Alex L., Bradd T., Dave N., Gabrielle L., Johanna R., Spencer W. - PDF document

Alex L., Bradd T., Dave N., Gabrielle L., Johanna R., Spencer W. Geog 391­ Wind Farms Powerpoint Wind Energy and Climate Change ­Potential emissions from remaining fossil reserves could put the GHG emissions above 600ppm (parts per million) ­We need to transition to renewable energy. Wind can help this transition, but the technology is not yet refined. Innovation in wind energy has set a course for a future free off fossil fuels (James and Makiko 2008), (William et al. 2007), (Wiser et al . 2008) Global Context of Wind Power ­Global wind power use has risen from 1280 mw in 1996 to 40564 mw in 2011 (Global Wind Energy Council, 2013) ­There is 1800 TW of potential wind power globally (Global Wind Energy Council, 2013) ­China leads with 17631 MW (Global Wind Energy Council, 2013) ­Canada is the 6th largest producer (Global Wind Energy Council, 2013) ­Wind accounts for 35% of all new generating capacity (Global Wind Energy Council, 2013) ­Ontario leads with 1969 MW, BC currently only at 246.5 MW (BC Sustainable Energy Association, 2013) ­Much of the potential in British Columbia is in the north (BC Sustainable Energy Association, 2013) (Cullum, Kwan, & MacDonald, 2005) The Nahwitti Wind Farm and the Assessment Process Project Overview: ­Nomis power corporation was formed in 2003 and is privately owned ­Location: 45 km west of Port Hardy,Covers approx. 10,000 hectares of Crown Land ­Specs: 280 million dollar project, up to 50 wind turbines, 100 MW (30,000 homes), 68 million dollars in tax revenue over 35 years.165,000 tonnes of g.h.g emission will be avoided annually. ­Infrastructure: 48km of new roads, 20km of underground cables, 53 hectares cleared Requirements of the Environmental Assessment Act ­Consultation with First Nations, involvement of all interested parties, identification of potential adverse effects and report findings and mitigation strategies The Assessment Report: (244 pages) ­Categories: Atmospheric env., terrain stability, geology, hydrology, water quality, vegetation, wildlife, fish habitat, economic, social, land use, visual impacts, sound, communications, heritage, health ­Key Findings/Concerns: Protect sensitive communities (old growth and sensitive bog ecosystems). Mitigation strategies provided to compensate for Impacts to wildlife and Habitat. ­FN Consultation: The EA found that the project had no adverse effects on treaty rights. ­Conclusion: Project approved by the ministry of Energy and Mines and the environmental assessment office in 2011 .Contains design features, mitigations, and 104 requirements. (ECL Environmental Solutions 2013), Environmental Assessment Office (2011), (Nomis Power Corporation 2013) Advantages of Wind Energy ­Wind energy is free and renewable (Martinez, et al ., 2009). 1

Alex L., Bradd T., Dave N., Gabrielle L., Johanna R., Spencer W. ­Post­construction, no greenhouse emissions produced by the turbine (Martinez, et al ., 2009). ­A farm can be almost anywhere; they are space efficient, and the surrounding area can be used for agriculture. 1% of the land allocated to the farm is taken up by infrastructure (Helimax, 2002). ­Offshore wind farms: Wind is more consistent and more powerful; there are fewer obstructions and are located further from populated areas (Naikun, 2013). ­The construction of wind turbines is expected to breakeven in approximately 8 months; they will recover around 31 times the environmental contamination caused by the construction and manufacturing of the wind turbine, and its decommissioning (Martinez, et al . 2009). ­Energy created by wind can be used off­grid, enabling more isolated communities to become more self sufficient (naikun, 2010). Being connected to the grid enables energy to be provided to the community if winds are not sufficient, and the grid itself can be used as a resevoir for excess energy, instead of batteries (Canwea, 2010) ­Wind energy may benefit certain agricultural crops,helps to ward off frost and increase crop duration, as well as keep the crops dry, reducing fungal occurrence (Takle, 2010). Potential Disadvantages to Wind Energy Seabirds ­BC coast is home to 5.6 million colonial seabirds,500,000 non­breeding birds and an est. 5 million that migrate along the coast(Tranquilla et al . 2007) ­Collisions( Erickson et al. 2001) ­0 to 4.4 birds/turbine/year, with increased mortality at night ­Avoidance ­when looking at a single species, avoidance of the wind area increased by a factor of 4.5.(Desholm and Kahlert 2005) ­30 of 33 species surveyed completely avoided the turbine area.(Kahlert et al . 2004) ­Cumulative impact Figure( Fox et al. 2003)­boxes with lighter frames need to be modeled still. ­Marine Species( Nedwell and Howell 2003) ­Construction noise levels (260dB) are high enough to cause damage within 100m, operational noise low enough to be background noise (20­40 dB). ­Species may avoid turbines, km’s away: Salmon 1400 m, Bottlenose Dolphin 4600 m ­Magnetic fields from cables, may disorient some species in close proximity ­Sedimentation increase can smother benthic organisms, cause community shifts ­Decreased performance (Hughes 2003)­Onshore capacity was decreased to one third output after ten years of operation. Making it rarely economic to run a farm more than 12­15 yrs. ­Loss of Property Value­construction, use and maintenance of wind turbines in neighboring properties reduced property values by a mean of 38.81%. (Lansiuk 2012) ­Bats(probably no time)(Kunz et al. 2007)­Huge agricultural value, $3.7 billion/yr, from pest control. fatalities: 41 bats/MW/year. Inconclusive as to why bats are attracted to turbines Conclusion ­Terrestrial and offshore renewable energy developments have increased impact on coastal ecosystems therefore assessments need to be very thorough ­We propose that a strategic environmental assessment is done for coastal wind farms in BC as has been done for salmon aquaculture ­Ecological Impact Assessment having a key focus on migration patterns/flight heights and nesting sites to minimize avian fatalities ­Offshore­ sound absorbent insulation to minimize magnetic fields and bubble walls to go up, as well as the use of slow start construction ­Small scale vs large scale­ modularity, self sufficiency community involvement (site choice) 2

Alex L., Bradd T., Dave N., Gabrielle L., Johanna R., Spencer W. Literature cited American Wind Energy Association. 2008. 20% Wind Energy by 2020 . Retrieved from American Wind Energy Association: http://www.awea.org/learnabout/publications/upload/20percent_Wind_factsheet.pdf BC Sustainable Energy Association. 2013. Get the facts . Retrieved from BC Sustainable Energy Association: http://www.bcsea.org/learn/get­the­facts/renewable­energy­technologies/wind­power2007 Canwea; Small Wind Energy. 2010. http://www.canwea.ca/swe/smallwind.php?id=59 http://www.naikun.ca/the_project/project_site.php Cullum, A., Kwan, C., & MacDonald, K. 2005. Areas Conducive to Wind Farm Development. Retrieved from British Columbia Wind Energy Feasibility Study: http://www.geog.ubc.ca/courses/geob370/students/class05/cskwan/methodology.html Desholm, M., Kahlert, J. 2005. Avian Collision risk at am offshore wind farm. Biol. Lett. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2005.0336 ECL Environmental Solutions (2013). Projects, Nahwitti Wind Farm Project. Retrieved from: http://eclenvironmental.ca/projects/nahwitti/ Environmental Assessment Office (2011). Proposed Nahwittii Windfarm Project, Assessment Report. Retrieved from: http://a100.gov.bc.ca/appsdata/epic/html/deploy/epic_document_249_33926.html Erickson, W.P., G. D. Johnson, M. D. Strickland, D. P. Young Jr., K. Sernka, and R. Good. 2001. Avian Collisions with Wind Turbines: A Summary of Existing Studies and Comparisons to Other Sources of Avian Collision Mortality in the United States. Washington, DC: Resolve, Inc. Fox A., Desholm, M., Kahlert, J., Christensen, T., Petersen, I. 2006. Information needs to support environmental impact assessment of the effects of European marine offshore wind farms on birds. Ibis. 148:129­144, Figure 1 Global Wind Energy Council. 2013. Global status overview . Retrieved from Global Wind Power Council: http://www.gwec.net/global­figures/wind­energy­global­status/ Helimax Inc. 2002. Wind Energy Study in British Columbia. Presented to Greenpeace, Living Oceans, and Tides Foundation Canada. 3