City wind power falls short; Alternative energy source encounters problems

Cracked blades on wind turbines and a project delay at a Jefferson City landfill have set Columbia back on its renewable energy goals.

Even so, officials expect to still reach the goal of meeting 2 percent of the city’s energy needs from renewable resources in 2008, as required by ordinance.

Connie Kacprowicz, Columbia Water and Light spokeswoman, said the city had hoped to get about 5 percent of its energy from renewable sources this year. “Project delays are going to put us back,” she said.

Bluegrass Ridge Wind Farm in King City provides energy to Columbia, harvested from 27 wind turbines. Wind is a variable energy source that fluctuates from month to month depending on whether the wind is blowing, but cracks in the blades meant an even further drop in production this year.

In June, July and August, the city expected to receive 14 percent to 25 percent of the farm’s energy capacity but only captured between 8 percent and 5 percent because some blades were taken down for repair.

In addition to the cost of the energy, the city pays a flat fee for energy transmission, so when the megawatt hours decrease, the price per megawatt hour swells. For example, the cost per megawatt hour from Bluegrass Ridge in January was about $69, about what the city expected. In August, however, the price shot up to about $105.

The average price for a megawatt hour from coal-fired resources is about $50 to $55 when it is not purchased during peak demand during the summer months, Kacprowicz said.

Because the wind energy makes up such a small portion of the city’s energy portfolio, Kacprowicz said, the reduced production did not significantly affect the budget.

“It would have a larger impact if we were looking at a higher percentage,” she said. “Some people want us to have 100 percent wind energy, and then we would see an impact. Even if we were using 50 percent wind energy, that would affect the cost of doing business and our rates.”

The King City wind farm uses S-88 turbines manufactured by India-based Suzlon. In October, a fiberglass blade from the same model of Suzlon turbine in rural Wyanet, Ill., snapped from its stem and was found more than 100 feet away in a field, said Kraig Kahler, Columbia Water and Light director. No one was hurt.

Tony Wyche, a spokesman for Capital Wind Group, which designed and financed the Bluegrass Ridge wind farm, said Suzlon is replacing blades on the S-88 turbines in Missouri and elsewhere.

“They are doing preventative maintenance to address a cracking issue in some other locations,” Wyche said. “They are just fixing the blades, … nothing that should result in any major disruption.”

Representatives from Suzlon and Bluegrass Ridge were not able to give more precise repair schedules this morning. Kahler said he was told the repairs would be made between January and April.

In addition to wind energy, Columbia receives alternative energy from gas generated at the city’s landfill. A new landfill gas landfill project near Jefferson City is expected to keep the city’s renewable energy goals on track despite the wind setback.

Kahler expects a new landfill gas generator to come online in January, and the city has agreed to purchase the entire output from that source. “That will provide over 3 megawatts of gas-generated electricity, and that’s all going to Columbia,” he said.

By Sara Semelka
of the Tribune’s staff

Columbia Daily Tribune

1 December 2008

Tags: Wind power, Wind energy

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