The OBP News article on urban wind turbines on August 14 (see article on this blog) triggered sufficient interest that Think Outloud decided to do a segment on the topic. They assembled an excellent panel of guests and recieved a fairly large number of comments posted to the Think Outloud Urban Turbines web page.
While conservation is the most effective way to approach energy our growing energy demands, Distributed Generation, which urban wind turbines would be considered part of, is a proven key component in future energy production.
The comment that really explored the concept of urban wind turbines was the one from guest Alex Wilson of Building Green. He provided a link to an article on the Building Green website entitled “The Folly of Building-Integrated Wind” that makes for excellent reading on this subject.
While producing energy from urban wind turbines feels like a good idea the reality of the situation is that unless there is some amazing breakthrough it’s a non-starter.
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Urban Turbines
Think Outloud – OPB News – August 20, 2009
Portlanders may have noticed a new addition to the downtown skyline this week when four wind turbines were added to the roof of developer Gerding Edlen’s new Twelve West Building on southwest 12th Avenue. These small-scale turbines (45 feet tall compared to the massive 400-foot turbines in the Columbia River Gorge) will only produce about one percent of the building’s total energy usage. However, the development company also hopes their presence will help promote renewable energy and help Portland stand out in the field. Portland isn’t the only city to try rooftop wind turbines. Boston, New York and Hampton, New Hampshire have all taken an interest in small scale wind power. Some green building experts have raised concerns about the economic and energy efficiency of urban turbines. Zoning laws would still have to change in Portland before people could install turbines on the roofs of their homes.
While the issues with integrating small-scale wind power into an urban landscape center mainly around questions of engineering and structural integrity, large-scale wind farms are still struggling with integrating their turbines with wildlife. And while urban and rural wind may still be an intermittent power source, the Bonneville Power Administration reported wind power generation was at an all time high earlier this month.
Have you considered putting a wind turbine on your home or business? What factors did you weigh in making your decision? Do you live near a rural wind farm? How has that impacted your life?
GUESTS:
Damin Tarlow: Development manager for Gerdling Edlen Development
Alex Wilson: Founder and executive editor of Building Green
Andy Kruse: Senior VP of Business Development and Cofounder of Southwest Wind Power
Brent Fenty: Executive Director of Oregon Natural Desert Association
Chris Crowley: President of Columbia Energy Partners
