Windmills on Lakewood's horizon? only 3 miles off shore?

[DougHuntingdon]

Now that there is nothing left to prosecute in Cuyahoga County, Bill Mason is focusing on windmills.

http://www.cleveland.com/cuyahoga/plain ... xml&coll=2

[Jeff Endress]

Doug

Given Cleveland's past history of actually bringing innovations to fruition (with the exception of the Euclid Corridor, of course ) I'd say that the chances of this actually happening are somewhere between slim and nil.....

But, then again, we may someday, be able to take the people mover to the trans-erie canadian bridge, and as we traverse the Lake, see a veritable forest of windmills out there....

Jeff

[Kenneth Warren]

Lakewood Kiwanis Club had a presentation on this at Tuesday's meeting with Mr. Deaver from the Prosecutor's Office.

Cleveland Municipal Power is the asset that is being leveraged in this attempt at innovation and revitalization.

At this point First Energy is not interested in wind but coal-fired power, and Cleveland Municipal Power is a means to tie into the grid and do testing.

First Energy may eventually step in, but not as the initial partner.

Is this another vindication of Dennis Kucinich?

Kenneth Warren

[ryan costa]

I don't remember 7th grade Physical Science very well. But will moving electricity over three miles without a series of transformers result in a lot of lost juice?

You'd end up shorting out the system every time anchors and rocks pushed by currents scrape through the lines.

[Jeff Endress]

Ryan

You're assuming that the transmission lines would be underwater......

We would certainly want to avoid the worst case scenario ala "Jaws II"...

Just imagine, monster sized walleye, chewing through an underwater power cable and causing an electrification of the entire central basin of Lake Erie.

Jeff

[ryan costa]

There are news stories of people dropping ATVs in one end of Lake Erie, and them ending up at the other end of lake erie. Being dragged along the bottom by strong currents.

I am merely curious at the engineering requirements.

Building the windmills 3 miles out because there is much wind. Wind also knocks down cables. Repairmen typically use cranes or ladders anchored to heavy trucks.

It would probably be necessary to build a three mile 'pier'. A semi-circular stone breakwall curving back to land would provide a harbor for more people to hang out and fish or swill beer.

[Shawn Juris]

Maybe it's connected to the Wi Fi project. Much like the "internets", this too is not a series of tubes.

[Tom Bullock]

Clean energy is not going away and will become increasingly important as part of the portfolio of energy production that meets our future needs. In Ohio, wind, biomass, clean coal, and solar are all possibilities. Wind has been discussed for Northeast Ohio since we have

• 1) wind on the Lake; and
  2) manufacturing and engineering expertise to become a leader in producing windmills for export to other states (potentially 10,000 jobs over the long term).

For a fuller discussion and even bigger implications (it isn't just Lakewood that needs to build the brand), see this thread: http://www.gcbl.org/blog/marc-lefkowitz ... thin-reach

(Sorry Jim, if you'd like I can repost my comment here.)

[stephen davis]

Given Cleveland's past history of actually bringing innovations to fruition (with the exception of the Euclid Corridor, of course ) I'd say that the chances of this actually happening are somewhere between slim and nil.....

But, then again, we may someday, be able to take the people mover to the trans-erie canadian bridge, and as we traverse the Lake, see a veritable forest of windmills out there....

Jeff,

You left out the off-shore Jetport. I think that one even predates the People Mover as the new hope du jour.

You say "somewhere between slim and nil." I say, as much chance as the Browns in the Super Bowl at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

I hope we're both wrong.

Steve

[Lynn Farris]

Dr. Fletcher Miller spoke in Lakewood last spring about Lakewood putting in Windmills off shore. It is a great idea and very cost effective. Lakewood is less of a bureacy than Cleveland and we have the hope of something actually happening here!!!

We have a Senator now who campained on Renewable Energy. Our state representative is a leader in Renewable Energy. Our Govenor is also for it.

The time is ripe. This is basically a 1 time cost and I believe we can get grants to do this. Then we can save money. This could help the water/sewer department. (a heavy user) Or the schools, (a heavy user) or the hospital. (Another heavy user) Because of the wiring (CEI won't let us use theirs) we have to pick and choose a few users that we can all benefit from their cost effectiveness.

[dl meckes]

Someone recently wanted to put the brakes on this type of project because they wanted to study the possible killer effect the windmills could have on birds (migratory or otherwise).

Why, I wonder, is the potential slaughter of birds ignored at existing windmill installations around the world? Have studies been done at installation sites that can be applied to off-shore installations on Erie?

How many birds have died as a result of the GLSC installation?

[Jim O'Bryan]

How many birds have died as a result of the GLSC installation?

Wouldn't that depend on if the display was plug in or not?


.

[Lynn Farris]

Some very kind supporter questioned Savannah regarding the bird issue and she has given me permission to post her response.

In summary (mine - because she did have lots of infomration), birds are affected, but less are affected by wind power than most other forms of energy production. There are questions as to whether the oil and gas industry are promoting this concept as renewable energy hurts them. The Audobon society has come out in favor of renewable energy like wind. And we can make sure that the turbines are positioned in location that are not in migratory bird paths. The new turbines are much more "Bird friendly" than the old ones.

Any way, DL, here is Savannah's response and yes as you can see Birds have been studied quite a bit.

Nothing will happen too quickly.
I certainly want to respect the bird population of our area. There has been a concern mentioned about the Wind Mills possibly harming birds. That would be one location and design issue that would need to be addressed. My initial thoughts were the Wind Farm would be 2.5 to 3 miles offshore as wind studies conducted be Cleveland show the wind is higher there. I have read some research done by NASA on this very subject and would hope we could get their support in making the wind mills as safe as possible.

I would have to think that the current production of electricity by burning coal has to add a great deal of pollutants including mercury, that would harm all of us, birds, fish and people. At http://www.capewind.whgrp.com it is reported that 200 MW hours of electricity produce the following estimated emissions by burning coal: 2,212 Lbs/Hour(2) of SO2 - 710 Lbs/hr(2) of NOx and 393,820 Lbs/hr(2) of CO2. That's per hour!

Sulfur dioxide contributes to respiratory illness and aggravates existing heart and lung disease; damages trees, crops, stone and other materials; increases acidity in soils, lakes and other bodies of water; and increases visibility impairment. Sulfur dioxides form particulates that can be transported over long distances and deposited far from the point of origin. Nitrogen oxides contribute to the formation of smog, acid rain and toxic chemicals by reacting with other compounds in the air. NOx emissions also contribute to the deterioration of water quality by increasing nitrogen loading. Carbon dioxide is the primary gas involved in global warming. Rising global temperatures are expected to raise the sea level, change precipitation and alter other climate conditions.

I did see
http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~insrisg/na ... dmills.htm
an article in the Buffalo Sunday News by Gerry Rising. The article concludes with, "There is clearly a trade-off here but I believe that a cost-benefit analysis comes down on the side of the wind turbines. I join my birding colleagues in their concern for the death or injury of any bird, but I suggest that wind turbines represent the least of their worries. For example, a single feral cat kills more birds in a week than the average wind turbine kills in over three years."
Please also look at:
http://www.awea.org/faq/sagrillo/swbirds.html
Which says: " By far, the largest causes of mortality among birds include loss of habitat due to human infringement, environmental despoliation, and collisions with man-made objects. Since wind turbines fall into the last category, it is worthwhile to examine other human causes of avian deaths and compare these to mortality from wind turbines.

Death by..

Utility transmission and distribution lines, the backbone of our electrical power system, are responsible for 130 to 174 million bird deaths a year in the U.S.1 Many of the affected birds are those with large wingspans, including raptors and waterfowl. While attempting to land on power lines and poles, birds are sometimes electrocuted when their wings span between two hot wires. Many other birds are killed as their flight paths intersect the power lines strung between poles and towers. One report states that: "for some types of birds, power line collisions appear to be a significant source of mortality."2

Collisions with automobiles and trucks result in the deaths of between 60 and 80 million birds annually in the U.S.3 As more vehicles share the roadway, and our automotive society becomes more pervasive, these numbers will only increase. Our dependence on oil has taken its toll on birds too. Even the relatively high incidence of bird kills at Altamont Pass (about 92 per year) pales in comparison to the number of birds killed from the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska. In fact, according to author Paul Gipe, the Altamont Pass wind farm would have to operate for 500 to 1000 years to "achieve" the same mortality level as the Exxon Valdez event in 1989.

Tall building and residential house windows also claim their share of birds. Some of the five million tall buildings in U.S. cities have been
documented as being a chronic mortality problem for migrating birds. There are more than 100 million houses in the U.S. House
windows are more of a problem for birds in rural areas than in cities or towns. While there are no required ongoing studies of bird mortality due to buildings or house windows, the best estimates put the toll due
collisions with these structures at between 100 million and a staggering 1 billion deaths annually.4

Lighted communication towers turn out to be one of the more serious
problems for birds, especially for migratory species that fly at night. One study began its conclusion with, "It is apparent
from the analysis of the data that significant numbers of birds are dying in collisions with communications towers, their guy wires, and related structures."5 Another report states, "The main environmental problem we are watching out for with telecommunication towers are the deaths of birds and bats."6

This is not news, as bird collisions with lighted television and radio towers have been documented for over 50 years. Some towers are responsible for very high episodic fatalities. One television transmitter tower in Eau Claire, WI, was responsible for the deaths of over 1,000 birds on each of 24 consecutive nights. A "record 30,000 birds were estimated killed on one night" at this same tower.7 In Kansas, 10,000 birds were killed in one night by a telecommunications tower.8 Numerous large bird kills, while not as dramatic as the examples cited above, continue to occur across the country at telecommunication tower sites.

The number of telecommunication towers in the U.S. currently exceeds 77,000, and this number could easily double by 2010. The rush to construction is being driven mainly by our use of cell phones, and to a lesser extent by the impending switch to digital television and radio.
Current mortality estimates due to telecommunication
towers are 40 to 50 million birds per year.9 The proliferation of these
towers in the near future will only exacerbate this situation.

Agricultural pesticides are "conservatively estimated" to directly kill 67 million birds per year.10 Agricultural pesticides are "conservatively estimated" to directly kill 67 million birds per year.10 These numbers do not account for avianmortality associated with other pesticide applications, such as on golf courses. Nor do they take into consideration secondary losses due to pesticide use as these toxic chemicals travel up the food chain. This includes poisoning due to birds ingesting sprayed insects, the intended target of the pesticides.

Cats, both feral and housecats, also take their toll on birds. A
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) report states that, "recent research suggests that rural free-ranging domestic cats in Wisconsin may be killing between 8 and 217 million birds each year. The most reasonable estimates indicate that 39 million birds are killed in the state each year."11

There are other studies on the impacts of jet engines, smoke stacks,
bridges, and any number of other human structures and activities that
threaten birds on a daily basis. Together, human infrastructure and
industrial activities are responsible for one to four million bird deaths
per day!

But what about wind turbines?

Commercial wind turbines

Since the mid-1980's, a number of research organizations, universities, and consultants have conducted studies on avian mortality due to wind turbines.

In the U.S., these studies were prompted because of the relatively high
number of raptors that were found dead at the Altamont Pass Wind Farms near San Francisco.

After dozens of studies spanning nearly two decades, we now know that the Altamont Pass situation is unusual in the U.S. The high raptor mortality
there was the result of a convergence of factors, some of which were due to the bad siting in the local ecosystem while others were due to the wind
turbine and tower technology used at the time. In fact, a very different
situation exists not far away at the San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farms near Palm Springs. A 1986 study found that 69 million birds flew though the San
Gorgonio Pass during the Spring and Fall migrations. During both migrating seasons, only 38 dead birds were found during that typical year,
representing only 0.00006% of the migrating population.

A report recently prepared for the Bonneville Power Administration in the
Northwest U.S. states that "raptor mortality has been absent to very low at
all newer generation wind plants studied in the U.S. This and other
information regarding wind turbine design and wind plant/wind turbine siting strongly suggests that the level of raptor mortality observed at Altamont Pass is quite unique."12

The National Wind Coordinating Committee (NWCC) completed a comparison of wind farm avian mortality with bird mortality caused by other man-made structures in the U.S.

The NWCC did not conduct its own study, but analyzed all of the research
done to date on various causes of avian mortality, including commercial wind farm turbines. They report that "data collected outside California indicate an average of 1.83 avian fatalities per turbine (for all species combined), and 0.006 raptor fatalities per turbine per year. Based on current projections of 3,500 operational wind turbines in the US by the end of 2001, excluding California, the total annual mortality was estimated at approximately 6,400 bird fatalities per year for all species combined."13

This report states that its intent is to "put avian mortality associated
with windpower development into perspective with other significant sources of avian collision mortality across the United States."14 The NWCC reports that: "Based on current estimates, windplant related avian collision fatalities probably represent from 0.01% to 0.02% (i.e., 1 out of every 5,000 to 10,000) of the annual avian collision fatalities in the United
States."15 That is, commercial wind turbines cause the direct deaths of
only 0.01% to 0.02% of all of the birds killed by collisions with man-made
structures and activities in the U.S.

Back in Wisconsin

My home state of Wisconsin is a good example of current research. In
December of 2002, the report "Effects of Wind Turbines on Birds and Bats in Northeast Wisconsin" was released. The study was completed by Robert Howe and Amy Wolf of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, and William Evan. Their study covered a two-year period between 1999 and 2001, in the area surrounding the 31 turbines operating in Kewaunee County by Madison Gas & Electric (MG&E) and Wisconsin Public Service (WPS) Corporation. The report found that over the study period, 25 bird carcasses were found at the sites. The report states that "the resulting mortality rate of 1.29 birds/tower/year is close to the nationwide estimate of 2.19 birds/tower.16- The report further states, "While bird collisions do occur (with commercial wind turbines) the impacts on global populations appear to be relatively minor, especially in comparison with other human-related causes of mortality such as communications towers, collisions with buildings, and vehicles collisions. This is especially true for small scale facilities like the MG&E and WPS wind farms in Kewaunee County."

There seems to be an aspect of this issue being raised by the coal and oil
industry as a defensive tactic to protect their interest.

[dl meckes]

There seems to be an aspect of this issue being raised by the coal and oil industry as a defensive tactic to protect their interest.

It simply seems that there are enough wind turbines in the world to have studied the bird death aspect of an installation although I also understand that migration over a great lake might provide different population impact data.

But the article about that concern in the paper made me really uncomfortable.

Thanks Lynn for sharing Savannah's answer. It does appear that there have been studies upon which we can draw data and conclusions.

[Jay Foran]

I had the good fortune today (because of my new Team NEO duties) to travel with Richard Steubi and the rest of the Cuyahoga County Wind Energy Task Force on a field trip to Lackawanna, NY (1st town south of Buffalo). There we met with the SteelWinds Wind Energy Initiative. http://www.steelwinds.com

SteelWinds is the BQ Energy program to build 8 wind turbines on a 1250 acre Bethlehem Steel brownfield on the eastern edge of Lake Erie. 200 plus acres of the site were formed by slag, a by-product of the steel forming process.

The Bethlehem Steel site is currently being remediated by a 3rd party at the direction of Mittal Steel (current owner). The number and scale of structures still rotting on this site (25 years after Bethlehem Steel's door closing) is staggering. Visualizing that 30,000 people used to work at this site and recognizing that this once represented the best of U.S. 20th century industrialization (4th largest steel plant in the world) was not hard.

The eight windmills are in various stages of construction on the bluff of this brownfield overlooking Lake Erie. The implementation at Lackawanna is equal to in number of wind turbines and megawatt generation (20 mgw...6,000 homes) to what the Task Force is proposing for the lake.

We learned a great deal. First of all, the absolute size of these wind turbines is staggering. The towers are 255 ft. tall (4 separate sections). The blades are 153 ft. in length and the diameter of the 3 blades once assembled is 315 ft.. The turbine generators weigh 40-50,000 pounds. Lifting these pieces into place is an immense operation involving cranes of incredible scale and size.

Standing next to the varying components as they were being lifted into place is indescribable. Most impressive was seeing these high tech looking, monstrous structures being placed on the post-WWII looking moonscape. I could not help seeing and feeling the oxymoron of environmental practices in one location.

The good news based on people we met with associated with the SteelWinds Project was that the avian loss per year per turbine is calculated at 3-5 birds. This is based on studies of this site, migratory patterns and other wind farm implementations around the world. The interesting point they raised is that the avian loss is a lot less per kilowatt versus other forms of energy generation (e.g. coal conversion plants, nuclear plants, etc.). Additionally, it was interesting to hear that wind turbines have smaller avian kill rates that many other tall structures (like skyscrapers or bridges). Interesting how these structures never get challenged for their impacts on avian survival rates?

FWIW. Our County Energy Task Force is interested in far more than placing 8 wind turbines in the lake. They are interested in becoming the foremost expert on off-shore wind farms. This will require a researching community be established here. Additionally, it is hoped (and hence Team NEO's interest) that the supporting supply chain (component manufacturing, transportation, product development, etc.) for the industry be established here. This equates to jobs....to economic development.[/url]