NEWS Energy Plan For Charles Mix County Presented At ForumSharePress & Dakotan (SD) A five-man team of SDSU students has worked with the Charles Mix County Commission to determine the feasibility of wind energy for the region. The students have found a plentiful wind supply for the California-shaped county, which borders the Missouri River along the state's southern border. Matt Hein and Matt Fodness, two of the students, gave a short presentation during Friday's renewable-energy workshop at the Wagner High School auditorium. The other team members are Aaron Boomsma, Josh Regnier and Kody Karschnik. Hein spoke of the tremendous potential for wind energy as a renewable resource. "Wind is free, and it's right here. Meanwhile, the cost of fuel keeps going up," he said. The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) says, by 2020, small wind turbines could contribute 3 percent, or 50,000 megawatts, to America's electrical supply, Hein said. "That's a small percentage, but a very big number," he said. Charles Mix County can produce large amounts of wind energy, Fodness said. However, the county of about 9,000 residents can't consume a huge supply, and no affordable means exists for exporting wind energy to other parts of the nation, he added. "South Dakota does not have a large amount of transmission lines to carry to the public regions where (wind energy) is needed the most," he said. "We thought the smaller wind turbines would be better than the larger wind farms." Cost and capacity are two major factors against major wind operations in South Dakota, Hein said. "If you go with the smaller wind turbines, you would have lower initial financial investment, faster installation, flexibility on location, warranties and low risk," he said. Hein emphasized the flexibility in deciding where to locate small turbines. "With large wind turbines, you have to get it right the first time," he said. "It would be better to have 1,000 two-kilowatt turbines rather than one 2,000-kilowatt turbine. You have a huge security benefit, and it helps stabilize the grid taking on electricity." Hein pointed out the features of the 100-kilowatt, 50-kilowatt and 1.8-kilowatt turbines. The small Skystream model appears well-suited for Charles Mix County, he said. The Skystream wouldn't look "intrusive" in the countryside, Hein said. "They just look like they are supposed to be there," he said. The SDSU team has figured a 12-year payback for a small turbine, based on a $9,000 installation cost and annual savings of $772.28. The turbines are built to last 25 years with no maintenance, they said. The savings from a single turbine could be rolled into the installation of more turbines, producing even more energy and savings, Fodness said. Hein quoted renewable-energy expert Amory Lovins, who said, "Small, fast stuff is more valuable than big, slow stuff, and it's worth paying more for." During the question-and-answer session, an audience member asked why Charles Mix County doesn't use the transmission lines now running through the county. Public Utilities Commission analyst Steve Wegman, who made an earlier presentation, said the transmission lines are controlled by the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA). Charles Mix County would need to pay for usage of the WAPA lines in South Dakota, then pay additional charges upon entering each additional state. The cost of transmitting wind energy to Minneapolis and Chicago would become prohibitive, he said. In addition, the path south would be blocked, Wegman said, as the Nebraska state constitution prohibits an outside investor from selling power in the Cornhusker state. Charles Mix County's efforts could receive financial and technical assistance through federal grant and loan programs, said Sherrie Lewis of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development office in Yankton. However, the USDA program remains very competitive and prefers programs with a payback of four years or less, Lewis said. After the workshop, Hein said he realizes the need to cut the payback period for the Charles Mix County project in order to take advantage of federal programs. "The 12 years (for payback) isn't going to cut it," he said. "We want to get it down to possibly four or five years." Hein admitted the need for some "South Dakota ingenuity" to meet the challenge. "We are looking at ways of cutting the expense," he said. "We would like to tighten the basics a little." However, both SDSU students said the project has already drawn interest from around the nation. And they were heartened to hear an expert in the industry advocating Friday many of the same ideas they have been pursuing. The growing interest in Charles Mix County could spur competition among manufacturers and engineering firms seeking to work on the project, Hein said. "They can cut deals with the county and help lower their energy costs," he said. The key is producing a successful model, Hein said. "We want to get one going. Once we get one up that proves itself, we think everybody who sees it will want one," he said. While the SDSU team is working formally with Charles Mix County officials, the students have also held conversations with the Yankton Sioux on the tribe's wind-energy efforts in the region. The SDSU team members received high marks from their mechanical engineer senior design professor, Mike Twedt, who also gave a presentation Friday. "They have done a great job. They are putting in more hours, way above what you would typically expect, mostly because they enjoy this project," he said. "They are very skilled engineering students, and they are going to tweak their (project) estimates over the course of the spring." Charles Mix County Commission vice chairman Carrol "Red" Allen initially approached SDSU about assistance on a wind-energy project. He attended Friday's session and said he was working with the SDSU team on a full presentation, possibly in late April. "We would like to set up two public meetings, possibly one in Wagner and one in Platte. We could invite the mayors, the city councils and the school districts," Allen said. "This could possibly work with the 'Wind For Schools' program that they are going with statewide. Wagner has already applied for that (program), and so has Lake Andes. They only select six throughout the state. Hopefully, we will get at least one in Charles Mix County." Allen said he also plans to speak with fellow county commissioners Keith Mushitz and Sharon Drapeau about developing a wind turbine for the law enforcement center in Lake Andes. "They ordinarily use more power (at the law enforcement center) than most of the other agencies, so it seems natural," Allen said. He said the smaller start-up appears the way to go, at least for now. "We were told, if we wanted to do (a major project) right now, and had it all set up, it would still take five years because of the paperwork," he said. "You have the infrastructure (issues) and the environmental types of permits." The SDSU team has gained a worldwide audience by posting its project on the Internet, Twedt said. "This is an ambitious project, bigger than normal," he said. "They have done a great job." |
