit potential By JIM OFFNER jim.offner@wcfcourier.com
WATERLOO — There are big gains potentially available in the “small wind” industry. According to the Environmental Law & Policy Center provides the following facts to support that assertion: Iowa’s wind industry supports more than 2,300 manufacturing jobs, which may be the most of any state in the nation. Iowa currently offers tax credits to promote small wind energy projects, as well as economic incentives for wind-component manufacturers who are looking at building or expanding in Iowa. All Iowa-based electric utilities are required to offer green power options to their customers. Small wind energy, which stands in contrast to the utility-scale wind farms that are gaining a foothold across Iowa, is tailored for smallscale, even individual, use. In the future, individual homes conceivably could have their own turbines. According to Ron Stimmel, small wind advocate with the Washington, D.C.based American Wind Energy Association, a small wind turbine can pay for itself in as little as five years. He said the average home system can cost between $10,000 and $60,000, depending on turbine size. But, Stimmel said, many states and the federal government have tax credits that can defray as much as 30 percent of the costs. Tom Wind, owner of Jefferson-based Wind Utility Consulting, said incentives are crucial to the success of small wind projects, and Iowa residents are responding to incentives. “There’s kind of a surge of them this year,” Wind said.
COURTESY PHOTO
A small-wind turbine is in use at Mueller Concrete Construction Co. in Postville. The company obtained the turbine through PFG Green Energy, based in Cedar Falls. The unit is described as a vertical access wind turbine and produces 4.5 kilowatts. “We probably have about 40 megawatts in community wind projects, which are generally school or college or small municipal utility cooperatives, a group of farmers and landowners.” Wind said federal stimulus money in 2009 provided a cash grant through a tax credit for small projects. Iowa is No. 2 for wind energy in the country, trailing only Texas. Iowa’s 4,000 megawatts generated by wind are well behind Texas’ 10,000, but Iowa is a leader in small-wind usage, Wind said. “We’re kind of the leader of the pack,” he said. “If you look at a small state with about 3 million people, we have incredible commitment using wind power. Texas has twice as much, but you have to remember
how many more number of times of people Texas has.” Small turbines generally have a power-generating capacity of up to 100 kilowatts. They are turning up on farms, schools, small communities and even individual homes. Wind cautions that the practicality of switching one’s home from traditional coal-fired power to wind can be an iffy proposition. “The potential depends on the price of power in the future here,” he said. “It’s difficult, for example, to get a small wind turbine to be cost-effective. Big ones are cheaper because of bigger economies of scale. The small one costs more per kilowatt hour and it’s difficult to pencil that out for the small homeowner.” Wind has said the payback
on a small turbine can be as long as 10 years. Cost issues and technology limitations are two hurdles for small-wind growth, said Mark Douglas, executive director with the Iowa Utilities Association. “It will require change in technology or cost or both to really make it something that becomes an alternative for people,” he said. “There are technology and transmission issues, Technology is getting better at forecasting, but you’d expect that after 10-12 years of investing in the industry would see some advances.” Wind said there has been progress. “I think it’s growing in sectors,” he said. “The wind turbines are typically get-
ting better and reliable and more cost-effective. As in any industry, as you learn more and more about them, they become more reliable. Again, it’s difficult to get a payback. You’ve got to have the right circumstances. You’ve got to be in a windy spot in the country where there’s not a lot of trees around.” Residential usage is a bit trickier than commercial applications, said Mark Wilkinson, director of green energy for PFG Best in Cedar Falls, which distributes turbines and is involved in development of Cedar Valley TechWorks, a business venture on a 40-acre site of an old John Deere manufacturing plant in downtown Waterloo focused on research and development of alternative fuels, including wind. “The thing with city residential, it’s a little tougher because of restrictions on some of the codes,” he said. “But even the city governments are realizing it can be worked out with small wind. That’s where it’s going and it’s kind of like anything — when it first starts out, it’s supply and demand and, once you get things there, the price comes down and everything starts working out. It’s getting to be much more efficient and affordable. And with Iowa, we have good wind to produce electricity with them.” Businesses in Iowa are seeing enough potential in small wind to get involved in the sector. “We’re working with the TechWorks project, trying to help bring that whole big project to fruition,” Wilkinson said. “We’ll have the whole wind and there’s the solar company that will be
involved. That’s really our big focus is working with them to bring that to reality there as soon as we can. There’s a lot of positive here.” Wilkinson said small-wind technology is making vast improvements each year. “Small wind, for one thing, the technology is getting better; it’s more efficient,” he said. “With that, then your return on investment comes down, so that makes it more affordable. The people looking at it are a lot of farmers, small companies that maybe want to supplement their electricity with it. And, there’s residential usage.” TechWorks has completed a feasibility study on wind and other so-called “cleanenergy” sources, said Terry Johnston, TechWorks’ marketing and facilities manager. “What we’re working on is actually a multi-faceted energy generation project for TechWorks, so we’d be able to generate our own electricity for the campus,” he said. “That would be a combination of solar wind and heat treat — the waste heat from John Deere across the street. Also, there’s some biogasification and maybe a biomass project. It all ties together with wind.” Small wind figures prominently into TechWorks’ future, said Cary Darrah, general manager. “In fact, a manufacturing prospect we’re working on with would supply turbines that would be farm-scale and residential uses,” she said. “It’s clearly toward small wind. You talk to leaders at the state level, and they’re all pointed to small wind, as opposed to large wind.”
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WIND Farmers urged to consider implications of agreements From page A1 and beans, but there are wind towers, too. For the most part, I’d imagine those have been signed as easements, so they’re attached to the land. So, it would be set up that way and you would look at it as income, and the additional income would be factored into the total income.” Duffy said the income potential wind towers bring to farmers is considerable. “It’s enough to make a difference,” he said. But any farmer pondering a venture into the energy business should consider all implications of any deal. “One issue is, if the towers are down, are they still going to get income or not?” Duffy said. “Is it only based on the power that’s being generated? Those are some of the considerations. Again, that will vary depending on the nature of the contract.” But, in general terms, the investment seems worth it, Duffy noted.
“A rough number was an estimated $7,500 per year, per two-turbine tower,” Duffy said. “This is all based on the royalty calculation. Royalty is part of the income. I’d say those numbers are what you paid for them.” Setting land aside for wind turbines is worth considering, said Terry Argotsinger, who works with Stalcup Agricultural Service Inc. in Storm Lake and is an accredited farm manager and rural appraiser. But any farmer pondering such a move must consider all the details, Argotsinger said. “What a lot of people need to understand is easement that’s proposed that’s a blanket easement that covers the entire farm,” he said. “It entitles the developer to construct anywhere they would wish. So, the landowner wants to be sure they have some input where things are located. It’s a very important thing to consider before final approval.” There’s also a development period of five to seven years, Argotsinger noted. “The developer has that period to design and engi-
neer,” he said. “From the moment they sign that easement, the farmer has no clue if, where or how much equipment will be installed on his farm. The engineers take that time to design. It usually takes five years for permits to be granted and economic study by the wind park developer to gain financing and government approval to come on the grid. Typically, the developer will have 15,000 to 20,000 acres to obtain for easements. But chances are only half will have a turbine on it.” And, farmers lose an element of control over their land, he added. “You’d like to have some input on what happens to your farm, so you need to have some authority on whether it happens,” he said. “Don’t just assume you’re going to get a turbine.” Towers also present other possible hurdles, Argotsinger said. “Some of the negative may be aesthetics or somebody feels it would be too hard to farm around,” he said. “It’s something we’re very careful we make sure people review the contracts.”
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More utilities turning to turbines By JIM OFFNER jim.offner@wcfcourier.com
WATERLOO — Winds of change are blowing through Iowa’s utilities as they make wind an increasing part of their energy portfolios. Alliant Energy’s major foray into the sector is its Whispering Willow Wind Farm-East. Covering 33,000 acres in Franklin County, it began commercial operation in December 2009. Alliant will add a West farm as economic conditions permit, the company says. Whispering Willow-East consists of 121 turbines capable of generating up to 200 megawatts — enough power for about 50,000 homes. If the West phase is added in the future, the wind farm has the potential to produce up to 500 megawatts, or enough juice to power 125,000 homes. “It’s a big investment,” said Tom Aller, president of Interstate Power & Light and senior vice president of Alliant Energy in Cedar Rapids. “The first was about $450 million, give or take, and we estimate the second will be $230 million to $240 million for us.” The wind farm employs nearly 30 workers directly and indirectly. IPL says about 6 percent of its electricity comes from renewable energy sources through a combination of purchased power agreements and company-owned facilities. The company expects more than 90 percent of its renewable energy will eventually come from wind power. But there are caveats. Fist, Congress must extend credits for wind farms that have spurred their growth .
MATTHEW PUTNEY / Courier Photo Editor
Shermco Industry workers begins fixing a damaged wind turbine for Waverly Light & Power this month near Waverly. “If they’re eliminated or reduced substantially, it will have a negative impact on more wind, not only around the Midwest but around the country,” Aller said. “Secondly, let’s assume
they are extended and not curtailed then continued development of a robust system will be important to deliver that wind to parts of our country that really need it.”
Without tax incentives from the government, wind energy development likely won’t stop, but it will lose momentum, Aller said. “There are still states — Iowa’s an example — already
above the Midwest requirement for renewable energy,” he said. “There are states with higher renewable energy standards utilities around the country are required to meet. It will make the costs more expensive because they want the tax credits or grants, which is the other option. It will make the eventual cost to the customer more expensive.” MidAmerican Energy projects that 26 percent of its power capacity will be wind-generated by the end of this year. Coal will make up 48 percent; natural gas, 19; and nuclear, wood and biomass, 7. “This year, we’re taking on our largest wind-expansion project,” said Tina Potthoff, MidAmerican spokeswoman. The compan will install 258 turbines by the end of year, adding 593.4 megawatts to its portfolio. That will power about 190,000 homes. The company says it will have 833 wind turbines in operation and 1,284 megawatts of owned wind-power generation at the end of 2011. The company also has 109 megawatts of wind power generation that are available through power purchase agreements. “We don’t necessarily own the turbines but can tap into it, and it’s all based in Iowa,” Potthoff said. MidAmerican has wind farms in 15 Iowa counties. Smaller utilities have tapped into wind as well. In Waverly, two turbines will produce about 4 million kilowatts — about 2.6 percent — of Waverly Light & Power’s energy, according company projections, said Diane Johnson, general manager.
A third is being rebuilt. “We’ve always been very pleased with the wind turbine called Skeets. It’s been very problem-free and has been a good investment,” Johnson said. “There are two new turbines, one of which is up and has a different design than the older turbine. We’ve also found once we’re through the initial struggles, the production is absolutely what we expected.” Advancements in turbine technology have improved the efficiency of the units, Johnson said. “We produce more off this new turbine than we do from Skeets, which is one of our older turbines,” she said. “It has variable pitch blades, meaning it can automatically turn its blades to pick up the direction of the wind. In turn, it has been more productive than Skeets. It doesn’t always run as often; sometimes, it’s a little more touchy because of the technology that’s part of it, but in total production, it does more. As turbines continue to evolve, our experience has been positive and it continues to be successful for our customers.” Wind power does bring a cost premium, Johnson said. “They’re not as inexpensive as coal-fired power would be, but for everybody who’s put turbines up, the thought process is there will be a time when costs begin to balance, when regulations prevail and coal plants have to put in emissions technology or, for that matter, be mothballed,” she said. “Then, costs for coal power will go up. Most of us who support a varied mix of power believe that will be a good long-term decision.”
Erecting turbines to harvest wind a monumental, time-intense task By LAURA BIRD laura.bird@globegazette.com
HAMPTON — Fifty truckloads of concrete, 120 8foot-long bolts, thousands of pounds worth of parts and 35 tons of reinforced steel — all needed to build one of the more than 1,100 wind turbines in Iowa. “It takes five to six months,” said Steve Gilbert, senior manager of Renewables Operations and Maintenance for Alliant Energy. Interstate Power and Light, a subsidiary, owns the Whispering Willows Wind FarmEast in Franklin County. Each wind turbine is built in stages with specialized crews moving on to the next wind turbine after completing the stage. The first phase is building roads to the site, followed by the foundation. “It’s a combination of concrete and reinforced steel,” said Gilbert, about the foundation. Altogether the foundation is 52 feet across and 7 to 8 feet deep and made up of 35 tons of reinforced steel and 450 cubic yards of concrete brought in by 50 trucks. It also includes 120 8-feet long bolts, with 60 appearing outside and 60 inside the tower once put into place. The foundation is wide and deep to prevent the turbine from toppling over. Next, the down tower assembly is built and bolted into place. It is basically a platform inside the bottom of the tower. Using a crane to lift 450 tons, the three tower sections are put into place. Each section is about 87 feet tall and weighs 60,000 to 70,000 pounds. Some towers include four sections instead of three, Gilbert said. The nacelle, which houses the generators, gear box, control system and other
essential parts, is lifted to the top of the tower next. It weighs around 104,000 pounds, Gilbert said. Crews then assemble the hub and three blades on the ground before lifting it to the top of the tower. The hub weighs about 42,000 pounds, while the blades are each 15,000 pounds and 131 feet long. The entire structure is 397 feet tall with the blade straight up. The Statue of Liberty is 305 feet tall. After the turbine is built crews move onto wiring and other things, such as a ladder and lift, inside of it. Many of the items, including the door, are attached to the tower via powerful magnets rather than bolted to it. Gilbert said this is to help ensure the structural integrity.
The final phase of construction is testing and calibrating settings before it becomes operational. The entire process takes approximately five to six months, depending on the weather. “There are days when it’s too windy to assemble or perhaps lightning,” Gilbert said. Throughout construction, crews also utilize more land than the final product due to how large the different parts are. Gilbert said farmers are compensated for the land being out of production. “We work really closely with land owners,” he said. Once the wind farm is complete, crews continually perform various maintenance duties including checking the 120 bolts, Gilbert said.
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FILE PHOTO
A truck driver fastens down a wind turbine part as he prepares to leave the storage area at Manly Terminal LLC.
Proponents tout wind’s job-creation potential By JIM OFFNER jim.offner@wcfcourier.com
WATERLOO — Wind-energy proponents talk about the jobs turbines will generate. Iowa had 3,323 jobs directly linked to wind power as of March 31, according to Iowa Workforce Development. Iowa’s total workforce is around 1.5 million, according to IWD. Wind-related employment has increased 66 percent — from 1,937 — since 2007. Most notable are the number of workers in the turbine/turbine manufacturing area, which increased from 388 in 2007 to 1,830 as of March. That’s a 372 percent jump. By comparison, coal mining in Iowa accounted for 1,860 jobs in 2009 with a combined payroll of $50 million, according to the National Mining Association. Coal provided 72.2 percent of Iowa’s electric power generation in 2009. Iowa used 23.3 million short tons of coal to generate 37.5 billion kilowatt hours of electricity. Total employment in wind energy dipped from 3,107 to 2,831 between 2009 and 2010. While it jumped back up this year, it is not expected to grow dramatically in the near future, according to Kerry Koonce, IWD spokeswoman. “Projections say that growth will probably be flat for awhile as the state is pretty saturated,” Koonce said. “This could change if other types of alternative energy outputs falter.” IWD also notes the workforce in industrial equipment repair category was 3,329 at the end of March, but that includes all repairs. Nevertheless, the potential for job growth is there, said Mark Douglas, executive director of the Iowa Utilities Association. “They’re good jobs.” There aren’t a lot of them
now, Douglas said, but his organization is working with community colleges to add training programs for the positions that seem certain to come. “There’s probably eight to 12 jobs at a wind farm. They’re good, clean jobs,” he said. “They take a certain set of skills sets.” But the numbers and concentrations of jobs won’t rival a typical manufacturing plant. Jake West, wind specialist with VanWall Energy, a Perry-based company that installs small wind turbines on hog and other farming operations, agreed. “Small wind, so far, isn’t manufactured in Iowa. ... From our standpoint, we’re employing electricians, construction people, subcontractors for installation, and they’re hiring workers,” he said. Iowa currently has 80 wind installations and more than 50 manufacturers in the wind supply chain, including two large turbine assemblers and two blade and three tower and lift manufacturers. Service businesses throughout the state have also expanded to meet the demand from the wind industry. Among the most talked-about is Acciona Windpower, which in 2007 opened a $30 million wind turbine generator assembly plant in West Branch. Component assembly is a growing industry in Iowa as well. TPI Composites, a supplier of composite wind turbine blades, opened a plant in Newton in November 2008 and has more than 450 employees. Siemens Wind operates a 600,000-square-foot wind turbine blade manufacturing plant in Fort Madison and employs nearly 600, 65 percent of whom previously worked at companies in the area that closed or downsized.
Trinity Structural Towers has 140 employees in Newton and was opened in 2008 in a former Maytag plant. The company fabricates tubular wind towers, and through its parent and affiliated companies provides steel turbine components, concrete and aggregates, product transportation and specialized coatings. Other companies have positioned themselves to meet needs in the windenergy supply chain. Among them is Power Engineering & Manufacturing in Waterloo, which designs and manufactures custom gear boxes and component parts. The company has 60 employees and is targeting the wind industry as a sector for growth. Tina Potthoff, spokeswoman for MidAmerican Energy Co., says wind will make up 26 percent of its energy portfolio by the end of 2011. She estimated every 10 to 15 wind turbines bring one maintenance and one supervisory job. “Those are permanent jobs,” Potthoff said. “Plus, dozens upon dozens are being employed as we construct facilities. We have projects under way in six counties this year. So, there’s been a lot of construction. It brings a trickle effect. We have trucking company being employed. We have construction jobs working on this.” In some cases, turbines don’t create jobs, but solidify existing positions, said Diane Johnson, general manager of Waverly Light & Power, which has had wind turbines since 1993. “For our community, I don’t think it added any jobs, but I’m sure in the long run, the installation and maintenance creates jobs,” she said. “For us, we have been able to maintain our turbines and continue to manage that with our (existing) personnel.”
Jobs in wind energy Title Wind Electric Power Generation Power/Communication Line Structure Construction Turbine/Turbine Generator Mfg Automatic Environmental Control Mfg Other Measuring and Controlling Device Mfg
2011* 125
2010 151
2009 115
2008 59
2007 40
1134 1830 27
913 1634 25
1353 1506 10
967 827 9
1359 388 6
107
108
123
144
144
*January 1 through March 31
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Wind power has its drawbacks, experts say By JIM OFFNER jim.offner@wcfcourier.com
WATERLOO — Discussions about any drawbacks of wind energy, according to experts in the ďŹ eld, begin and end with a simple question: “When will the wind blow?â€? The answer to that question is the foundation of the quandary surrounding wind power, the experts note. “The main disadvantage is the fuel source — that being wind is a variable fuel source,â€? said Diane Johnson, general manager of Waverly Light & Power, which has two wind turbines to complement its energy portfolio. “That means the wind doesn’t blow all the time, so you can’t rely on a turbine to provide dayin-day-out power.â€? Often, calm conditions occur when energy needs peak, which speaks to that drawback, Johnson said. “SpeciďŹ cally, in our part of the world, we ďŹ nd wind generation tends to happen at the opposite time we have our highest loads,â€? she said. “You get a signiďŹ cant amount of wind in the evening, but we usually have our highest demand in late afternoon on a hot summer day. So, what that says, for most wind production facilities, is that somehow behind that you have to have a fuel source that isn’t variable that can kick in when the wind isn’t blowing. That’s the down side of wind.â€? Small wind has proven particularly useful on farms and in small-manufacturing facilities, but the unpredictable nature of wind is a challenge, said Jake West, a wind specialist with Perry-based VanWall Implement Corp., a John Deere dealer that also
JAKE RAJEWSKY / The Globe Gazette
Turbines spin Wednesday on the wind farm near Bolan. sells turbines to hog-farming operations in Iowa. “The owner wants to help out ag producers, his customers, with the wind turbines as a way to allow his customers to lower his cost for electricity and be an incentives,� West said. West said low wind speeds are a problem for turbine operation, especially in certain parts of Iowa. “If you look at the Iowa Energy website, they have a wind map,� he said. “Typically, in Waterloo and Northern Iowa, the area is good for wind. North-central is another good area. Southeast Iowa is sometimes not as
practical.� But even with those disadvantages, wind power can work, he said. “Alliant may be charging customers 12 cents per kilowatt hour for electricity; we’re allowing them to hedge that,� he said. “If you believe your cost of electricity is going up, it may be best to explore a wind turbine to hedge that rate increase for the next 20 years. There are so many factors involved.� Dependable transmission also ranks high among wind energy’s toughest hurdles with Mark Douglas, executive director, Iowa Utilities Association.
“With our wind resources, we’re one of the leaders in terms of wind generation,� he said. “We are exceeding our potential, because our potential is seventh or eighth, but we’re second (to Texas in output). But the real challenge right now for further expansion of large-scale wind farms is transmission.� That means infrastructure, he said. “You have to have the big highways that will carry the power across the state and maybe further east,� he said. “That’s the discussion now — can Iowa be an exporter of wind to the Illinoises, Indianas and Ohios those places
east of us? To do that, we’re going to need to expand our transmission system. Even to grow within the state, we’re going to need interstate transmission. There are some areas of constraint, where we’re getting to the point where we’re maxing out certain areas. That’s one of our biggest challenges, but it’s a tremendous challenge now from the regulatory standpoint.� Much of the solution will have to come from the federal government, he said. “You get into jurisdiction issues when you go state to state to state and try to decide who really pays for it,� he said.
“Is it Iowa that pays for transmission to another state? That’s all discussion at the federal, as well as regional, level. It’s going to be awhile.â€? Wind also blows up against some natural obstacles, Douglas said. “If you’re amongst trees or downtown, you’re obviously going to have some challenges,â€? he said. Tom Wind, owner of Wind Utility Consulting in Jefferson, added that wind cannot have natural or man-made obstructions in order to generate power. “You’ve got to have the right circumstances,â€? he said. “You’ve got to be in a windy spot in the country where there’s not a lot of trees around. Across two-thirds of Iowa, the wind speeds are probably good enough out in the country on higher ground.â€? There are other factors to consider, as well, Wind said. “The price of electricity you’re paying, some utilities have higher rates or some have more favorable policies,â€? he said. “It’s probably a combination. The federal government has incentives for wind power, so you need incentives, you need wind speed and higher-thanaverage rates, plus favorable policies. It takes a combination of things to make it work. That’s what I do. I do feasibility studies.â€? There’s a noise issue, as well, especially for turbines built in populated areas, Wind said. “They’re not real noisy, but towns may set a standard for lower noise level, so you have to ďŹ nd a turbine that can do that,â€? he said. “It’s a little difďŹ cult to ďŹ nd the right combination for everything to make it work.â€?
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