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Buffalo Bear - 19 MW


“We see diversity as the best long-term strategy to manage


reliability and economics. Wind adds diversity to our energy mix.” - Brian Hobbs, WFEC vice president of Legal & Corporate Services


Red Hills - 123 MW


Blue Canyon - 74 MW


Rocky Ridge Wind - 150 MW


Current output WFEC contracts from Oklahoma wind farm projects. Does not include efforts in New Mexico or scheduled additions for 2015.


is on the Slick Hills formation and is east and west oriented. This enables us to catch the pre- vailing southern winds,” Woods said. “It’s not uncommon to encounter animals standing in the shade of a turbine on a hot summer day and some use them to scratch their backs. We have deer, elk, coyotes, skunks, porcupines, cattle and even some horses.”


Wind Perks Since wind comes from nothing, it typically leaves little or nothing behind once converted to electricity; however, it’s loaded with benefi ts. WFEC vice president of legal and corporate services, Brian Hobbs, said achieving energy di- versity by adding wind-powered generation is a key value for investing in wind. “We see diversity as the best long-term strategy to manage reliability and economics. Wind adds diversity to our energy mix. We are dealing with environmental regulations on coal and price vol- atility for natural gas—wind adds stabil- ity and allows us to negotiate fixed prices when contracting with a devel- oper,” Hobbs said. Hobbs added wind is drought resis- tant and leaves no direct emissions be- hind. In addition to having the ability of preserving farmland, wind projects strengthen local economies by generat- ing jobs, local tax bases and by foster- ing community involvement.


Wind Challenges Even with all these benefi ts, co-op leaders recognize no fuel source is per- fect; each brings their own set of lim- itations. Because wind has an intermittent nature, it requires a ‘jug- gling act’ for power operators to match consumer power demand to wind peak times. Electric cooperatives coordinate energy fuel sources such as wind, hy- dro, coal and natural gas on a 24/7 ba- sis to effectively and affordably meet the electricity needs of consumer-mem- bers. This process requires balance and a well-thought-out strategy.


“There are hours and days that no power is produced by a wind turbine. Generally, a wind resource does not produce during normal peak demand hours for electricity. We cannot rely on wind to meet baseload demands,” Ross said. “Wind peak production normally happens during the late hours of the day into the night. We need to have the capability to back up wind resources if the wind stops blowing. When the wind dies down, you’re required to bring on fossil fuel generation.” Through the years, electric cooperatives have found effi cient measures to coordinate multiple fuel sources in a way that also makes economic sense. “We are doing a better job of scheduling elec- tric generation and matching it with fuel sourc- es,” Ross said. “This requires close coordination and a lot of balance.” According to Hobbs, wind power does not ef- fi ciently utilize transmission infrastructure. The


average capacity factor for wind is 40 percent. Capacity relates to the potential of a power plant (or wind farm) to generate power. However, trans- mission facilities must be ready to accommodate 100 percent of the possible output of a wind gen- eration facility.


Long-term Vision WFEC saw the need to invest in wind power projects over a decade ago. As a power supplier for electric cooperatives, WFEC made tactical decisions to ensure the success of renewable efforts. “Renewable energy has not always been eco- nomically viable, but in the last several years it became more competitive with fossil fuel gener- ation. We saw an opportunity to continue to supply economic and reliable power with a di- verse portfolio, while being good environmental stewards,” Hobbs said. “We did that in a way that did not significantly add cost to end-use consumers.”


Electric cooperatives are pioneers in Hub


Houses generator and gearbox


Nacelle Blade


Three blades per unit, fi berglass, hollow center


Holds three blades


wind generation in Oklahoma; they are contributors in the 2010-established state goal of producing 15 percent of renewable energy generation by 2015. However, in the face of Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Air Act regulations, there are concerns these efforts may not be prop- erly recognized. “WFEC has made great strides in adding renewable energy, but under current EPA proposed rules, we may not get credit for it,” Hobbs said. “There is a reliability limit to how much renewable energy can be in- tegrated reliably and cost effectively. We’ve been able to integrate renewables in a way that makes sense for our member-owners and allows cooperatives to continue pro- viding safe, reliable and affordable electricity.”


*WFEC does not retain or retire all of the environmental attributes of the energy generated by wind facilities. This energy is not considered to be capacity.


APRIL 2015 7


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