Study outlines benefits of adding VAWTs
A recent study published by Wind Harvest International, a Davis-based turbine production company, found that wind resources produced by an addition of mid-level wind turbines could nearly quintuple the energy output in the exceptionally windy Solano Wind Resource Area.
This could possibly result in providing enough energy to power 1.4 million California homes each year.
“To achieve a clean energy future, we need to make use of the least expensive sources of renewable energy found in the windiest areas around the world,” said Kevin Wolf, CEO of Wind Harvest. “Adding an underlayer of vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs) in the Solano Wind Resource Area would be a win for the county and Northern California ratepayers.”
According to the report, the Solano Wind Resource Area is the second biggest in the state with over one gigawatt (GW) of horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWTs) operating in its 13 wind farms. At this time these turbines produce over 3,000 Gigawatt hour (GWh) of renewable electricity each year but additional turbines cannot be installed without changes in Solano County's zoning laws. Smaller VAWTs, however, meet zoning requirements and could be added to significantly increase energy production of the area.
“Because this land is already zoned for wind turbines, and infrastructure has already been installed, it should take less time and effort to secure a permit to install an understory of VAWTs into existing wind farms than it is to develop new wind farms in the state,” said Wolf.
Using location information and average annual wind speeds from UL's Windnavigator, the study analyzed 66 feet above-ground wind speeds in the Solano Wind Resource Area and found that the existing farms could add 5 GW and 13,500 GWh can be produced with these shorter VAWTs in the windy parts of Solano County.
The report also stated that there is the potential to install these smaller VAWT turbines in areas north of Highway 12, where zoning codes prevent taller turbines from being put in due to conflicts they would create with Travis Air Force Base.