REGION: U.S. becomes wind power leader
SoCal playing role in shift to green energy
By DAVE DOWNEY - Staff Writer | ∞
For a country with a reputation for being addicted to fossil fuels, it may come as a surprise that the United States is now the world leader in one green-energy category.
During the first half of 2008, the U.S. surpassed Germany in total amount of electricity generated from the wind, according to the American Wind Energy Association.
And San Diego and Riverside counties are playing a role in wind power's rise in this country.
Germany still has the ability to generate more electricity at any given moment, but the U.S. is getting more out of its windmill-like turbines, said Ryan Wiser, a scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory who tracks wind power.
"America is sort of a Saudi Arabia of wind," said Jim Walker, association president and vice chairman of enXco, an Escondido-based green energy developer, in a telephone interview Thursday. "It's got much better wind ---- higher wind speeds."
As a result, U.S. turbines churn out electricity about 30 percent of the time compared to 20 percent of the time in Germany, Walker said, and are generating more power.
At the same time, the U.S. is adding turbines three times as fast as Germany and soon ---- within a year or two ---- will possess the world's largest wind generation capacity.
The trend, while far from proof the U.S. is cured of its addiction, is an indication the country is moving aggressively toward a greener future at a time when there is growing concern about the potential for global warming to cause far-reaching damage.
Climate scientists, a large majority of whom believe there is a connection between greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and the changing climate, warn that California could be hit by coastal flooding, hotter and smoggier summers, more and larger wildfires, and shrinking water supplies.
'Tip of the iceberg'
Regional economists say San Diego and Riverside counties also could benefit from the trend because one of the state's biggest wind farms is along Interstate 10 near Palm Springs and one of the areas with the biggest potential for new wind farms is along Interstate 8 east of San Diego.
San Diego Gas & Electric, for example, developed 50 megawatts of wind power recently on land owned by the Campo Band of Kumeyaay Indians.
And, said Walker, whose company operates 3,800 turbines throughout the country, "The Kumeyaay project is really the tip of the iceberg."
According to the utility's Web site, the utility that provides electricity to 3.5 million people in San Diego County and southern Orange County has signed contracts to secure up to 356 megawatts of power from turbines in San Diego, Riverside and Kern counties.
Jennifer Briscoe, a company spokeswoman, said the firm is trying to wind up a contract for 210 additional megawatts of wind power.
To place those numbers in perspective, San Diego-area residents use nearly 5,000 megawatts to light and cool homes and offices on the hottest summer days.
A megawatt is the amount of electricity it takes to power 650 homes, according to the San Diego utility.
The new focus on the wind is moving the utility closer to meeting a state mandate of providing 20 percent of its power from green renewable sources, though company officials have said they won't meet the 2010 target date.
Shifting winds
Southern California Edison, which provides electricity to customers in Riverside, Orange, Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties, among other areas, also is scrambling to meet the mandate, though it is farther along.
As of last year, 16 percent of its power came from green energy sources ---- the most in the nation ---- while just 6 percent of SDG&E's power came from such sources.
Mike Marelli, "manager of origination for renewable and alternative power" for Edison, said that one-fifth of the energy giant's green electricity comes from the wind.
Marelli said the company has about 1,000 megawatts of capacity, primarily from turbines in the Palm Springs area and in the Tehachapi Mountains north of Los Angeles.
By 2010, the utility plans to begin tapping a new, 1,500-megawatt wind project in the Tehachapis that will more than double the total.
Besides the major regional utilities, the military is getting into the act, too.
The U.S. Marine Corps on Friday broke ground on its first wind farm, one that will power its Marine Corps Logistics Base, Barstow, a supply and maintenance installation in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County.
The renewed interest in tapping one of Mother Nature's most powerful attributes follows a long lull in wind-power interest.
Walker said the United States actually was the world's wind-power leader briefly, in the early 1980s, because California then had one of the highest concentrations of turbines on the planet.
But not long after, Walker said, "when gas-fired power plants became very popular, we sort of lost focus and the Europeans took the lead ---- Germany in particular."
Now the winds have shifted.
Renewed focus
"The United States has regained its focus on the need for renewable electric generation," he said. "It's time for a little celebration. We're back."
As a proportion of total electricity production, wind's contribution remains small ---- less than 2 percent, according to a report compiled by Wiser and Mark Bolinger at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
And in the European countries of Denmark (20 percent), Spain (12 percent), Portugal (9 percent), Ireland (8 percent) and Germany (7 percent), wind generation still makes a greater contribution to national power supplies than it does in the U.S.
But a U.S. Department of Energy study suggests that wind's share of U.S. power has the potential to soar as high as 20 percent.
Not everyone agrees, however, that wind is the way to go in the future. Critics suggest wind power is unreliable because, well, it is available only when the wind blows, and often that does not coincide with the period when electricity is needed most ---- on hot summer days.
But Edison's Marelli said wind has the potential to offset much of the carbon dioxide that is being spewed into the atmosphere from natural-gas-fired plants throughout the year.
Yes, you need sources of power that can be called upon immediately on hot days, but you also need a variety of ways to curb greenhouse gas emissions, he said.
"It's like building a stock portfolio," Marelli said. "You wouldn't have all T-bills in your portfolio, and you wouldn't have all stocks in your portfolio."
Contact staff writer Dave Downey at (760) 745-6611, ext. 2623, or ddowney@nctimes.com.
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Greg in Oceanside wrote on Jul 27, 2008 8:57 PM:I wonder if the greens and the Gore camp know this. I'm sure they do and wonder what their take is on all of this.
There's been numerous television ads from T. Boone Pickens that lays out a very logical plan for energy independency. No matter what we do, it'll still not be good enough for the liberal left.
Old Timer wrote on Jul 27, 2008 10:27 PM:Converting to wind, solar or other clean energy is no longer just a liberal left agenda item. This conversion is necessary to get control of our country again and not have to send all our wealth overseas. Also, even if you don't believe in climate change, have you driven into Phoenix or Las Vegas when the smog hung over the cities. We need to start cleaning up our air for the sake of future generations. We made this mess we are in and we need to clean it up. More drilling, nuke plants etc. might be something 10 years out, but wind and solar are things we can do now.
American Ingenuity wrote on Jul 28, 2008 8:39 AM:Greg: Stop demonizing your fellow Americans! Old Timer is right, we all share the same planet and petty tribalism is holding us back from realizing this. If you need to have an "us against them" mentality, then think of the U.S. LEADING THE WORLD in non-polluting, safe, clean energy. Wind appears to be one way we are pulling ahead of other countries who are still beyond us in developing non fossil fuel technologies. This is great news! Why degrade it into some petty partisan politics?
Bill wrote on Jul 28, 2008 8:52 AM:On hot days, isn't the SUN shining?
nonpartisan wrote on Jul 28, 2008 9:28 AM:I also don't know why Greg is trying to turn this into a partisan thing. Our energy problem is so huge that we probably need all the solutions, not just Republican solutions and not just Democratic solutions. We need to drill for oil in the OCS and ANWR. We need alternative energy, we need higher fuel-economy standards and we need much higher taxes on fossil fuels. Instead, the Dems and GOP are just bickering at each other while the country is getting dragged down by obstructionist environmentalists and by pig-headed drivers who think that my children and grandchildren should pay for that damage caused by their monster trucks.
Fun fact US CO incresed LESS than EU under Bush wrote on Jul 28, 2008 9:35 AM:And more under Clinton. Environmental stewardship is a Conservative value. Those of us that hunt, fish, get outdoors etc., know and love the land air and water.
Conservatives give more to charity than Liberals too, although you couldn't tell from the accusation that we don't "Care".
Concerned One wrote on Jul 28, 2008 9:37 AM:I'm not a big fan of wind, but it's better than oil or coal. More solar would be good. The key is storage. Until we have efficient storage, especially for wind generated power, we will be behind the eight ball. Regards, C-1.
Gus in Oceanside wrote on Jul 28, 2008 9:55 AM:We're missing the boat by not using the power of the movement of the ocean to produce power.
Wind stops, the sun isn't always available but the waves never stop rolling to the shore.
The ocean is a true perpetual motion machine.
Windy wrote on Jul 28, 2008 11:02 AM:We have all the Politicians and Environuts to thank for all the wind to drive these things. Pickens plan won't work. The Environuts won't let the lines go in to transport the electricity. Just look at the Sunrise line in our own backyard! How about windmills on cars to charge the batteries? How about windmills on every house and all over the mountain skyline? How many of these does it take to match the output of the San Onofre Nuc plant? Let's put them on every square inch of empty property. They look so cool. Drill more and build Nuc plants to get us off foreign oil NOW. Then focus on solar and wind!
Get Busy wrote on Jul 28, 2008 12:40 PM:America use to be a Can Do country, now all we do is find fault for political reasons. We are squandering our future and heritage because some blow hard on a radio station says the Dems or Repubs are the enemy. Stop listening to all this Hate Talk and start working together to rebuild our infrastructure, education system, financial system, health care system, energy, military, food supply etc. etc. Everything is broke and we allowed it to happen while we were spitting non sensical nothings at each other. And if you take offense by this suggestion or have been herded to a point where you can't change, than at least get out of the way, so the rest of us can get busy rescuing our country.
Politics is the problem wrote on Jul 28, 2008 1:26 PM:While I agree that our energy problems are not conservative or liberal problems, they are political. No matter what either side tries to do, the other side stonewalls them. Every new source of fossil fuel that could increase domestic supply is killed before it gets going, and even if it did get going, it would get killed at the local level (usually by local environmentalists). And almost any new form of energy production, while technically sound, is also stonewalled by competing political ideologs, and if it does somehow slip through, it is usually killed locally (ironically, usually by local environmentalists). It's like watching a bunch of senile old people wandering and bumping into each other at a buffet and complaining that there isn't any food! Folks, the answers are right in front of us! Just let loose the reins and give it 10 or 20 years, and our energy outlook could be completely different.
Greg in Oceanside wrote on Jul 28, 2008 1:35 PM:I'm all in favor of renewable energy, solar, wind, etc. as alternatives to oil dependency.
It's the idiots like Gore that I'm against, who continue to preach as if the sky is falling. They continue to make each and every one of us feel guilt for not doing things faster, better, and as if we're not doing enough. And they're against drilling for domestic oil, thus 'forcing' us into this predicament.
I do my part by taking mass transportation (i.e. Coaster), ride my bike, recycle my recyclables, and have changed my incandescent light bulbs to (compact) fluorescent lights. I have great concern that the WORLD isn't doing enough, particularly places like China to preserve our planet. It should be a matter of conscience and not obligatory.
And no, it shouldn't be a partisan thing. But it's the liberal left that wants to mandate our lives and force the issue and legislation on Americans, when they should be looking at foreign nations who are yet to get with the program and negotiate with them.
Big Al wrote on Jul 28, 2008 1:50 PM:is rolling in the bucks. He gets folks to believe in his theories and won't debate the topic with anyone especially those that disagree. Meanwhile he uses energy like there is no tomorrow and invests in those "green" companies that he is scaring all of you to buy from. Problem is, most folks have bought into it and are ruining the economy for the regular folks.
One Note about Gore wrote on Jul 28, 2008 1:54 PM:The same people that support Gore tell us not to trust oil companies (or anyone else that makes a buck) because they are inherently biased due to their financial interest in the outcome. Meanwhile Gore and his partners are becoming increasingly wealthy, not just from preaching at us the way they do, but by founding companies that stand to make countless millions (if not billions) from such activities as trading emission credits. To blindly follow either of the extremes in this debate is just plain foolish.
Yeah the wrote on Jul 28, 2008 2:16 PM:windmill works so good, it is why Holland doesn't use them anymore.
Stop Demonizing wrote on Jul 28, 2008 2:29 PM:God save us from our worst enemy--ourselves. You here are so intent on winning some illusionary war with "the liberals" that you look past the obvious and seek a devious, insidious meaning to everything. How absurd it is to assume that the the purpose of environmentalists is to obstruct. What kind of purpose in life is that? Al Gore won a Nobel Prize for his work to reverse global climate change and all you can come up with is it must be a plot to invest money into alternative energy and get rich! If Gore were a Republican, you'd call him a smart businessman. You're pathetic the lot of you! Stop seeing the world as evil liberals against angelic conservatives! Evil and good is found in all parties, religions, races and any other "them" you try to attribute all that is wrong with the world. Some of the best people I know are of the other party than I, and some of the biggest jerks are my own! Our characters are formed years before we check off Democrat or Republican on our voter registration card!
Greg - no facts wrote on Jul 28, 2008 3:14 PM:Greg in Oceanside has a dysfunctional problem. He writes in a nasty mean approach. He does not give any precise facts to back up his statements.
What liberal left mandate? Please print the mandate with date/year and where it is posted on a website.
How many liberal left said it is not good enough? What is the issue. When and where.
Gore's IQ and what he has accomplished speaks for itself.
Greg what is your IQ?
QUOTE: "But it's the liberal left that wants to mandate our lives and force the issue and legislation on Americans, when they should be looking at foreign nations who are yet to get with the program and negotiate with them." END QUOTE.
QUOTE: "No matter what we do, it'll still not be good enough for the liberal left." END QUOTE.
QUOTE: It's the idiots like Gore that I'm against, ..." END QUOTE.
The liberal left does not want to mandate your life. You need to stop, think and write rationally without name calling and pointing fingers. Facts, please. Your made up stories quoted above are not true.
You may need special help to get rid of your nasty mean approach. At this point you write like a far right not so smart person who does not know the facts nor the truth.
The only way for America to rise will be to speak to each other as gentle people who agree to disagree. Who will listen to the ideas of others. Hope you can meet this challenge.
Old Timer is smart wrote on Jul 28, 2008 3:23 PM:Thanks for writing. You are correct, wise, smart. We are fortunate to have you.
Good to read a blog without nasty finger pointing.
Concerned One wrote on Jul 28, 2008 3:36 PM:I like Greg's approach, except for the lights. Those are a joke. You break one and it becomes hazardous waste. Typical band wagon solution. Today there's an article asking if we should relocate some kinds of animals because of global warming, excuse me, climate change. The real scary part of all this is what these nuts are doing. Regards, C-1.
ShawnP wrote on Jul 28, 2008 4:30 PM:This story should come as no surprise to anyone --- we have so many windbag politicians spewing hot air, in Sacramento, and especially in Washington, D.C.!
michael a. wrote on Jul 28, 2008 4:59 PM:It's not political, it’s about the $MONEY$.
The big traditional energy companies have the most to lose from the shift to green energy. The small startup companies have the most to gain. And the markets now see this.
For decades the big companies have paid off the Congress to keep us stuck on fossil fuels. They even got their Home Boy, W. Bush, elected twice.
But the times and the economics of green power are changing. The non-stop conservative demonizing of Al Gore and Global Warming no longer works. The “conservative” nuts might as well be screaming at the wind. Average people now realize that CO2 is problem for their kids and grandkids.
The switch to green power will happen faster than most of us can imagine. Just like the internet.
Alf wrote on Jul 28, 2008 5:15 PM:Well, "Greg in Oceanside" at 1:35PM, when my (now) ex-brother-in-law, Greg, and I went out sailing, we had a blast. The wind is there before you get there, it's there while you're there and it's there after you've gone, when there is wind.
Regards, Alf.
Greg in Oceanside wrote on Jul 28, 2008 6:00 PM:To Greg-No Fact,
You're good at the Ctrl C keys, but not good at coming up with your own valid arguments, just nasty rebuttals. I'm going to go on a limb based on your reaction, you're a liberal.
I did the research and my IQ is higher than Al Gore's (134 & 133). My score is 138.
Greg in Oceanside wrote on Jul 28, 2008 6:03 PM:Concerned one, I agree, those CFL's are a concern of mine. I bought them a couple of years ago before the hazardous waste issue with them. When they burn out I'll be sure to dispose of them properly.
Liberal Left wrote on Jul 28, 2008 7:46 PM:Greg in Oceanside[-] wrote on Jul 28, 2008 1:35 PM: Yea that pesky liberal left. How dare they want to save this nation and the world.
Liberal Left wrote on Jul 28, 2008 7:49 PM:Greg in Oceanside[-] wrote on Jul 28, 2008 6:00 PM IQ scores are not worth a damn unless accompanied by common sense.
escoman wrote on Jul 28, 2008 9:52 PM:Bottom line:
Wind power is a HUGE BOONDOGGLE!
Dan wrote on Aug 17, 2008 1:26 PM:As with US CO2 emissions versus China's, shouldn't we be talking about wind watts per person? Isn't our bragging based on a small percent of a much larger budget? In reality the only valid statement of measurement should be energy used and CO2 produced per person under various governments.
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