There are challenges and payoffs in our quest for greener power.

Since the 1970s, electric co-ops nationwide have been actively engaged in promoting renewable energy resources like wind, solar, hydropower, and biomass (including landfill gas, livestock waste, timber byproducts, and crop residue). Today, nearly 90 percent of the nation’s 900-plus electric co-ops provide electricity produced by renewable sources, all playing a key role in powering rural America while increasing our nation’s energy independence.

“Renewable energy makes up approximately 11 percent of all co-op kilowatt-hour use (10 percent hydro and 1 percent non-hydro), as compared to 9 percent for the nation’s entire electric utility sector,” says Kirk Johnson, vice president of environmental policy at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), the Arlington, VA-based service arm of the nation’s 900-plus consumer-owned, nonprofit electric cooperatives.

In Michigan, the number is closer to 1 to 2 percent for renewables, except in the Upper Peninsula, where access to hydro from the St. Mary’s River helps Cloverland Electric top 30 percent.

The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), a nonprofit, utility-sponsored organization whose members include electric co-ops, released a study in 2007 outlining a seven-step plan for how U.S. electric utilities could reduce carbon dioxide emissions to 1990 levels by 2030, while still meeting a 40 percent boost in electricity consumption. One of these measures includes increasing non-hydro renewable energy sources, primarily wind and solar, from 24,000 megawatts (mw) to 94,000 mw by 2030.

So, what needs to be done to enable a far greater use of renewable energy?

Currently, 150 electric co-ops either own wind turbines or buy output from wind farms, most of which are located in America’s “wind tunnels”–the Upper Midwest and Great Plains, as well as down the spine of the Alleghenies in the East. However, wind and solar power face challenges: transmission; intermittency and the need for advancements in storage technology; and increased construction costs and delays. Overcoming these challenges is not impossible, but will require strong leadership and government investment in the following areas:

• Transmission – Renewable resources are abundant in rural areas, but that also means they are located far from the concentrated power needs of cities and towns. To move electric generation from renewable sources (i.e., wind farms), new transmission lines will need to be built to enable greater availability of renewable power sources.
• Intermittency – Most renewable sources are intermittent: the sun doesn’t always shine, and the wind doesn’t always blow. Improved storage system technology would make it possible to store electricity produced by a wind turbine or solar system. When a storm cloud rolls up, stored solar power could be ready and waiting. Electric co-ops are studying ways to boost storage technology, although major breakthroughs have yet to be made.
• Increased Costs/Delays – Construction costs for power plants of all types are rising, and renewable sources are no exception. Three years ago it was estimated that a wind farm would cost about $1,000 per kilowatt (kw) of capacity to build – today that estimate has doubled. In addition to increased costs, the skyrocketing demand for wind turbines has led to a manufacturing backlog of two years or more. For solar panels, costs for installation and operation can run five times higher than a traditional coal plant of comparable size.

To help electric cooperatives further tap into renewable opportunities, a National Renewables Cooperative Organization (NRCO) was formed in February. Operations are anticipated to begin this summer.

“Electric co-ops remain committed to an overall goal of fostering domestic energy independence while benefiting the environment and assisting rural economic growth,” concludes NRECA’s CEO, Glenn English. “While no single approach or policy is appropriate for every co-op, we see renewable generation as an important part of our future. It will not be easy, but it is needed.”

Electric cooperatives are also asking Congress to seek out balanced solutions to energy and climate change. NRECA has introduced a public campaign, “Our Energy, Our Future: A Dialogue With America,” to ensure that the voice of cooperatives and their consumer-members is heard as debates over energy and climate change legislation rage in state legislatures and Congress.

For more information about this campaign, visit ourenergy.coop.

Jennifer Taylor writes on consumer and cooperative affairs for NRECA.

Small Wind Turbines: Can The Breeze Work For You?

Wind power has long been a part of life in rural America. Thanks to Depression-era photos and old movies, the weather-beaten, multi-bladed silhouette of a lone windmill has become an icon for farm life.

These days attention has shifted to large, utility-scale wind projects, which often produce enough electricity to power whole towns. But descendents of those small, early windmills still dot the countryside by the thousands, and could help some homeowners trim their electric bills.

Early adopters of windmills could draw anywhere from 200 to 3,000 watts to power water pumps, lights, radios, and other appliances. Advancements in small wind technology have boosted efficiency (how well the turbine converts wind to electricity), and most typical residential turbines today generate around 10 kilowatts (kw), according to the Washington, D.C.-based American Wind Energy Association. Units are available that can generate up to 100 kw.

A homeowner paying $80 a month for electricity could shave 30 to 60 percent off their bill with a 3 kw turbine placed in the right spot, but installing a system still requires a sizeable up-front investment – anywhere from $5,000 to $50,000. As a rule of thumb, the cost of buying, installing, and connecting a turbine to the grid ranges from $4,000 to $10,000 per kilowatt, according to the Cooperative Research Network, an arm of the Arlington, VA-based National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, which represents the interests of electric co-ops.

To determine if a small wind turbine is right for you, do your homework. Just because it’s windy one day doesn’t mean the wind will blow when electricity generation is really needed on a hot, humid summer afternoon. You should hire an expert to conduct wind measurements for at least a year before installation.

For a more general idea, wind resource maps make it easy to gauge how winds typically blow in your area. State-by-state maps are available online through the National Renewable Energy Lab (www.nrel.gov).

Also, talk to other wind turbine owners about maintenance, possible noise problems, and issues involving power quality. Keep in mind that small wind turbines, like any type of “backyard generation,” must meet cooperative interconnection standards before any excess power can be sold back.

If you’re serious about installing a wind turbine, contact your electric cooperative to help determine if a small one would be right for you.

Scott Gates writes on technology and energy efficiency for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.