Report: Iowa has enough wind to power surrounding states
May 11, 2015 | By
Jaclyn Brandt
Iowa was the first state to introduce a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) -- in 1999 -- and now it looks like other states may benefit from their wind resources. A new study found that the potential of Iowa's wind energy can be produced so cheaply, the state can easily send their leftover wind to other states -- helping many of them meet their own renewable standards.
The study, "Iowa's Wind Potential for Addressing 111(d) Goals," conducted by energy consultant Tom Wind and Windustry's Dan Turner, is in line with the Department of Energy's (DOE) 2015 update to the 2008 Wind Vision study, which found that Iowa could potentially add 21,000 megawatts (MW) of wind by 2030. "In a conservative scenario it is estimated that Iowa wind could easily contribute a reduction of 15 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually to the region outside of Iowa," the report said, "and in a more optimistic but still moderate scenario Iowa's contribution could easily be over 36 million metric tons annually." Iowa has developed 5,688 MW of wind as of the end of 2014 -- which equals close to 28 percent of Iowa's electricity usage. The cost of producing wind power in Iowa -- as well as the high capacity -- makes it less expensive for other states to import that wind than make their own. The study estimated that the delivered cost of wind power on this project would be around $40 per megawatt-hour (MWh), plus around $5 MWh for integration costs. Another factor of exporting wind to other states has to do with transmission costs and infrastructure. According to the study, "although there is uncertainty related primarily to the need and cost of adding transmission capacity, the evidence is that such costs would be reasonable, and an effort to expand Iowa's wind capacity for export would be quite beneficial economically." The delivered costs of additional wind power would go up due to infrastructure expansion in Iowa, as well as wind integration costs, but the report found that the costs would be mitigated by cost reductions from turbines and operation and maintenance. "All of the wind power added to date in Iowa has required some modest investment in the transmission system," the report explained. "Most of these investments have been to increase the capacity of existing lines and substations. Such incremental investments are relatively economical per kilowatt-hour (kW) of added wind generation capacity compared to the construction cost of a new 345 kV line." The state has already considered exporting their wind, and is waiting on regulatory approval to build the 500-mile, $2 billion Rock Island Clean Line, a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission line that would bring wind power from Iowa to Illinois. The goal of the transmission line is to export up to 3,500 MW of wind from Iowa to Illinois. For more: © 2015 FierceMarkets, a division of Questex Media Group LLC. All rights reserved. http://www.fierceenergy.com/story/report-iowa-has-enough-wind-power-surrounding-states/2015-05-11 |