Please note that page numbers are not accurate for the e-book edition.
Acciona, 40, 188
AES Corporation, and AES Geo Energy, 120
Agassi, Shai, 106
Agriculture Department. See U.S. Department of Agriculture
air pollution: in China, 61, 63; from coal, 51–52, 63, 99–101; from prairie burning in Kansas, 127–28, 142, 168; from wind compared to other power sources, 100–101. See also carbon emissions; greenhouse gas emissions
Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound. See Cape Wind
Altamont Pass, California, 30, 116–17, 118, 119, 134
American Clean Energy and Security Act (2009), 171
American Gas Association, 109
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (2009), 50
American Superconductor, 39
American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), 51, 80, 93, 152, 159, 172–73
Andersen, Lars, 61
anemometer, 88
Animal Welfare Institute, 130
Anschutz, Philip F., and Anschutz Corporation, 164–65
Antelope Valley Station, North Dakota, 168–69, 171
Arab oil embargo, vii, 22, 25, 26, 109, 180
Audubon: Bay Area, 116; Illinois, 117–18; Kansas, 8, 142, 193
availability (wind turbines), 87
avian impacts of wind farms, bats: and causes of death, 129–30; Indiana bats, x, 130–31; and mitigation efforts, 131–32; and mortality rates, 129, 132
avian impacts of wind farms, birds: bald and golden eagles, 116, 117, 121, 133; and comparative causes of death, 121–22; and Endangered Species Act, 122, 130–31; long-tailed ducks, 137; migratory birds, 119; prairie chicken habitats, x, 9, 11, 125–29, 142; raptor deaths and mitigation efforts, 116–19; sage grouse habitats, x, 122–25, 159; and turbine technology changes, 118–19; white storks, 120; whooping cranes, 119–20
AWEA. See American Wind Energy Association (AWEA)
Bacon, Rose and Kent, 140–42, 147–49
balancing wind with other power sources, 105–6, 176–78, 181, 182
Barnhart Crane & Rigging, 80–83
bats. See avian impacts of wind farms, bats
Beacon Power Corporation, 177, 179
bearings: magnetic, for flywheel power storage, 177; maintenance of, in wind turbines, 45, 46; Timken and, 52–57, 59, 69, 184
Beaver Ridge Wind Project, Maine, 151
Beecher, Brad, 161
Beech Ridge Energy LLC, 130–31
Beech Ridge Wind Farm, West Virginia, 130–31
Better Place, 106–7
Biodiversity Conservation Alliance, 124–25, 159
biomass energy, 111
birds. See avian impacts of wind farms, birds
blades: composition of, 21–22, 31, 149; controlling pitch of, 86, 150; defects in and repair of, 31, 47–48, 91, 150; detection of, by bats, 129; length of, 14, 49, 74, 114; length of, related to power output, 114; lower and upper reach of, 118–19; manufacture of, 19–22, 40, 46, 60; shadow flicker created by, 155; sounds produced by, 153, 156–57; swept area of, 114; tip speed of, 153; transportation of, 74–78
BLM. See U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
Bloomstein, Phil, 151, 156
Blue Canyon Wind Farm, Oklahoma, 8
Bode, Denise, 93
Boeing, 31
Bonus company, 32
Boots, Mick, 41
Bousbib, Ari, 48
BP Wind Energy, 165
Bradford, Peter, 103
Brand, Stewart, 101
Braud, Rene, 128–29
Briggs, John, 128
Brightwell, Joe, 89
Brown, Jerry, 28–30, 34, 101, 183
Brownback, Sam, 148
Browning, Bill, 143
Buffalo Mountain Wind Energy Center, Tennessee, 129
Bush, George W., viii, 124, 183
Butler, Barry, 89
California: bird deaths from wind turbines in, 116–18, 121; Danish turbine exports to, 24–25, 32–35, 114; electric vehicle network planned in, 107; energy policy in, 28–35, 183–84; hydroelectricity in, 111; need for out-of-state renewable power in, 165; public utility wind power purchases in, 28, 30, 34; renewable electricity standards for, 111, 112, 183–84; solar energy in, 29, 30, 111, 165; tax credits for wind industry in, 30–31, 33–35; visual chaos of early wind farms in, 31, 34, 116, 134–35; wind resources and wind energy use in, vii, 2, 25–35, 183–84
California Energy Commission, 30, 116
California Office of Appropriate Technology, 29
capacity factor (wind power), 3, 97, 114. See also installed capacity
cap-and-trade, viii, 56, 169, 171
Cape Wind: Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound and, 145–46; East Coast perspective on, 18; Ted Kennedy’s opposition to, viii, 135–36, 145, 170; Bill Koch’s opposition to, 145–46; Ed Markey and, 170; Ted Stevens and, 135–36; Don Young and, 135–36
Capparella, Angelo, 117–19, 124
carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. See carbon emissions; greenhouse gas emissions
carbon emissions: cap-and-trade regimes for, viii, 56, 169, 171; CO2 gap between coal, gas, and wind power, 98–101; proposed federal tax on, 171, 183; reduction of, competing with other values, 173; Timken opposition to U.S. regulation of, 52, 56–57. See also greenhouse gas emissions
Cardinal Fastener, 39, 80, 184
Cargill, Alvin, 14–16, 79, 80
Carter, Jimmy, vii, viii, 26–28, 34, 109
Casselman Wind Power Project, Pennsylvania, 131–32
Center for Biological Diversity, 116
Charmley, James E., 54–55
Chernobyl nuclear disaster, 63, 101–2, 104, 181
China: air pollution in, 61, 63; coal production and use in, 63, 65; economy of, 62, 64; electricity use in, 62, 68; energy planning and policy in, 62–66, 72; environmental movement in, 67; export of wind turbines from, 60, 68–72; foreign investment in wind farms in, 66–68; hydroelectricity in, 63–64; land acquisition for wind farms in, 65–68; manufacture of wind turbines in, 21, 55–56, 59–62, 68–72; market for U.S. wind energy equipment in, 55–56, 59; nuclear power in, 63; protectionist rules of, 59, 60, 68–69; state and private ownership of wind industry in, 66, 67–68; transmission needs in, 168, 170; Vestas factories in, 60–62, 69, 71; wind resources and wind energy use in, ix, 19, 59, 61–62, 64–65, 187; World Trade Organization and, 69
China Wind Power conference, 59, 60
Chinese Renewable Energy Industries Association, 60
Chokecherry–Sierra Madre wind complex, 164–65
Chunhua Li, 70
Clark, Wilson, 29
climate change: China’s contribution to, 63; consequences of, 132–33; fossil fuels and, viii; skepticism about, 90, 142, 146, 173; wind energy as response to, xi, 13, 18, 57, 184. See also carbon emissions; greenhouse gas emissions
Clipper Wind: Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and, 39–43; employees and workplace morale at, 40–45; financial problems of, 39, 47–50, 57; lessons to be learned from, 49–52, 57–58; Liberty turbine manufactured by, 42, 44; market share of, 188; quality control issues at, 47–48; remote monitoring by, 44–46; supply chain for, 46–47; United Technologies Corporation bailout of, 48, 49; worker safety at, 45–46
CloudCorp, 10, 17–18
Cloud County, Kansas. See Kansas
Cloud County Community College, 17, 87–88, 91–92
coal: air pollution from, 51–52, 63, 99–101; capping carbon emissions from, 56; in China, 63, 65; cost of coal plants, 113; in Denmark, 22–23; energy balance for, 100; failure to internalize environmental costs of, 51, 110; landscape impacts of, 52, 63, 123; mining hazards from, 51–52, 63; price uncertainty of, 112; U.S. policies favoring, 27, 33, 34, 51; U.S. reliance on, 56–57, 96; Wyoming politics regarding sage grouse and, 123–24
coal-bed methane, 108
Colorado: wind manufacturing in, 37, 40; wind resources and wind energy use in, 185
Commonwealth Edison, 70
compressed-air energy storage. See storage of electricity
conservation easements, 126–27, 143
Conservation Law Foundation, viii, 135
construction of wind farms, 13–16, 77, 78–84, 90–91, 94, 113
cost: of coal, gas, nuclear, and solar energy vs. wind, 105, 112–13; of modernizing the national grid, 174–76; of wars, 180. See also economics of wind power
Crude Oil Windfall Profits Tax (1980), 28
Crum, Lorrie, 53, 56–57
Cube rule of wind power, 114
Culik, Martin, 81
cut-in speed (wind turbines), 131–32
Dalian Heavy Industry Group, 71
Danish International Development Agency, 35
Danish Oil and Natural Gas. See DONG Energy
Danish Wind Industry Association, 32
Defense Department. See U.S. Department of Defense
Denmark: Arab oil embargo and, 22–23; coal use in, 22–23; DONG (Danish Oil and Natural Gas) in, 105–6, 177; electric vehicles in, 105–7, 177; nuclear plants banned by, 22; offshore wind farms in, 36, 136–38; oil and natural gas in, 22, 23; policies promoting wind in, 23–25, 36; policies reducing greenhouse gas emissions in, 19, 23, 106–7; population of, 37; Risø National Laboratory in, 23, 32; wind energy use in, viii, ix, 19, 22–25, 36–37, 106, 136–38, 187; wind manufacturing in, 32–33, 35–37, 58, 188. See also Vestas Wind Systems
Deukmejian, George, 34
DeWind, 188
direct-drive turbines, 55, 70. See also geardriven turbines
Diss, Frank and Sarah, 139
DOE. See U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
Doing It Smart from the Start (Biodiversity Conservation Alliance), 124–25
DONG Energy, 105–6, 177
Donghai Bridge offshore wind farm, China, 65
Dunham, Richard, 89–90
economics of wind power: benefits to rural communities, 3–10, 15–18, 43, 44, 90–91; California tax credits, 30, 33; feed-in tariffs (Europe), 35–36; capital outlays for wind power, 113; cost of turbines, 11–12, 113; life-cycle costs of wind compared to other power sources, 113; payments to landowners, ix, xi, 3–7, 15–16, 139, 145; productivity gains through technology changes, 113–15; utility purchases of wind power, 11, 12–13, 30, 34, 70, 161–62; wholesale price of wind power, 112. See also employment related to wind power; wind power incentives, federal; wind power incentives, state
EDP Renewables, 12
electricity: China’s use of, 62, 68; from coal, 23, 56–57, 96; Denmark’s shift to wind for, viii, ix, 19, 22–25, 36–37, 106, 136–38, 187; global supply of, by wind, 187–88; from hydroelectric dams, 63–64, 96, 111, 176, 182; from natural gas, 96, 107; number of households supplied with, from U.S. wind farms, ix, xii, 3, 81; present and potential price of, 112–15; purchase of, from U.S. wind farms, 11–13, 27–28, 30, 34, 35–36, 70, 111, 112, 161–62, 165, 183–84; renewable standards for, by states, 111, 112, 165, 183; supplied by wind (U.S.), ix, x, 1, 2, 94, 96, 97–98, 110, 112, 181, 185–86; Timken Company’s use of, 56–57
electric vehicles, 106–7, 177, 182
Elk River Wind Power Project, Kansas, 148, 149, 161, 162
Empire District Electric, 12, 161–62
employment related to wind power: in construction, 13–16, 77, 78–84, 90–91, 94; “indirect” and “induced” jobs, 16, 95; in manufacturing, 20, 35, 37, 39–40, 51, 54, 94; in operations and maintenance (O&M), 84–87, 90–91; total jobs (present and projected), 37, 51, 94–95; training programs for technicians, ix, 17, 41, 44, 87–94; women in, 13–15, 17, 79, 82, 91, 92–94
Endangered Species Act. See avian impacts of wind farms, birds
Enel, 150
Energias de Portugal (EDP), 12
energy balance, 100
Energy Department. See U.S. Department of Energy
Energy Policy Act (1992), 50
Energy Policy Act (2005), 167, 172
Energy Tax Act (1978), 28
Engel, Ditlev, 37
Engelder, Carole, 13–15, 79, 91
environmental issues. See air pollution; avian impacts of wind farms, bats; avian impacts of wind farms, birds; carbon emissions; climate change; greenhouse gas emissions; noise from wind farms; visual appearance of wind farms; wildlife impacts of wind farms
Environmental Law and Policy Center, 168, 169, 173
Environmental Protection Agency. See U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
E.ON Climate and Renewables, 137
EPA. See U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
European Union: greenhouse gas reduction goal, 106
FAG, 55
farms and farming: in China, 66; economic strains of, ix, 3, 4, 6, 90, 143–44; exodus of young people from, ix, 3–4, 7; in Illinois, 118; in Iowa, 44, 140; in Kansas, ix, 3–5, 9, 12–13, 15–18, 140–49; roots of Vestas turbines in equipment for, 20, 32; water-pumping windmills and, 1–2; wildlife impacts of, 122; wind farms as income supplement to, ix, xi, 3–7, 15–16, 44, 139, 145, 148; and working landscape of farms and ranches compatible with wind, 5, 9, 18, 118, 138–40, 141, 162–64. See also landowners
Federal Aviation Administration, 10, 119
Federal Communications Commission, 11
federal energy policy: of George W. Bush, viii, 94–95; of Jimmy Carter, vii, viii, 26–28, 34, 109; on coal, 27, 33, 34, 51; of Richard Nixon, 25–26, 109; of Barack Obama, 39, 50–51, 56, 103, 124, 172, 183; of Ronald Reagan, vii, 34. See also coal; natural gas; nuclear energy; oil; solar energy; wind power incentives, federal
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), 110, 169–74, 181
feed-in tariffs (Europe), 35–36
FERC. See Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
Ferrell, Garland P. “Pete,” III, 143–49, 157–58, 161
Fish and Wildlife Service. See U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Fitz, Rusty, 83
Flint Hills, Kansas, x, 8–9, 127, 140–49
flywheel power storage. See storage of electricity
Fowler Ridge Wind Farm, Indiana, 45
France: nuclear fuel reprocessing in, 103; wind power use in, 187
Freudenthal, Dave, 123, 124
Friedman, Thomas, 72–73
Fuhrländer, 71
Fukushima Daiichi, Japan, reactor disaster, 52, 63, 102, 104, 180–81
Furman, Don, 131–32, 172–73
Gamesa, 35, 37, 69, 188
Garber, Victor E., 164
Gardiner, Robert, 158
Gates, Robert, 48, 51, 52
gear-driven turbines: assembly of gearboxes in, 41–44, 46, 51; contrast with direct-drive turbines, 55, 70; defects in and repair of, 31, 47–48; monitoring and maintenance of, 45–47, 86–87, 91; quality control in manufacture of, 46–47, 49; rotor-to-generator speed ratio in, 45, 53, 55; supply chain for, 46, 51
General Electric (GE), 31, 39, 40, 45, 46, 59, 69, 71, 86, 151, 188
geothermal energy, 28, 111
Germany: compressed-air energy storage in, 178; feed-in tariff and other policies favoring solar and wind in, 35–36; manufacture of wind turbines in, 35, 58, 188; wind energy use in, viii, 36, 187
GE Wind. See General Electric (GE)
Gipe, Paul, 30, 134
Glass, Tyler, 44
global warming. See climate change
Global Wind Energy Council, 60
Goldman Sachs, 12, 49
Goldwind Science & Technology. See Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology
Gordon, Jim, 134
Gore, Al, 142
Graf, Kristen, 93
Graham, Bruce, 17, 87–88, 91
Graham, Michelle, 17, 91
Grandpa’s Knob, Vermont, 149–51
Grand Ridge Wind Farm, Illinois, 79, 85–87, 90–91, 138–40
Grassley, Chuck, 50
Gray County Wind Energy Center, Kansas, 3, 146
Great Lakes: manufacturing region for wind, 39; shipment of wind equipment via, 77–78; wind resources of, 57, 98
greenhouse gas emissions: California’s agenda on, 184; coal’s contribution to Denmark’s, 23; Denmark’s commitment to reducing, 19, 105–6; European Union commitment to reducing, 106; nuclear power and, 101, 104; Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (U.S. Northeast), viii, 169; U.S. as world leader in per capita, 180; U.S. resistance to international curbs on, viii, 19, 146, 180. See also carbon emissions; climate change
Greenlight Energy Resources, 146, 147
Greenpeace, 60
Green Power Express, 166, 168–69
green power option. See wind power incentives, state
Grumman Aerospace, 31
Guo, Wilson, 66
Guo Zheng, 66
Hansen, H. S., 20
Hansen, Peder, 20
Hartman, Adam, 79
Harvard University, 62
Hawaii, 107, 186
Haxgart, Bjarne, 137
Hayes, Denis, 27
Hemami, Ahmad, 88–89
High Plains Express, 166
Hinkels and McCoy, 79–80, 83
Horizon Wind Energy, 12–16, 79, 81, 85, 113, 126, 161, 163, 165
Hot, Flat, and Crowded (Friedman), 72–73
households supplied by wind farms (U.S.), ix, xii, 3, 81
Hoy, Jim, 8
hubs: attachment of blades to, 49, 82; height of, 49, 114; manufacture of, 42, 46, 61; raising of, 82–83; rotational speed of, 45; transport of, 77
hydropower: in China, 63–64; power storage using, 176, 182; in U.S., 96, 111
Iberdrola Renewables, 120, 131–32, 148
Illinois: Chinese-owned wind farm in, 70; eagle flyway near White Oak Wind Energy Center, 117–18; employment in wind manufacturing in, 40; Grand Ridge Wind Farm in, 85–87, 90–91, 138–40; nuclear energy in, 138; renewable electricity standards in, 111; wind resources and wind energy use in, 57 Illinois State University, 117–18
Independence Wind, 158
India: wind energy use in, 35, 187; wind turbine manufacturing in, 37–38, 188
Indiana: Fowler Ridge Wind Farm in, 45; Meadow Lake Farm in, 74–84, 90; wind resources and wind energy use in, 57, 81
Indiana bats. See avian impacts of wind farms, bats
Industrial Wind Action Group, 154
infrasound. See noise
installed capacity (wind power): in China, 66; defined, 3; in Denmark, 36, 106, 136–37; in Germany, 36; global, 189; of top ten countries, 187–88; of states, 185–86; of turbines, 13, 31, 99; U.S. total, 36, 181, 187; of U.S. wind farms, xii, 3, 92, 130, 149, 164
Interior Department. See U.S. Interior Department
International Atomic Energy Agency, 103
International Organization for Standardization (ISO), 99
Invenergy, 79, 85–86, 117–18, 130, 163
investment tax credits. See wind power incentives, federal; wind power incentives, state
Iowa: factory closures in, 40, 41, 42–43; flooding in, 40–41; Iowa Lakes Community College in, 88–90, 92; population of, 39; wind resources and wind energy use in, 185. See also Clipper Wind
Iowa Lakes Community College, 88–90, 92
ISO. See International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
ITC Transmission, 168
Japan: Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in, 52, 63, 102, 104, 180–81
Jessen, Leo, 85–87, 90–91
Jiquan Wind Farm Base, China, 65
jobs. See employment related to wind power
Johnson, Paul, 90
Kansas: Cloud County Community College in, 17, 87–88, 91–92; early uses of wind power in, 1–2; economic benefits of wind power for Cloud County, 16–18; Flint Hills wind controversy in, x, 8–9, 140–49; land deals for wind farms in, 5–16, 144–46; prairie chickens in, 125, 128, 142; ranching practices in, 127–28, 143–44; whooping cranes in, 120; wind energy policy in, 8, 111, 146–48; wind farms in, ix, 3–18, 64, 79, 80, 146–49, 161; wind resources and wind energy use in, 1, 9, 97, 144–45, 149, 185
Kansas Livestock Association, 126, 127
Kansas State University, 93, 126, 128
Kaplan, Matthew, 71–72
Kennedy, Edward M. “Ted,” viii, 135–36, 145, 170
Kerlinger, Paul, 119
Klataske, Ron, 142–43
Koch, Bill, 145–46, 183–84
Koch, Charles and David, 146, 183–84
Kocher, Kurt, and family, 3–5, 12–13
Koch Industries, 145–46
Konza Prairie Biological Station, Kansas, 128
Kosciuch, Karl, 120
Kruse, Peter Wenzel, 36–37, 121, 122
Kyoto Protocol, 180
Lahti, Tom, 167
Lalley, Matt, 43, 44
landowners: income from wind farms, ix, xi, 3–7, 15–16, 139, 145, 148; negotiations with wind developers, 5–16, 144–46, 150, 163–64; perspectives on wind farm noise, 5, 151–59; opposition to wind farms among, 8–9, 140–49, 150–59
land used by wind farms: acreage leased or optioned to wind developers, 6, 10, 12–13, 15, 145, 150, 163–64; footprint of wind farms, 81, 164; “go-zones” in Wyoming, 125; land needed per turbine, 5; setbacks from residential buildings, 157–59; spacing between turbines, 118–19
LaSalle County Nuclear Station, 138
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 112
layout of wind farms. See visual appearance of wind farms
Lazard Ltd., 113
Learner, Howard, 168–69, 173
Leventhall, Geoff, 155
Liberty turbines. See Clipper Wind
Li Fan, 70
life cycle environmental assessment, wind and other power sources, 98–101
Li Junfeng, 60
Lone Star Transportation, 74
Lovins, Amory, 29, 30
Lowell, Kirk, 10, 17–18
low-frequency sound. See noise
Loyd, Bob, 41–45, 47, 89
Mackinaw Ecosystem Partnership, 117
Maine: Governor’s Task Force on Wind Power, 151, 157; wind farm noise in, 151, 154, 156–58; wind resources and wind energy use in, 186
maintenance of wind turbines, 84–87, 90–91
Manes, Stephanie, 126–28
manufacture of wind turbines: in China, 21, 55–56, 59–62, 68–73; in Denmark, ix, 13–14, 19–25, 32–33, 35–37, 58; employment in, 20, 35, 37, 39–40, 94; in Germany, 35, 58; in India, 38; leading manufacturers serving U.S. market, 188; quality control in, 31–33, 46–49, 52–55; smaller companies in, 49–50, 57; in Spain, 35, 37, 58, 69; in U.S., 31–32, 37–58, 188; worker safety and, 45–46; workplace morale and, 44–45. See also manufacturers of wind turbine components; manufacturers of wind turbines
manufacturers of wind turbine components. See American Superconductor; Cardinal Fastener; FAG; SKF; Timken; TPI Composites; Trinity Structural Towers
manufacturers of wind turbines. See Acciona; Bonus; Clipper Wind; DeWind; Fuhrländer; Gamesa; General Electric (GE); Mitsubishi; NEG Micon; Nordtank; REpower; Siemens; Sinovel; Suzlon; United Technologies Corporation (UTC); Vestas Wind Systems; XEMC Wind-power; Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology
Maples, Steve, 80–84, 90, 91
Markey, Edward J. “Ed,” 169–71
Mars Hill wind farm, Maine, 151, 154, 157
Mason, Ray, 5–7, 17
Massachusetts: flywheel power storage in, 177; Ed Markey on wind, 169–71; wind resources and wind energy use in, 97, 186. See also Cape Wind
McCunney, Robert, 152–54
McDonnell Douglas, 31
McElwee, Charles R., II, 67
Meader, Mark, 40–41, 43
Meadow Lake Farm, Indiana: construction of, 77, 78–84, 90, 91; delivery of turbine parts to, 74–78; generating capacity of, 81; land used by, 81
Meridian Way Wind Farm, Kansas: conservation easements and, 126–27, 143; construction of, 13–16, 78–80; cost of, 11–12; economic benefits of, for community, 16–18; financial backing for, 12, 49; generating capacity of, ix, 64; income for landowners from, 4–7, 15; jobs created by, 16–17; land acquisition for, 9–16, 127; location of, 3; naming of, 11; prairie chickens at, 126–28; purchase of power from, 11, 12–13, 161–62; transmission lines from, 161–62; Vestas wind turbines at, xii, 3, 4–6, 14, 84–85, 99–100
meteorological towers, 9, 10, 124, 145–46
methane emissions: wind compared to other power sources, 101
Middle East: Arab oil embargo, vii, 22, 25, 26, 109, 180; gas resources in, 109; oil from, 104, 105; political changes in, 180
Miller, Chris, 173–74
Mitsubishi, 38, 188
Molvar, Erik, 124–25
Mortensen, Lone, 19–22
nacelle: described, 14, 42, 44; failed climb attempt, 84; installation of, 80, 81, 82, 83; manufacturing of, 37, 42, 44, 61, 70; transport of, 74; working conditions in, 86, 88–89, 92
NASA, 31
National Academy of Sciences, 102
National Health and Medical Research Council, 154
National Historic Trails, 167
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), 96–99, 119, 144, 162, 163
National Research Council, 158
natural gas: changing federal policies regarding use of, 33–34; China and, 63; environmental impacts of, 107–10, 122; federal land leases for extraction of, 167; federal subsidies for, 51; FERC jurisdiction over natural gas pipelines, 172; levelized cost of combined-cycle gas plants, 113; life-cycle air emissions of electricity generated by, 99–101; ongoing role for, 181; prospects for shifting to wind power from, 109–10; unconventional recovery methods for (hydraulic fracturing), 108–9; U.S. and foreign supplies of, 107–8; use of, for electricity and household heating, 96, 107; volatile price of, 112; Wyoming sage grouse politics and, 122–25
Nature Conservancy, 8, 143
NEG Micon, 20
Nevada: proposed nuclear waste repository in, 103; transmission line siting in, 165, 167; wind resources and wind energy use in, 97, 186
Newbold, Clint, 80, 82
New York: wind resources and wind energy use in, 57, 81, 185
New Zealand, 35
NextEra Energy Resources, 117
Nissenbaum, Michael, 152, 153–54, 157, 159
nitrogen oxide emissions: wind compared to other power sources, 101
Ni Xiangyu, 61
Nixon, Richard, 25–26, 109, 184
noise from wind farms: annoyance thresholds for, 153–54; distance from turbines and, 151–59; downwind and upwind rotors and, 156; health concerns about, 152–59; setbacks as safeguard against, 157–59; setting noise limits for, 155–60; sound frequencies and, 153
Nordtank company, 32, 35
North China Electric Power University, 66
North Dakota: Antelope Valley Station and coal use in, 168–69; coal piggybacking on Green Power Express in, 168–69; wind resources and wind energy use in, 57, 185
NREL. See National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
nuclear energy: “carbon neutrality” and “clean energy” claims for, 101, 104, 171; Carter’s policy on, 27, 33; in China, 63; cost of, 113; decommissioning of, 103; Denmark’s ban on, 22; disasters involving, 52, 63, 101–2, 104, 115, 180–81; in France, 103; in Illinois, 138; liability limits and other federal support for, 52, 57; Nixon’s policy on, 25; number of nuclear power plants in U.S., 52; poorly matched to wind power balancing needs, 176; Reagan’s policy on, vii, 34; share of U.S. electricity production, 96; waste disposal for, 52, 103–4; weapons proliferation risk of, 102–3
Obama, Barack, 39, 50–51, 56, 69, 103, 124, 172, 183
“Obama Bolt,” 39, 80
offshore wind power: Cape Wind, viii, 18, 134–36, 145–46, 170, 181; China and, 65; Denmark and, 36, 136–38; Great Lakes and, 57; porpoises and, 137; U.S. potential for, 98; visual appearance of, 134–38
Ohio: wind equipment manufacturing in, 51, 52–57; wind resources and wind energy use in, 57, 186
oil: Arab embargo of, vii, 22, 25, 26, 109, 180; in Denmark, 22, 23; drilling for, on federal land, 167; electric vehicles to reduce reliance on, 104–7; lobbying by leaders of, to block climate change policies, 145–46; Nixon’s policy on, 25–26, 109; price history of, 33, 35, 112; Reagan’s policy on, 34; subsidies for, 51; U.S. reliance on foreign sources of, 18, 26, 104–7, 180; U.S. consumption of, 26, 96, 104, 105, 107–10; wars fought over, xi, 18, 110–11, 180; Wyoming politics regarding sage grouse protection and, 123–25
Oklahoma: Blue Canyon Wind Farm in, 8; whooping crane migration through, 120; wind resources and wind energy use in, 185
OPEC, 109, 180. See also Arab oil embargo
operations and maintenance (O&M) jobs, 84–87, 90–91
opposition to wind farms: in California, 116–17, 134; in Flint Hills, x, 8–9, 140–49; in Vermont, 150–59; in Wyoming, 122–25. See also avian impacts of wind farms, bats; avian impacts of wind farms, birds; Cape Wind; noise from wind farms; visual appearance of wind farms
Oregon: wind resources and wind energy use in,183, 185
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), 109, 180. See also Arab oil embargo
Oxbow Power Corporation, 145–46
Pacific Gas & Electric, 30, 34
Parsons, Stan, 144
Pathfinder Renewable Energy LLC, 164–65
Pederson, Knud, 105–6, 177
Peñascal Wind Farm, Texas, 120
Pennsylvania: bat protection efforts at Casselman Wind Power Project in, 131–32; wind resources and wind energy use in, 57, 185
Percy, Charles “Chuck,” vii
Pernal, Mary, 151
Peyton, Joel, 44, 45–46
Piedmont Environmental Council, Virginia, 172, 173–74
Pierpont, Nina, 154–55, 157, 159
PJM Interconnection, 174–75
Powerplant and Industrial Fuel Use Act (1978), 33
PPM Energy, 147–48
prairie chickens. See avian impacts of wind farms, birds
Price Anderson Act, 52
production tax credit (PTC). See wind power incentives, federal
Protect the Flint Hills, 148
PTC. See production tax credit
Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA), 27–28
Putnam, Palmer Cosslett, 149–50
ranches and ranching. See farms and farming
Ranchland Trust of Kansas, 126–27, 143
Reagan, Ronald, vii, 34, 184
REAL. See Renewable Energy Alliance of Landowners (REAL)
Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), viii, 169
Reisky, Sandy, 146–48
Ren Dongming, 64–65
renewable electricity standards: adopted by states, 111, 112, 165, 183; proposed federal, 111
Renewable Energy Alliance of Landowners (REAL), 163–64
RENEW Wisconsin, 158
REpower, 188
research and development (R&D): on power storage, 176–78; on wind turbines, 23, 31–35
Revere, Paul, 60
RGGI. See Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI)
Risø National Laboratory, Denmark, 23, 32
Robel, Robert, 125–28
Roberts, Jim, 7–16, 66, 127
Rødsand Offshore Wind Farm, Denmark, 136–38
Roggenkamp, Loma, 92–93
Romney, Mitt, 135, 136
Roosevelt, Franklin D., x
rotors: axis of, 31; cut-in speed of, 131–32; expanding diameter of, 114; monitoring speed of, 86; number of blades on, 2, 14, 20, 32, 80, 82–83, 134; rotational speed of, 45, 119, 131–32, swept area of, 114; tip speeds of, 153
Royko, Mike, 29
Rutland Regional Medical Center, 152
safety. See worker safety
sage grouse. See avian impacts of wind farms, birds
Salazar, Ken, 124
Sammons Enterprises, 164
San Gorgonio Pass, California, 30, 134
Savory, Allan, 144
Sawyer, Steve, 60
Schwarzenegger, Arnold, 183
Sebelius, Kathleen, 8, 146–48
setbacks for wind turbines, from residential buildings, 157–59
“shadow flicker” from wind turbines, 155
Shultz, George, 184
Siemens/Siemens Energy, 38, 40, 92, 188
Sinovel, 71
siting of wind farms: in China, 66–67; in general, 159–60; in Illinois, 117–18, 138–40; Indiana, 75; in Kansas, 5, 8–9, 127, 140–49; in Vermont, 149–59; in Wyoming, 163–64. See also avian impacts of wind farms, bats; avian impacts of wind farms, birds; Cape Wind; noise impacts of wind farms; visual appearance of wind farms; wildlife, impacts from wind farms
SKF, 55
smart grid. See transmission of electricity
Soft Energy Paths (Lovins), 29
solar energy: in California, 29, 30, 111, 165; Carter’s policy on, 26, 27, 34; cost of, 113, 182; definition of, 27; in Germany, 35; Nixon’s policy on, 25; solar thermal power, 113; statistics on, 96; tax credit for, 28; White House solar water-heating panels, viii, 27, 34
Solar Energy Industries Association, 172
Solar Energy Research Institute, 27
SourceWatch, 168
Southern California Edison, 30, 34
Southwest Power Pool, 162, 175
Spain: wind energy in, viii, 36, 187; wind industry in, 12, 35, 37, 40, 69, 120, 188
Sporer, Bonnie, 15–16
Stark, Pete, 30
Stevens, Ted, 135–36
St. Nikola Kavarna wind farm, Bulgaria, 120
storage of electricity: batteries and, 178–79, 182; compressed air and, 178; electric vehicles and, 106–7, 177, 182; flywheels and, 177–79, 182; hydro dams and, 176, 182; smart-metered buildings and appliances and, 177
Stovall, Bill, 74–78
sulfur dioxide emissions, 100–101
Sundgren, Jacque and Steve, 143
Supreme Court, U.S. See U.S. Supreme Court
Suzlon, 188
swept area. See blades; rotors
Tehachapi Pass, California, 30, 31, 134
Tennessee Valley Authority, 129
Texas: drilling for natural gas in, 108; employment in wind manufacturing in, 40; greater prairie chicken in, 125; whooping cranes in, 120; wind energy use in, 183; wind farms in, 120; wind resources and wind energy use in, 185
Three Mile Island nuclear accident, 63, 101, 104, 181
Tianrun New Energy Investment Company, Ltd., 67, 68
Tiedeman, Mary, 44
Tierney, Susan, 175–76
Timken, Henry, 53
Timken, Ward J. “Tim,” Jr., 56
Timken Company, 52–57, 59, 69, 184
tip speed. See blades
Titus, Roger W., 130–31
Todd, Wendy, 151, 156, 157
Top of the World Windpower Project, Wyoming, 92
towers: buckling of, 31; climbing of, 84–86; erection of, 14, 78–82, 91; height and weight of, ix, 14, 79, 149; height of, related to output, 114; manufacture of, 20, 37, 40, 46, 172; recycling of, 100; transport of, 14, 74, 77–78; visual appearance of, 114, 134; working conditions in, 84, 86, 91–92
training programs for wind energy technicians, 17, 87–93
TransCanada’s Zephyr line, 166
transmission of electricity: to California, 165; in China, 168, 170; citizen groups and, 168–74; coal piggybacking and, 171; costs of, and cost-sharing formulas for new transmission lines, 174–76; East Coast and, 169–70; in Europe, 170; federal role in, 166–74; “smart grid” management tools for, x, 176–78, 182; in Kansas, 161–62; from Midwest, 166, 168–70, 174–75; modernization of, 171–79, 182; in Nevada, 165, 167; and siting of new interstate transmission lines, 161–74; West-Wide Energy Corridor, 167; for wind energy, 161–79; in Wyoming, 164–67. See also storage of electricity
transportation: cost of, for turbine transport, 105; electric vehicles for wind power storage and use, 106–7, 177, 182; energy consumed in U.S. for, 105; trucking of turbine components, 14, 74–77; use of rail and ships for turbine transport, 77–78
TransWest Express, 165, 166, 167
Trinity Structural Towers, 40
Tsinghua University, 62
turbines. See wind turbines
24M, 178, 179
Union of Concerned Scientists, 169
Union Pacific Railroad, 78, 166
United Kingdom: wind resources and wind energy use in, 35, 187, 188
United Steelworkers, 69
United Technologies Corporation (UTC), 48
University of Georgia, 122
University of Iowa, 89
UPC Renewables, 66, 67, 68
U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), 166–67
USDA. See U.S. Department of Agriculture
U.S. Department of Agriculture, 15
U.S. Department of Defense, 10–11
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), x, 94–95, 100, 109, 110, 121, 160, 172, 175, 181
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 156
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 121, 122, 131, 133
U.S. Interior Department, 122, 124, 166
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 103
U.S. Supreme Court, 28, 172
utility purchases of wind power: Commonwealth Edison, in Illinois, 70; Empire District Electric and Westar, in Kansas, 11–13, 161–62; feed-in tariffs as catalysts to, in Europe, 35–36; Nevada and California utilities as prime markets for, 30, 34, 165; PURPA’s creation of market for, 27–28; renewable electricity standards as catalysts to, 111, 112, 183–84
Van Beusekom, Justin, 84–85
Van Est, Rinie, 32
variability of wind, and need for balancing, 105–7, 176–78, 181, 182
Vattenfall, 99
Vermont: Grandpa’s Knob wind turbine in, 149–51; opposition to wind farms in, 150–59; Taconic Mountains in, x; wind resources and wind energy use in, 186
Vermont Community Wind, 150–52
Vestas Wind Systems: blade manufacture in Lem, Denmark, 19–22; in China, 60–62, 69, 71; and climb attempt, 84; compared with Clipper Wind, 45, 46; and construction of Meadow Lake Wind Farm, Illinois, 74, 77, 80; diagram and dimensions of turbines made by, xii, 14, 74, 84–85; employment by, 20, 35, 37; factory locations of, 20–21, 35, 37, 60–62; global headquarters of, 36–37; history of, 20, 32–36; life-cycle analyses of wind turbines by, 99–100; markets for, 24–25, 35–36, 188; revenues of, 20; as world’s top-ranked turbine supplier, ix, 20
Vickerman, Michael, 158
Virginia: as home of Piedmont Environmental Council, 172–74; wind resources and wind energy use in, 186
Visceral Vibratory Vestibular Disturbance, 155
visual appearance of wind farms: aviation lights on turbines, 137–38; Cape Wind and, 134–36; Flint Hills objections to, 8, 141–43; Illinois farm families’ divergent perspectives on, 138–40; increasing size of turbines, 113–15, 119, 135; Kurt Kocher and, 5; layout of turbines and, 15, 81, 116, 118–19, 134–35, 138; National Historic Trails and, 167; Rødsand Offshore Wind Farm (Denmark) and, 136–38; spacing between turbines, 118–19, 138; turbine design changes and, 31, 114, 134–35, 138; visual chaos at older California wind farms, 31, 34, 116, 134–35; water-pumping windmills, 1–2
Walker, Scott, 158–59
Walters, Jeanna, 93–94
water-pumping windmills, 1–2
Waxman, Henry, 171
Wellinghoff, Jon, 110, 170–71, 177, 181
Wennberg, Jeff, 152
Westar Energy, 12, 13, 161
Westinghouse, 31
West Virginia: bat protection effort in, 130–31; wind resources and wind energy use in, 186
West-Wide Energy Corridor, 167
Wheatley, Dave, 41, 43
White, Sylvia, 134
White Oak Wind Energy Center, Illinois, 117–18
white storks. See avian impacts of wind farms, birds
Whitton, Bob, 162–65
WHO. See World Health Organization (WHO)
Whole Earth Catalog, 101
whooping cranes. See avian impacts of wind farms, birds
Widman, Bob and Ruth, 139
Wilder, Throop, 178
wildlife, impacts from wind farms: on big-game species, 125; offshore wind farms, 137; and pacing of wind farm development, 118. See also avian impacts of wind farms, bats; avian impacts of wind farms, birds
Wind, Tom, 178
Wind and Prairie Task Force (Kansas), 8
wind chargers, 2
wind farm developers. See Beech Ridge Energy LLP; BP Wind Energy; EDP Renewables; Enel; E.ON Climate and Renewables; Greenlight Energy Resources; Horizon Wind Energy; Iberdrola Renewables; Independence Wind; Invenergy; NextEra Energy Resources; Oxbow Power Corporation; Pathfinder Renewable Energy; PPM Energy; Sammons Enterprises; Tianrun New Energy Investment Company, Ltd.; Vermont Community Wind
wind farms (non–U.S.). See Donghai Bridge offshore wind farm, China; Jiquan Wind Farm Base, China; Rødsand Offshore Wind Farm, Denmark; St. Nikola Kaverna Wind Farm, Bulgaria
wind farms (U.S.). See Altamont Pass, California; Beaver Ridge Wind Project, Maine; Beech Ridge Wind Farm, West Virginia; Blue Canyon Wind Farm, Oklahoma; Buffalo Mountain Wind Energy Center, Tennessee; Cape Wind, Massachusetts; Casselman Wind Power Project, Pennsylvania; Chokecherry– Sierra Madre wind complex, Wyoming; Elk River Wind Power Project, Kansas; Fowler Ridge Wind Farm, Indiana; Grandpa’s Knob, Vermont; Grand Ridge Wind Farm, Illinois; Gray County Wind Energy Center, Kansas; Mars Hill wind farm, Maine; Meadow Lake Wind Farm, Indiana; Meridian Way Wind Farm, Kansas; Peñascal Wind Farm, Texas; San Gorgonio Pass, California; Tehachapi Pass, California; Top of the World Windpower Project, Wyoming; White Oak Wind Energy Center, Illinois
wind power capacity: as affected by wind speed (“cube rule”), 114; in California, 30–33, 185; in China, 19, 59–73, 187; as a factor of blade length, 114; global installed wind power capacity (1996–2010), 189; in Kansas, 1–18, 97, 144–45, 149, 185; in Massachusetts, 97, 186; ranking of installed wind power capacity, by country, 187–88; ranking of U.S. onshore wind power capacity (present and potential), by state, 185–86; in U.S., 96–98, 125, 185–86; U.S. offshore wind power potential, 98, 170, 181; in Wyoming, 125, 162–65, 185
Wind Power in America’s Future (DOE report), 94
wind power incentives, federal: grid modernization grants, 172; investment tax credits, 28, 34–35, 51; loan guarantees, 172; Obama stimulus measures, 50–51, 56, 172; production tax credit, 2–3, 13, 50–51, 111, 113, 182–83; technical training grants, 88. See also wind power incentives, state
wind power incentives, state: grants and loans, 111; green power option, 111; investment tax credits and tax-free bonds in California, 30–31, 33–35; net-metering laws, 111; property tax exemption in Kansas, 2, 147; renewable electricity standards, 111, 112, 165, 183. See also wind power incentives, federal
wind speed: and bat fatalities, 131–32; definition of “windy land areas,” 97; impact on turbine capacity factor, 97, 114; impact on turbine durability, 53–54; turbine tower height and, 114; and U.S. wind power potential, 96–98, 185–86
wind turbine components. See blades; hubs; nacelles; rotors; towers
wind turbines: availability of, 87; capacity factor of, 3, 97, 114; climbing of, 84–85, 91, 92; cost of, 11–12, 113; cut-in speed for, 131–32; design of, 31–32, 34, 39, 113–17, 149–50; diagram of, xii; dimensions and weight of, xii, 14, 49, 74, 75, 84–85, 92, 114–15, 119; direct-drive vs. gear-driven, 31, 41–51, 53, 55, 70, 86–87, 91; erection of, 13–14, 81–84, 90–91; foundations for, 80; installed capacity of, 13, 31, 99; land required for, 5, 118–19; maintenance of, 84–87, 90–91; noise from and noise limits for, x, 5, 149–60; research and development on, 23, 31–35; rotational speed of, 119; setbacks for, from neighboring homes, 157, 158–59; “shadow flicker” from, 155; transport of, 74–78; wildlife impacts from, x, 116–33, 159, 167. See also manufacture of wind turbines; visual appearance of wind farms; wind turbine components
Wind Turbine Syndrome, 154–55
Wisconsin: turbine setback controversy in, 158–59; wind resources and wind energy use in,185
women, employment of: at wind farms, 13–15, 17, 79, 82, 91–94; in technical training programs, 91–94; in top corporate positions, 93
Women of Wind Energy, 93
Wood, Grant, 18
worker safety: in operations and maintenance of turbines, 83, 86, 88, 92–93; at turbine manufacturing plants, 45–46
World Health Organization (WHO), 156
World Trade Organization (WTO), 69
Wyoming: coal mining in, 122, 123; coalition of pro-wind landowner associations (REAL) in, 163–64; electric transmission lines originating in, 164–67; federal lands in, 166–67; National Historic Trails in, 167; oil and gas resources in, 123–24; ranching in, 162–63; sage grouse in, 122–25, 159; wildlife conservation in, 122–23, 125, 159, 167; wind farm siting in, 123–25, 167; wind resources and wind energy use in, 124–25, 162–65, 185
Wyoming Infrastructure Authority, 164
XEMC Windpower, 55
Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology, 67–68, 70–71
Young, Don, 135
Yucca Mountain, Nevada, 103
Zehtindjiev, Pavel, 120
Zephyr transmission line, 164–65, 166, 167
Zilkha Renewable Energy, 7, 8–12, 49, 127, 147