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Size matters for wind turbines, too

An interesting piece of information from the Department of Energy

Since the early 2000s, wind turbines have grown in size—in both height and blade lengths—and generate more energy. What’s driving this growth? Let’s take a closer look.

Average turbine hub height, rotor diameter, and nameplate capacity for land-based wind projects from the Land-Based Wind Market Report: 2022 Edition.

Hub Height

A wind turbine’s hub height is the distance from the ground to the middle of the turbine’s rotor. The hub height for utility-scale land-based wind turbines has increased 66% since 1998–1999, to about 94 meters (308 feet) in 2021. That’s about as tall as the Statue of Liberty! The average hub height for offshore turbines in the United States is projected to grow even taller—from 100 meters (330 feet) in 2016 to about 150 meters (500 feet), or about the height of the Washington Monument, in 2035.

Illustration of increasing turbine heights and blades lengths over time.

Turbine towers are becoming taller to capture more energy, since winds generally increase as altitudes increase. The change in wind speed with altitude is called wind shear. At higher heights above the ground, wind can flow more freely, with less friction from obstacles on the earth’s surface such as trees and other vegetation, buildings, and mountains. Most wind turbine towers taller than 100 meters tend to be concentrated in the Midwest and Northeast, two regions with higher-than-average wind shear.

Location of tall-tower turbine installations from the Land-Based Wind Market Report: 2022 Edition.

Rotor Diameter

A turbine’s rotor diameter, or the width of the circle swept by the rotating blades (the dotted circles in the second illustration), has also grown over the years. Back in 2010, no turbines in the United States employed rotors that were 115 meters (380 feet) in diameter or larger. The average rotor diameter in 2021 was 127.5 meters (418 feet)—longer than a football field.

Larger rotor diameters allow wind turbines to sweep more area, capture more wind, and produce more electricity. A turbine with longer blades will be able to capture more of the available wind than shorter blades—even in areas with relatively less wind. Being able to harvest more wind at lower wind speeds can increase the number of areas available for wind development nationwide. Due to this trend, rotor swept areas have grown around 600% since 1998–1999.

Nameplate Capacity

In addition to getting taller and bigger, wind turbines have also increased in maximum power rating, or capacity, since the early 2000s. The average capacity of newly installed U.S. wind turbines in 2021 was 3.0 megawatts (MW), up 9% since 2020 and 319% since 1998–1999. In 2021, there was an increase for turbines installed in the 2.75–3.5 MW range, while the proportion of turbines at 3.5 MW or larger also increased. Higher capacity turbines mean that fewer turbines are needed to generate the same amount of energy across a wind plant—ultimately leading to lower costs.

Transportation and Installation Challenges

If bigger is better, why aren’t even larger turbines used currently? Although turbine heights and rotor diameters are increasing, there are a few limitations. Transporting and installing large turbine blades for land-based wind is not easy, since they cannot be folded or bent once constructed. This limits the routes trucks can take and the radius of their turns. Turbine tower diameters are also difficult to transport, since they may not fit under bridges or highway overpasses. DOE is addressing these challenges through its research projects. For instance, DOE is designing turbines with more slender and flexible blades that can navigate through curves in roads and rail lines that conventional blades cannot. DOE is also supporting efforts to develop tall turbine towers that can be produced on site, thus eliminating tower transportation issues. Two companies pioneering these efforts are Keystone Power Systems, which uses spiral-welding in order to minimize the need for costly steel, and GE Renewables, which is experimenting with 3D printing to create customizable tower bases.

Learn More

Explore more wind facts in our Top 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Offshore Wind Energy and Top 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Wind Power.
Visit energy.gov/windreport to learn about changes to the wind industry in 2021.

LIZ HARTMAN

Liz Hartman is the Communications Lead for DOE’s Wind Energy Technologies Office.

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$3.3M New York MRF will recycle wind turbine blades, other items

Momentum of Western New York, a recently launched recycling company, anticipates the facility will be fully operational in the third quarter of 2023.

Posted by Haley Rischar/ Waste Today

Momentum of Western New York, a recently launched recycling company, has announced plans to develop a $3.3 million material recovery facility in Steuben County, New York, that will specialize in windmill blade recycling.

As reported by The Evening Tribune, Momentum will be taking over the windmill recycling operation of T&R Environmental—a sister company based in Bath, New York. According to Momentum Owner Brian Polmateer, the company’s recycling operation “will make the industry more environmentally sustainable and help reduce space shortages in landfills.”

“Even here in Stueben County, we’re going to hit a cap very quickly,” he told The Evening Tribune. “We routinely receive phone calls from other states and local manufacturers that they have zero landfill [space]. We could see a serious need for recycling [and] waste minimization.”

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Momentum is currently working with the state Department of Environmental Conservation to obtain a Part 360 permit, which governs solid waste management. Permitted waste streams at the facility will include nonhazardous liquids, sludges, soils and solids, as well as nonhazardous absorbents. The facility will not be permitted to accept hazardous wastes.

“It’s essentially being brought in, processed in different variations and then shipped back out,” says Polmanteer.

“It sounds like we might be one of the first ones in the country to write policy and protocol for windmill blades,” he adds.

Construction is expected to start in October, reports The Evening Tribune, and Momentum anticipates the new facility will be fully operational in the third quarter of 2023, likely by September. Three jobs at T&R Environmental are being reallocated to Momentum, which is also hiring for 12 new positions.

Momentum has an agreement under consideration with the Steuben County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) for tax incentives to aid the project. The agreement will be subject to a public hearing before the IDA votes on final approval later this month.

Read the full story here

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Meet a prime sponsor of New Jersey’s new electric bus pilot program

Assemblyman Sterley Stanley represents New Jersey’s 18th legislative district.

By Frank Brill, EnviroPolitics Editor

Up to 18 school districts or bus contractors around New Jersey will soon start using electric school buses and charging stations, thanks to a bill Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law on August 4 that sets aside $15 million annually for three years for the efforts.

The state Assembly passed A1274 in May, 47-31, and the state Senate passed it on June, 23-15, with two not voting. Some Republican lawmakers called the bill too expensive and a distraction from students’ pandemic-related educational and mental health needs.

The state Department of Environmental Protection will oversee the pilot program, half of which will serve students in low-income or urban communities, or those disproportionately affected by environmental impacts.

The DEP will choose the districts and contractors from among applicants from north, central and southern New Jersey, with contractors making up no more than half of the grant recipients.

“In order to significantly cut greenhouse gas emissions and optimally capitalize on the benefits of vehicle electrification, we must electrify not just the cars that bring us to work, but the buses that safely deliver our children to school,” said Governor Murphy. “Some of the most important vehicles traversing our state’s roads and bridges are the buses connecting our children and families to our nation-leading public school system. It is our responsibility as elected officials to ensure that those vehicles do not adversely affect the health outcomes of our students as they grow, learn, and prepare to lead New Jersey toward a more sustainable future themselves.”

Through the Electric School Bus Program, the state Department of Environmental Protection will issue $15 million in grants in Year One and up to $15 million in Years Two and Three for a total of up to $45 million over the course of the three-year program. Grants will be awarded to at least six school districts or bus contractors annually. In each year, at least half of the school districts or school bus contractors selected by the DEP – and at least half of the grant funding awarded by the DEP in each year – will be allocated to a low-income, urban, or environmental justice community in order to mitigate the disproportionate health impacts of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles on vulnerable populations.

Funding for the program can come from the Clean Energy Fund, the Global Warming Solutions Fund (Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative proceeds), monies available from utility programs to upgrade electrical infrastructure for vehicle charging, appropriations, or any other available funding. For Year One, the program’s budget comes from the General Fund.

Democratic sponsors of the bill in the Assembly, Sterley Stanley (Middlesex), Shama Haider (Bergen), and Britnee Timberlake (Essex) said in a statement, “The diesel exhaust from buses negatively impacts our overall health and is a major contributor to climate change.” They said the program will let the state explore the best approaches for electrifying bus fleets in the future.

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Longtime New Jersey lawmaker Maureen Ogden dies at 93

Then-state Assemblywoman Maureen Ogden is pictured in a file photo.

By Brent Johnson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Former state Assemblywoman Maureen Ogden, known for championing environmental causes in her 14 years in the New Jersey Legislature and as the first female mayor of Millburn, died Wednesday.

The Essex County Republican was 93.

Gov. Phil Murphy ordered New Jersey and U.S. flags at all state buildings to fly at half-staff in Ogden’s honor, saying she “dedicated her life to public service” and was a “passionate supporter of the arts and a steadfast champion of the environment.”

“As we honor her legacy as a leader and trailblazer, we commemorate her many achievements in state politics and conservationism,” Murphy said in a statement. “Tammy and I send our sincere condolences to her family and loved ones.”

Ogden, a Republican, was mayor of Millburn from 1979-81 and was elected to the Assembly in 1981 with running mate Bob Franks, the future congressman.

During her seven terms, Ogden served as chair of the Assembly’s Committee on Conservation, Energy, and Natural Resources, as well as chair of the Committee on Arts, Tourism, and Cultural Affairs.

She supported legislation in 1994 to create a fund to preserve open space in the Garden State. She also sponsored a bill to give adopted residents access to their original birth certificates.

State Sen. Jon Bramnick, R-Union, said Odgen “represented the best of the best.”

Read the full story here

If you liked this post you’ll love our daily environmental newsletter, EnviroPolitics. It’s packed with the latest news, commentary, and legislative updates from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware…and beyond. Don’t take our word for it, try it free for an entire month. No obligation

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NJ State Senator Steve Oroho labels energy master plan a ‘political whitewash’

The latest ratepayer impact study of Governor Murphy’s Energy Master Plan inexplicably ignores many of the most costly mandates, said Senator Steven Oroho today in a news release.

The latest ratepayer impact study of Gov. Murphy’s Energy Master Plan inexplicably ignores many of the most costly mandates, said Sen. Steven Oroho today, as he blamed the Murphy Administration for continuing to obscure the true fiscal impact.

“It is untenable, but Murphy’s ridiculously expensive Energy Master Plan (EMP) goes into effect in about four months, and New Jersey residents still cannot get a straight answer about how much it is going to cost them,” said Oroho (R-24). “The study released Wednesday omits many of the most noteworthy cost-drivers and shamelessly sugar-coats the price tag of the Governor’s green energy fantasy.

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“The emphasis on offshore wind generation, massive utility-scale solar installations, and behind-the-scenes costs of converting homes and businesses from natural gas to electric demands enormous public and private investment and simply cannot be glossed over, yet the Brattle study does just that,” the Senator continued.

Oroho noted that the study, commissioned by the Board of Public Utilities, touted EMP’s unsubstantiated energy savings projections, but failed to emphasize the expenses associated with the conversion to electric vehicles, including residential, commercial, and governmental infrastructure investment.

“The study simply cherry-picks items to artificially present the plan in the best light,” said Oroho. “But reality is going to paint a far different picture in the future, and the residents of our state, already one of the most expensive places to live in the nation, are going to be feeling the painful impact of it for decades to come.

Families and businesses will be forced to foot the bill to rip out and replace perfectly functional and energy-efficient heating units to convert to electric. In whose world does it make sense to spend as much as $40,000 or more to scrap operating boilers and furnaces?” asked the Senator.

An over-reliance on electricity before the supply chain was capable of handling it has contributed to the current energy crisis in Europe, Oroho cautioned.

“There is a real danger in moving too fast. In Germany and the United Kingdom, electric rates are soaring and there are serious concerns about whether they will be able to meet the growing demand for electricity this winter,” Oroho said. “This should be a warning for the Governor. Pump the breaks and slow down.

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How ‘Mona Lisa’ keeps her cool

An underground cooling system chills the Louvre and other sites in Paris.

Laurent Le Guedart, heritage director of the Louvre, which doesn’t use air-conditioning. The cooling system uses renewable energy by pumping icy water from the Seine through a labyrinth of underground pipes.

By Thomas Adamson and Nico Garriga (Associated Press)

PARIS – The Mona Lisa may maintain her famously enigmatic smile because she benefits from one of Paris’ best-kept secrets: An underground cooling system that’s helped the Louvre cope with the sweltering heat that has broken temperature records across Europe.

The little-known “urban cold” network snakes unsuspecting beneath Parisians’ feet at a depth of up to 98 feet, pumping out icy water through 55 miles of labyrinthine pipes, which is used to chill the air in over 700 sites. The system, which uses electricity generated by renewable sources, is the largest in Europe – and chugs on around the clock with a deafening noise totally inaudible above ground.

Paris’ City Hall has now signed an ambitious contract to triple the size of the network by 2042 to157 miles). It would make it the largest urban cooling system in the world. The new contract intends to help the city to both adapt to and combat the threat of global warming. Many parts of Europe hit 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in July.

The city is extending the cooling network to hospitals, schools, and metro stations over the next two decades. It’s unclear how much of the system will be operational by the time of the Paris Olympics in 2024, but it’s possible the systems will be used in several Olympic sites.

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Unbeknownst to millions of tourists, the piping currently cools the City of Light’s most emblematic sites, such as the Louvre and the Quai Branly Museum. It might even help cool the tempers of agitated lawmakers as it is used to drop temperatures in the National Assembly.

The scheme is operated by the joint-venture company Fraicheur de Paris – 85% owned by the state’s French energy company EDF and the rest by public transport operator RATP. The company’s officials tout its benefits for the entire French capital.

“If all [Parisian] buildings get equipped with autonomous installations [such as air-conditioning], it will gradually create a very significant urban ‘heat island’ effect,” said Maggie Schelfhaut of Fraicheur de Paris, referring to the increased heat in cities due to less vegetation, which cools, and more urban infrastructure, which absorbs the sun’s rays.

But Schelfhaut said that the pipe network could make the whole of Paris one degree Celsius (1.8 Fahrenheit) cooler than if autonomous installations were put up across the city.

“One degree less in the city center is a lot,” she added.

Three of the 10 high-tech cooling sites lie on the Seine river and are accessed by a retractable spiral staircase barely visible from street level – in something resembling the lair of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Read the full story here

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