Last May, I wrote an article on alternative energy sources. The focus was on solar power generation. This month, with the advent of Texas oilman-turned-alternative energy evangelist T. Boone Pickens’s July 18 visit to Capitol Hill, and his plan to build a wind power corridor across the heartland of America, I thought it appropriate to focus on developments in wind power as a renewable energy source.
The Pickens’s pitch is simple. American dependency on oil is a stranglehold on the growth of the nation. He illustrates how four percent of the world’s population consumes 25 percent of the world’s oil production (media clip on www.pickensplan.com) — a $700-billion dependence. Mr. Pickens addresses the dilemma by proposing a near-term energy bridging solution wherein 22 percent of the nation’s energy consumption can be addressed by generating wind power in the central portion of the United States. He points out that America’s central bread basket region is rich in its wind-producing capabilities but the potential is yet untapped. He continues by marketing the economic benefits of enabling renewable energy industries to thrive in the rural reaches of the American heartland.
The second part of his energy bridging solutions speaks about replacing the oil used to power transportation vehicles by natural gas. He suggests that the energy saved using wind power replaces the natural gas alternative needed to fire up power plans producing the same amount of energy. He further argues that natural gas is a resource, which is plentiful in America. This simple equation amounts to a possible $300-billion savings per year.
It is interesting to note that Mr. Pickens has spent $50 million to advertise and lobby his plan. Pickens’ motives are not altogether altruistic. His call for the subsidies for wind energy would greatly benefit his wind power project in the Panhandle of Texas; he is purchasing 600 wind turbines to create a massive wind farm that would supply electricity to the equivalent of 1.3 million homes. Having said this, his plan is pragmatic and keeps American dollars in America and bolsters its competitiveness, therefore profiting from foresight given this context is, in my opinion, an American businessman’s purgative.
Stepping back, looking at the wind generation within the country, the US NREL quotes a potential 76,600 MW of renewable wind energy possible within the Philippines, comparing this generation potential with 4,500 to 5,000 MW of geothermal and hydro generation in the country (which makes up approximately 30 to 35 percent of the country’s energy mix), the opportunity seems sizable. There are a few large-scale wind farm projects in the Philippines: the Northern Luzon wind-powered project, the Northwind Bangui Bay (Ilocos Norte) project and the wind project in San Carlos, Negros, to name a few.
The wind farms in the Philippines and abroad get their equipment and know-how from the large producers of power generators and wind pumps like Vestas (Denmark), GE Energy (US), Gamesa (Spain), and Goldwind (PRC). There are also innovative small to mid-sized companies such as Deerpath Energy (www.deerpathenergy.com) which focuses on small communities and businesses; Makani Power (www.makanipower.com) whose website purports to have innovative methods for harnessing high altitude wind energy; TMA Wind Inc. (www.tmawind.com) which makes use of vertical wind turbines in wind concentrator configurations; and floating wind turbine development companies like British Blue H based in Holland. Blue H is one of many in the race in trying to develop a fleet of floating platforms to create a wind farm capable of providing endless amounts of electricity in deep oceans, away from the shore and far from human eyes. All these companies look to achieve break-even power or better, close the gap between common benchmark energy costs of coal and gas-fired generation.
The technical hurdles of storing wind energy to supply stable electricity to the grid are being solved by use of pump-storage hydroelectricity, compress air, carbon block, flywheel and flow battery technologies making sustainable 24/7 wind-generated power feasible and economical. The solutions are out there which will minimize our dependence on fossil fuels to a large degree. And as the oilman-turned-alternative energy evangelist suggests, these wind-powered solutions will wean ourselves off oil dependence enough to allow the growth of other more efficient alternative energy sources, creating robust power-generation industries locally and diverting the exodus of wealth from a nation.
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The author is currently an advanced technology director engaged in the development and design of IP and technologies for the cellular and mobile market.