Wray wind generator fails to produce juice
By Tillie Fong, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)
Published July 30, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.
One of the projects touted as an example of green energy - supported by the purchase of carbon offsets from the Democratic National Convention - isn't working, according to an online report.
Face the State, a Web site that follows politics in Colorado, reported this week that a wind turbine in Wray has not been able to produce electricity since it was erected in February because of a faulty converter .
"We flipped it back off and on about 10 times since then," Ron Howard, Wray school superintendent, told the site. "It has run, it will run, but it won't ramp itself up to full capacity."
Howard declined to be interviewed Tuesday evening by the Rocky Mountain News.
In February, the Wray School District, which has about 2,500 students, dedicated the 330- foot-tall turbine, which sits about a mile from Wray High School. The district had invested $1 million in the project.
The 900-kilowatt windmill, with 80-foot blades, was expected to provide one-fifth of the town of Wray's power needs and generate about $40,000 to $100,000 a year for the school district. However, residents told Face the State that while the blades of the wind turbine can be seen turning at times, it is not producing electricity.
This month, the DNC announced its Green Delegate Challenge, in which delegates from all 50 states were asked to purchase green credits from NativeEnergy, a Vermont-based broker, to offset carbon dioxide that would be generated by the convention. NativeEnergy would then use the money to invest in four "green energy" projects, including the wind turbine in Wray.
At least one local politician criticized the program. "Most of the people were very excited by it," State Sen. Greg Brophy, R- Wray, told Face the State. "But nobody likes to be misled. The 'green' DNC convention is an absolute sham."
Post your comment
Registration is required. Click here to create your free user account, or login below.
Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.
Featured
-
Rocky Multimedia
The news comes alive in our videos and slide shows. Catch up on what's happening today.
-
Holiday Lights
Is your house the jolliest on the block? Submit your holiday lights display.
-
Holiday Gift Guide
Looking to get a jump-start on the holiday shopping season?
-
Mount Crushmore
Which four Broncos greats should be immortalized on Mount Crushmore? Vote here.
-
Bronco Dean's rant
Listen to Bronco Dean's midweek rant on the Chiefs.
-
Broncos Video
Get the latest from Dove Valley as the Broncos prepare for Sunday's matchup.
-
Calendar wallpaper
Download this month's desktop wallpaper calendar
-
Sam Adams' Open Mic
Open Mic: Stirrin' the Soup with Matt Iseman
-
The Rocky @ 150 Years
Read the Rocky's coverage of Colorado's cannibal, Alfred Packer, in 1886.
July 30, 2008
6:55 a.m.
Suggest removal
NativeEnergy writes:
NativeEnergy - Wray School District Wind Turbine Project Update
Sometimes ordinary people who attempt to do extraordinary things encounter unforeseen challenges. The school district in the small, rural town of Wray, CO has faced a few challenges they could not predict in developing their renewable energy project. Their wind turbine, the first large-scale wind turbine in our nation to be owned and operated commercially by a school district, was scheduled to be online by now. But a malfunctioning power converter created unavoidable delays. Replacing this component was further complicated when the U.S. distributor of the Danish-made wind turbine recently changed ownership. The malfunctioning component is now being replaced, and the turbine is expected to be fully operational in early August.
The school's wind turbine will generate electricity, environmental benefits, and educational opportunities, as well as reduced energy costs for the Wray School District.
NativeEnergy’s unique forward stream model brings upfront financing to help new renewable energy projects like the Wray School District wind turbine get built. Once the project achieves commercial operation we purchase the offsets on behalf of our clients. The time period over which the offsets are generated commences after commercial operation is achieved, which, in the case of the Wray School District project will be after the component is replaced on its wind turbine.
This situation clearly demonstrates why new renewable energy projects like this project need upfront capital – including the financing provided by NativeEnergy’s community – to overcome challenges on their path to operation. It also demonstrates that well-designed and financed community-based projects can be successfully developed, and importantly, that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.
Some have asked why the offsets that the DNCC purchased have not been generated yet?
That is exactly how NativeEnergy’s forward stream approach works!
Your purchase of offsets from the Wray School project helps the project secure the funding it needs to get built, so it can then do its job – generate electricity, environmental, social, and educational benefits for the Wray School District and its community. With our “Help Build” model your offsets are generated and permanently retired over the life of the project.
For more information about our methodology, detailed answers on commonly asked questions relating to carbon offsets, e.g., “How do you estimate how much CO2 pollution is reduced?”, “Are some carbon offsets better than others?”, and “What if my project breaks down?”, please visit our web site at: http://www.nativeenergy.com/pages/faq.... For our terms and conditions, please visit: http://www.nativeenergy.com/pages/ter...
Thank you,
Your Friends at Native Energy
www.NativeEnergy.com
July 30, 2008
8:14 a.m.
Suggest removal
galty writes:
"Some have asked why the offsets that the DNCC purchased have not been generated yet?
That is exactly how NativeEnergy’s forward stream approach works!" -or doesn't work...
Let's see: built in February, still spinning its wheels in August, waiting on parts...just like the Dems energy policy. I think you should offer to install a nice clean reliable natural gas-fired back-up generator.
July 30, 2008
8:38 a.m.
Suggest removal
teblackman writes:
This project is obviously silly. What business does a school district have in purchasing a wind turbine? The problems are not a surprise at all. For wind power to work, it really needs to be done on an industrial scale by a power company with the knowledge and expertise to do it right. Surprisingly, these things need maintenance and support over their operational lifetime. If you look at the evolution of wind turbines, they are getting larger and larger. They are finding out that to maximize the power and minimize maintenance/capital costs, they need to make them as large as they can. My understanding is that the size limit is what can be carried by a semi-trailer to the site. The school board needs to be fired and people need to be hired who actually are in the business of educating kids, not buying wind turbines. Leave the energy business to, say, energy companies.