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FALL 2002
WINDS OF CHANGE
Dear Capture The Wind Members,
The time has come for me to move on and pursue other opportunities. I
will be living in the woods in northeast Minnesota and working on renewable
energy projects, both large and small.
You have all been a part of my most memorable moments at Moorhead Public
Service - the construction and commissioning of Zephyr and Freedom - and I
thank you for making it all possible. I will miss the Moorhead community and
wish everyone here a successful and happy life. Change for me has always
been painful but necessary. And to quote Bob Dylan, a famous Minnesotan,
"He not busy being born is busy dying."
Peace
Chris Reed
YOUR "WINDPUT" IS MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Now that Freedom, our second wind turbine, has been online for over a year,
we're generating more wind power that ever in Moorhead. Thanks to our
Capture The Wind members, as of September 2002, Zephyr and Freedom have
generated over 6.5 million kilowatt-hours of clean, wind energy. That's
enough energy to fuel about 600 Moorhead homes for an entire year! (based on
the average residential usage of 900 kilowatt-hours/month)
Along with powering our homes and businesses, our generation of wind power
in Moorhead also helps the environment. By substituting wind energy for
coal-generated power, we have effectively prevented the emission of over 14
million pounds of greenhouse gases since 1999. The combined effect on the
earth's environment as removing 1,432 cars from the road or planting 1.953
acres of trees.
IS WIND POWER REALLY "FOR THE BIRDS"?
As concerns over the reliability of power and our reliance on foreign
sources of fuels increase, the momentum of wind power as a pollution-free,
economically viable energy source is increasing across the country and
throughout the world. The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), the
national trade association of the U.S. wind energy industry, recently
reaffirmed its assessment that 2003 will be a record year for the wind
market in the U.S.A. AWEA projects that 400 to 450 megawatts of new wind
capacity will have been installed by this year's end, but look to 2003 to
bring a record-breaking 2,000 megawatts of wind power into our country.
According to AWEA, wind energy has the potential to supply the U.S. with 40
percent of its energy needs. And since wind power produces no smog-forming
emissions or pollutants, and because wind power is a renewable, or
unlimited, resource on our planet, people are generally very supportive of
wind power and look to it as a possible solution to the country's current
energy crisis.
But wind power doesn't fly completely free from environmental concerns. Wind
power machines have been responsible for a slight increase in avian
mortality, as birds can and sometimes do collide with the large steel
structures. A significant loss of golden eagles during the early 1990s in
California's Altamont Pass, on or the largest wind development areas in the
country, sparked concerns among conservation groups. Altamont Pass, which
boasts some 7,000 wind turbines, is an area with high raptor activity
year-round due in part to its dense population of ground squirrels and other
rodents that furnishes an abundant prey base for these birds.
Most studies find, however, that compared with other viable threats to
birds, wind turbines present a relatively small danger to birds. Radar
studies from Tjaereborg in the western part of Denmark show that birds - by
day and night - tend to change their flight route some 100 to 200 meters
before a turbine, and more often than not, birds tend to pass above wind
machines at a safe distance.
Still, it is estimated that anywhere from 100 million to well over 1 billion
birds are killed annually in the United States due to collisions with
human-made structures. According to a study completed by the National Wind
Coordinating Committee (http://www.nationalwind.org/pubs/default.htm), the
number of bird fatalities associated with wind power doesn't even come close
to the number caused by collisions with glass windows, automobiles, or even
domestic cats. According to the study, it is estimated that anywhere from
98-980 million birds die in collisions with glass windows or buildings,
60-80 million in vehicular collisions, but just 10,000-40,000 with wind
generation facilities. Interestingly, the National Audubon Society estimates
avian mortality due to house cats at a whopping 100 million birds per year.
Even though wind turbines account for a relatively small percentage of avian
mortalities, AWEA and other organizations in the U.S. wind energy industry
have established an Environmental Task Force to coordinate industry
research, education, and mitigation efforts. AWEA is also collaborating with
the groups in Minnesota to establish a baseline avian population assessment
in wind development areas in order to prevent wind farms from being located
in areas of high avian activity or in migratory paths.
For a bird's-eye view of what the "windustry" is doing to protect
our feathered friends, check out these Web sites:
The American Wind Energy Association:
www.awea.org
National Wind Coordinating Committee (NWCC):
http://www.nationalwind.org/
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's National Wind Technology
Center's Avian Literature Database:
http://www.nrel.gov/wind/avian_lit.html
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