Wind
Wind is a renewable resource and a form of solar power because of the sun’s uneven heating of the earth’s atmosphere. The earth’s surface (its terrain, waterways, and rotation) affect the pattern of the wind. Wind turbines can be placed in patterns that best capture the flow of the wind.
Wind turbines are like fans, operating in reverse. Instead of spinning to create a breeze, the wind spins the blades to generate electricity.
NPPD obtains wind from two primary facilities:
- Ainsworth Wind Energy Facility: A 60-megawatt facility NPPD owns and operates outside of Ainsworth, Nebraska.
- Elkhorn Ridge Wind Facility: An 80-megawatt facility owned and operated by Edison Mission outside of Bloomfield, Nebraska.
NPPD has been a leader in Nebraska’s wind development, helping to bring more than 140 megawatts of wind power to the state. NPPD plans to add 500 more megawatts of wind power to its generation portfolio by 2020. NPPD has a signed power purchase agreement for 42 megawatts of power to be generated by the Crofton Hills Wind Farm, once it is constructed.
NPPD also is in the negotiations for 80 megawatts of wind power from a facility to be built outside of Petersburg by December 2010. NPPD is also negotiating for another 80 megawatts of power that could be generated by a wind farm to be built northeast of Broken Bow, if the utility can find other public power entities to purchase 50% of the output.
Wind development in Nebraska
Nebraska ranks 6th in terms of potential wind development in the United States. So, why aren’t there more wind facilities in the state?
- Investor owned utilities can use Federal Production Tax Credits to build wind farms. Nebraska’s utilities are all publicly owned and ineligible for PTCs.
- The federal government has offered Clean Renewable Energy Bonds as an alternative for public power utilities, but they are not a comparable incentive.
- Some states offer production tax credits and have renewable portfolio standards or a public utility commission that requires it; Nebraska does not.
- The best places to build wind farms are located in areas with the least high-voltage transmission lines needed to carry the power from a wind farm to the high-voltage electric grid.
- Nebraska's utilities have enough generation to serve Nebraskans; some states need the additional generation to serve customer load.