State report backs wind and biomass, but not solar

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, US, April 13, 2005 (Refocus Weekly)

Wind, biomass and hydro are “viable renewable energy options” for the state of Oklahoma, according to a committee report filed with the state legislature.

The state should formulate a plan for renewable power generation and develop a multi-agency strategy to secure Oklahoma’s future as an energy state, recommends the Corporation Commission. Educational programs should be developed to serve the growing industry and timelines should be established by the end of July for the final design of a state plan that includes regulatory proposals and incentives.

“There is tremendous promise for renewable energy in Oklahoma,” says commission chair Denise Bode. “It diversifies our energy portfolio, which I think is very important for energy consumers.”

Wind has the most promise in the state, which currently has 176 MW of capacity online and another 256 MW scheduled before the end of 2006. The potential for further wind development is as good or better than Texas, it adds.

There is potential for biomass cofiring with coal in existing power plants and biorefining to produce ethanol, and potential for micro-hydro. There is “very little potential” for concentrating solar power for utility-scale solar power, particularly for generation during cooling demand periods during summer.

An analysis of a 100 MW windfarm in Oklahoma concluded that 280 jobs would be created during construction with another 46 ongoing jobs, and the project would have an economic impact of US$25.5 million on the local economy during construction alone. The project would have an ongoing economic impact of $2.8 million per year.

The committee was created to assess Oklahoma's green power opportunities, including wind, biomass, geothermal, solar and hydro, by assessing cost and customer support of windfarms built recently in western Oklahoma. Windfarms in the state have generated 500,000 MWh of power at a cost of $12.5 million, or $25 per MWh, compared with $11 for coal-fired electricity, $42 fir gas combined cycle and $63 per MWh for gas-fired facilities, the report notes.


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