By Christie Longhurst

With the significant investments being made in wind turbine equipment, companies need to exercise due diligence when it comes to the type of lubricants and fluids that are used.

Over the past several years, wind turbine operators have experienced a number of equipment issues. Many of the mechanical failures observed in the field were bearing-related.

Distortion and bearing failures due to weight are among the most prevalent of these issues. A 10% increase in peak load can reduce bearing life by up to 50%. Corrosion is another problem, especially in offshore wind farms.

Another factor that could contribute to equipment failure is filter blocking caused by sludge formation that results from thermal or oxidative decomposition. Precipitate formation could also cause equipment failures, possibly due to poor additive solubilty or interaction with water contaminants.

In addition, mechancial failures in the field can be caused by micropitting or surface fatigue resulting from cyclic contact stresses. All gears are susceptible to micropitting, which can also be referred to as fatigue scoring. ...

Bigger turbines, more wear
... The move toward higher-capacity turbines requires slower rotational speeds and higher gear ratios. However, this also makes equipment more vulnerable to wear-related problems. Furthermore, offshore turbines are more susceptible to corrosion, and many sites are inaccessible for maintenance for up to 30% of the year because of harsh weather. The growing interest in offshore turbines is also creating a grreater need for environmentally friendly products.

By Robin Dornfest

[W]hile wind turbines themselves garner much of the focus, the access roads leading to the site can also be problematic when it comes to environmental impacts. The habitats of nearby animals, wetlands, surrounding waterways and stormwater drainage are all at risk. ...

Common impacts

The environmental impacts of wind developments include bird or bat kills, noise emissions, wetland and waterway disturbances, and encroachments on endangered species' habitat.

Because many wind farms are located in rural locations and on topographic highs, developers must build construction and maintenance roads. ...

Wildlife. One of the largest risks to a wind energy project is its potential to impact animal and plant habitat -- either directly or indirectly. The U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA), as well as specific state endangered species laws, spell out how to protect endangered and threatened animals. For example, in the Rocky Mountain West, protect species include the Preble's jumping mouse, the Ute ladies'-tresses orchid and the black-footed ferret.

Administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the federal ESA aims to protect, and recover and restore to ecological health[,] imperiled species and their ecosystems. As of 2008, more than 1,350 U.S. species were endangered, and two-thirds of them have at least some habitat on private land.

Under the ESA, it is illegal to take, harass, kill or harm and endangered or threatened animal without a permit. Wind farms run into problems with the act primarily as it relates to the definition of the term "harm," which includes modifying the animal's habitat and impairing its ability to breed, feed or gain shelter. ,,,

Migratory birds. Migratory birds have become one of the biggest challenges for wind farm developers.

Several years ago, the iconic Altamont Pass wind farm was forced to stop producing power after environmentalists threatened a lawsuit over the death of thousands of birds, including Golden Eagles.

Lesser known than the ESA, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act makes it illegal to kill migratory birds without a permit. A similar law, the Golden Eagle Protection Act, makes it illegal to kill Golden Eagles[] as well. ...

Wetlands and waterways. Aside from wildlife and birds, developers should also be cautious if their project is sited near or around bodies of water, including lakes, ponds, streams or wetlands. ...

Stormwater. Federal and state environmental regulators are becoming increasingly strict about how construction sites and new developments handle and dispose of stormwater.

Stormwater is rain or snowmelt that normally, in small amounts, flows over soil into waterways. Construction can alter the land's natural hydrology, increasing the volume, velocity and temperature of runoff. That in turn, can lead to high volumes of water eroding stream banks and flooding streams which carry sediment, oil, garbage and chemicals into surrounding waterways, disturbing fish and aquatic life.

The Clean Water Act says that all developers involved in clearing more than one acre of land should obtain a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit for their stormwater discharges.

Amidst siting delays and permitting controversies, California has lost its way when it comes to wind energy development.

By Kristen T. Castaños & Allison D. Cook

Sadly, one of the casualties of the California budget compromise reached in July was funding for the Williamson Act, but the result may create an opportunity for wind developers. The Williamson Act provides a tax break to highly productive agricultural land in the state that remains in agricultural use, allowing many California farms to remain financially viable. Farmers could turn to wind energy leases, while still maintaining their agricultural activity, to gain another revenue stream ...

By Deston Nokes

As wind turbine generators increase in size, some tower manufacturers are gearing up to accommodate developers' requests for towers that rise above 100 meters [328 feet] in height. ...

Today, with so many of the "lower" level resources being harvested, companies are seeking ways to maximize domestic wind generation. WindKraft Nord (WKN) USA was the first in the U.S. to vault higher to take advantage of wind resources at higher altitudes. However, all signs indicate that more developments will include taller towers. ...

"The challenges of hauling the new towers are obvious," Jess Collins, group president at Broadwind Energy, says. "Most 80-meter towers already are 14 feet in diameter at the base, and increasing it will be an even bigger challenge when it comes to bridge clearance. A larger-diameter structure means a taller load once it becomes horizontal on a truck. Finding routes through many states already is a challenge, and it will continue to get tougher.

Collins notes that trains have been helpful in transporting components to wind sites but that any increase in tower diameter will limit rail['s] ability to serve the wind industry.

As turbines and rotor diameters grow, the physical demands on the towers will continue to increase.

"To build 105-meter towers, the foundation has to be redesigned larger," Florian Zerhusen, president of WKN USA, says. "Plus, it also depends on the soil condition."

According to Peder Hansen, executive vice president of Northstar Wind Towers in Nebraska, there are two options for managing the loads of these massive turbines: The first is to increase the structure's wall thickness, and the second is to increase the bottom diameter of the tower, thus enabling a continuous or increasing taper towards the foundation.

"Thicker walls are the number-one option today, because transportation restrictions dictate the maximum diameter allowed," Hansen says.

The Wind Industry Ethics Code prohibits conflicts of interest between municipal officials and wind companies and establishes public disclosure requirements.

In addition, provisions of the code include the following:

• bans wind companies from hiring municipal employees or their relatives, giving gifts of more than $10 during a one-year period or providing any other form of compensation that is contingent on any action before a municipal agency;

• prevent wind companies from soliciting, using or knowingly receiving confidential information acquired by a municipal officer in the course of official duties; and

• requires wind companies to establish and maintain a public Web site to disclose the names of all municipal officers or their relatives who have have a financial stake in wind farm development.

--Mark Del Franco

The Environmental Protection Agency wants to rid hazardous pollutants from cement, which could cause project delays and increased costs for developers.

By Nora Caley

If the U.S. environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has its way, wind developers can expect project delays and increased cement costs in the near future. That's because the EPA is proposing amendments to the current National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for portland cement.

The rules would add or revise emissions limits for mercury, total hydrocarbons and particulate matter from cement kilns.

Mercury and other gases are released during the heating process in manufacturing cement, which is made from gypsum, limestone and silica. The NESHAP rules, if adopted, would take effect in 2013.

While environmental groups say the rules are important and overdue, Skokie, Ill.-based Portland Cement Association (PCA) says the proposed rules would burden the domestic cement industry and endanger thousands of jobs.

Because a typical wind turbine foundation comprises about 400 cubic yards of concrete, rules affecting its manufacturing could dramatically affect costs, project timelines and the wind development itself. ...

The EPA performed cost-analysis models and estimated that changes to NESHAP will cause the average national price of portland cement to increase about 4% and production to decrease by 8%. Imports are expected to increase by approximately 2%. The costs of compliance could be $240 million or more. The models also predict that nationwide, the rules would save $4.4 billion to $11 billion in healthcare costs.

If enacted, new setback rules concerning wind turbines could dramatically alter more than three-quarters of Ontario's wind projects.

By Crystal Luxmore

Under the proposed regulations, turbines must be set back 550 meters (about 1,800 feet) from the nearest residence. Noise levels would also need to fall to 40 decibels at receptors such as dwellings or businesses. Setback distances would rise with the number of turbines or the sound power -- so, for instance, eight turbines with a sound power level of 105 decibels would need to meet a setback of 1,000 meters. Additionally, any turbines registering more than 107 decibels would require a noise study.

The new regulations also propose a safety setback, equivalent to the distance-of-tower plus blade-length measurement, away from roadways, property lines, railways and other rights of way. ...

The combination of the 550-meter minimum setback and the safety setback would stop most of the proposed new wind farms currently in the development pipeline from ever seeing the light of day, says Sean Whittaker, vice president of policy for the Canadian Wind Energy Association. "Together, these two requirements would eliminate many of the turbines in the planning process in Ontario," he says, adding that three-quarters of the projects would be rendered "non-viable" or would need to be complete[ly] redesigned.

As an example, Whittaker evokes AIM Power Generation's 99 MW Erie Shores project, which was installed three years ago near Port Burwell, Ontario. ... "That project has 66 turbines," Whittaker says. "But under the proposed setbacks, only seven turbines would be considered compliant." ...

The setback proposals are part of the Ontario government's promise under its Green Energy and Green Economy Act, proposed in May, to streamline approval processes. The proposals are also a response to health concerns often expressed by citizens living or working close to wind farms.

By Mark Del Franco

A big gamble

By eliminating a major power source -- the province uses coal-fired generation during times of peak demand -- Ontario is taking the gamble that renewable energy can replace coal.

However, renewable energy has not been battle-tested to show it can handle such a shortfall. In 2008, coal accounted for 14% of Ontario's total generation, says Jack Gibbons, chair of the Ontario Clean Air Alliance, adding that 8% was used domestically, with the remainder exported to the U.S.

Currently, renewable energy accounts for 25% of Ontario's electricity. However, when hydro is excluded, the percentage becomes very small. "Wind energy alone accounts for less than 1%," Gibbons says.

To hedge its renewable energy bet, the Ontario government is building natural-gas facilities as insurance. Just the same, the province is gambling on a cleaner future by retiring its dirty past, specifically the Nanticoke Generating Station, the largest coal-fired plant in North America, which sits on the Ontario side of Lake Erie. The province, however, has promised to close Nanticoke in the past, but has yet to do so.

By Phil Hall

In his ongoing research for a doctoral dissertation, Rick Walker, an instructor at Texas Tech University and a 15-year veteran of wind development, is studying the effects of wind turbine turbulence on wetland evapotranspiration.

The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) has instituted a wind integration rate of $1.29/kWH per month -- a reduction from the initially proposed rate of $2.72/kWH per month. This is due primarily to actions taken by wind generators to reduce their use of BPA generation for reliability when wind power ramps up or down unexpectedly.

"There's been an explosion of wind power on the BPA system, especially since 2005," says BPA Administrator Steve Wright. "We're proud of this accomplishment, but it has led to operational challenges, including risks to reliability and substantial costs. ...

In addition, rates for customers that buy power and transmission will increase by an average of 6%. Transmission rates will stay the same. Power rates will increase by an average of 7%.