Incorporate Wind Energy into Existing Infrastructure

This is an article that was submitted to me by James Post on a wind construction project in the Caribbean. The article is much too long and full of vibrant colored photos to post directly on the blog. He is an eco-investor with a renewable energy project in the Caribbean and wants to share his project and story with others. I believe he wants to share his successful wind energy project with the world while showing that it is a viable option for island nations. From the article:

There are two mainstream approaches to incorporate wind energy into the existing infrastructure:

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1. The electricity companies and/or the governments develop a wind park. In the Caribbean the maximum sizes for windmills are between 250 kW and 900 kW, depending on location. Especially the larger windmills are real engineering projects that require long preparations and have lead times that are long. By the middle of next decade we could expect real progress when decisions are taken on short notice, which is however rather unusual in this part of the world. The wind penetration that can be achieved with the larger systems is technically limited and in the range of 25-30% of the lowest electricity use, or around 10-15% of the average.

2. As happens in many countries all over the world, there are private initiatives to place windmills. In most countries there is legislation that the energy companies are obliged to buy the excess energy at a fair price, usually slightly under or at fossil fuel cost. Such arrangements will be key to promote the breakthrough of wind energy in the region. The windmills installed by individuals (companies) are typically smaller, up to 250 kW. These windmills are much easier to install, have a short lead time and the owners will wish to act swiftly. Very short term action can therefore be expected. There is another major pro: several of the smaller windmills have the capability to dynamically limit the output in function of demand. This means that much higher wind penetrations can be achieved. So even when a wind farm is scheduled, it makes much sense to complement with small windmills.

Technorati Tags: global warming, climate change, wind energy, Caribbean

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