Wind energy costly to move

Power line upgrades to meet specifications take time, money

SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. - Wind energy sounds great in theory. In practice, it can be extremely costly, a Nebraska Public Power District official said. After wind energy is generated, it must be stored and moved. If transmission lines required for the task don't meet specifications, it can cost as much as $500,000 per mile or more to update them, said Doug Mollet, water systems and renewable energy manager for NPPD.

"If you don't have the transmission, it falls apart from an economic perspective," Mollet said.

Many of the transmission lines required to move wind-generated electricity haven't been updated since the 1980s and don't have the necessary capacity.

But the obstacles aren't stopping Mollet from exploring possible wind farm sites across the state. It will take NPPD two years to collect the data, he said.

"We want to make certain that what we do here, we do it correctly," Mollet said. "If we have 50 turbines in 50 counties, it doesn't do the Nebraska taxpayers as much good as having 50 in the ideal spot."

Mollet said there is such a demand for wind turbines that it would take him two years to get the necessary equipment for a wind farm if he ordered it now.

Nebraska ranks No. 6 nationally for wind energy potential. According to the American Wind Energy Association, Nebraska's annual energy potential is 868 billion kilowatts per hour.

Only North Dakota, Texas, Kansas, South Dakota and Montana have greater potential. Small differences in average winds mean large differences in production and in cost.

With all other factors being equal, a wind plant will generate electricity at a cost of 4.8 cents per kilowatt hour in 16 mph winds; 3.6 cents/kWh in 18 mph winds; and 2.6 cents/kWh in 20.8 mph winds.

NPPD has a long-term goal to evaluate all forms of renewable resources, with a goal of achieving 5 percent of Nebraska's energy supply from renewable resources, when it can be shown that it will provide sufficient value for the cost.

The biggest wind-farm project in the state is an $81.3 million project outside of Ainsworth. It's home to 36 turbines. Under good conditions, the 60-megawatt facility will be able to generate enough electricity to serve the equivalent of 19,000 households.

NPPD also owns two turbines at Springview in north-central Nebraska.

Before the Ainsworth farm opened, only about 1 percent of the total power generated in Nebraska came from wind energy.