PDF Version
Hundreds of megawatts of community wind projects have already been installed throughout the country, but increased policy support for locally-owned projects is needed so that rural America can continue to benefit from this growing industry.
Location: Denmark and numerous U.S. offices
Turbine Sizes: 250 kW, 400 kW, 1.3 MW, 2.3 MW, and 3.6 MW
Location: Germany
Turbine Sizes: 1.5 MW, 2.0 MW, 5.0 MW
From the U.S. Dept. of Labor: Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/electric_power/illustrated_glossary/index.html
The electrical generation, transmission, and distribution system has been labeled the most complex machine ever created by humans. There are many rules and regulations to ensure that it runs reliably, and as a result the process for interconnecting your energy project with this system involves dealing with regulatory agencies at the state and regional level as well as utility personnel, engineering consultants, and lawyers with experience with interconnection contracts. It can take over a year to complete the required interconnection studies and can cost your project up into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. You will need to weigh the results of conversations and studies to determine if it is worth moving on to the next phase of studies or if the cost of interconnection will not allow your site to be profitable.
A power purchase agreement (PPA) is a contract to buy the electricity generated by a power plant. These agreements are a critical part of planning a successful wind project because they secure a long-term stream of revenue for the project through the sale of the electricity generated by the project. Securing a good PPA is often one of the most challenging elements of wind project development.
This section covers the basics of a power purchase agreement and things to consider as you negotiate with a power purchaser. The main topics covered in this section are:
