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Tall towers, long blades and manifest destiny: The migration of land-based wind from the Great Plains to the thirteen colonies

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  • Burt, Michelle
  • Firestone, Jeremy
  • Madsen, John A.
  • Veron, Dana E.
  • Bowers, Richard

Abstract

Until recently, it was not economically feasible to install wind turbines in many locations, including in large portions of the states that border the Atlantic Ocean in the United States, due to the low wind speeds. Newer designs allow turbines to be deployed at higher hub heights (>100m) where wind speeds are greater, and come with longer blades, allowing them to produce significantly more energy at lower wind speeds. We undertake a case study, using rural Sussex County, Delaware, US, to study their economic feasibility. We take an interdisciplinary approach, move beyond theory and general models, and consider micro-scale wind resources (the primary driver of revenue); local site geology, which influences project feasibility and foundation cost; local transmission constraints and expenses related to transmission and connection to the existing electrical grid; local values attributable to the environmental attributes of wind power; operation and maintenance costs (including insurance and replacement parts); land use and zoning considerations, including setbacks from roads, structures and airports; taxes; and rents/royalties. We find the base case levelized cost of energy (LCOE) to be ∼$70/MWh (before accounting for the federal production tax credit) based on a 25year-life of a wind turbine. Sensitivity analyses are undertaken around project life, project finance, the discount rate, and wind speed.

Suggested Citation

  • Burt, Michelle & Firestone, Jeremy & Madsen, John A. & Veron, Dana E. & Bowers, Richard, 2017. "Tall towers, long blades and manifest destiny: The migration of land-based wind from the Great Plains to the thirteen colonies," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 206(C), pages 487-497.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:206:y:2017:i:c:p:487-497
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2017.08.178
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Capellaro, Mark, 2016. "Prediction of site specific wind energy value factors," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 87(P1), pages 430-436.
    2. Blanco, María Isabel, 2009. "The economics of wind energy," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 13(6-7), pages 1372-1382, August.
    3. Jeremy Firestone & Willett Kempton & Meredith Blaydes Lilley & Kateryna Samoteskul, 2012. "Public acceptance of offshore wind power: does perceived fairness of process matter?," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 55(10), pages 1387-1402, April.
    4. Johansson, V. & Thorson, L. & Goop, J. & Göransson, L. & Odenberger, M. & Reichenberg, L. & Taljegard, M. & Johnsson, F., 2017. "Value of wind power – Implications from specific power," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 352-360.
    5. Hirth, Lion & Müller, Simon, 2016. "System-friendly wind power," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 51-63.
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    Cited by:

    1. Joseph Kiesecker & Sharon Baruch-Mordo & Mike Heiner & Dhaval Negandhi & James Oakleaf & Christina Kennedy & Pareexit Chauhan, 2019. "Renewable Energy and Land Use in India: A Vision to Facilitate Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-14, December.
    2. Artigao, Estefania & Martín-Martínez, Sergio & Honrubia-Escribano, Andrés & Gómez-Lázaro, Emilio, 2018. "Wind turbine reliability: A comprehensive review towards effective condition monitoring development," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 228(C), pages 1569-1583.
    3. Duffy, Aidan & Hand, Maureen & Wiser, Ryan & Lantz, Eric & Dalla Riva, Alberto & Berkhout, Volker & Stenkvist, Maria & Weir, David & Lacal-Arántegui, Roberto, 2020. "Land-based wind energy cost trends in Germany, Denmark, Ireland, Norway, Sweden and the United States," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 277(C).

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