environmental & siting r&d program peer review meeting bob thresher & karin sinclair,...

Environmental & Siting R&D Program

Peer Review Meeting

Bob Thresher & Karin Sinclair, NRELLaura Miner, DOE

Bonnie Ram, Energetics Incorporated

Golden, Colorado • May 10, 2006

A Subsidiary of VSE Corporation

Environmental & Siting is Related to Program Mission

• Primarily land-based focus

• Barriers relate to cost of energy and deployment delays

• Potential showstoppers

• Reasonable permitting requirements

• Public perception and involvement• Collaborative research and peer

review process• Establish framework for

comparative risk assessment

FY06 Budget Allocation$900,000

• NREL technical oversight, research, workshops

• NWCC wildlife & siting workgroups and publications

• Bat Wind Energy Cooperative• Prairie birds & grassland

species• Offshore Wind Energy

Collaborative (DOE, MTC, GE)

Environmental FY06

Selected FY06 Activities ($900,000)Priority Challenges

Environmental & Social Impacts

Public Perception

Improved Tools for Industry and Government

Consistent Policies and Leadership

Grassland and Shrub Steppe Species Collaborative Bat and Wind Energy Collaborative ($75K) Siting Workshop results

Offshore and onshore policy and research support Wildlife Research Meeting V State stakeholder workshops ($575K)

Mitigation tool box, Nocturnal Methods and Metrics, and Risk Assessment framework ($250K)

DOE-Minerals Management Service MOU Offshore Wind Energy CollaborativeState legislation briefings and materials ($50K)

Challenges & Measures

Priority Challenges

Environmental & Social Impacts

Public Perception

Improving Tools for Industry and Government

Consistent Policies and Leadership

Progress Measures

Improved assessments of species and population impacts; better understanding of relative and cumulative impacts

Studies show risks and impacts reflect public concerns; greater awareness of the benefits of wind to national energy security

Reasonable permitting requirements, studies, & process; siting strategies

Policy and enforcement measures that support the sustainable development of wind energy

Are Wind Projects Impacting Population Viability of Greater Prairie-Chickens?

• $165,000 for FY06• NWCC – Oversight

Committee• KSU Research

Team• NREL - Technical

Monitor

Collaboration between Industry, Government, University, and NGOs

• FPL Energy• Horizon Wind Energy• Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks• National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL)• PPM Energy• The Nature Conservancy, Kansas &

Oklahoma

Are Wind Projects Affecting Bat Populations in Certain Regions?

• Formed Cooperative in 2004

– NREL, BCI, AWEA, FWS

• 6 week intensive mortality

study

• June 2005 Draft Report

• Acoustic deterrent tests

• Ultrasound sample

• 2006 Pre-construction

monitoring

National Wind Coordinating Committee (NWCC FY06) Blueprint

• Update Measures & Metrics document (nocturnal focus)

• Oversight of prairie birds & grassland species collaborative

• Initiate mitigation tool box

• Explore benefits of applying ecological risk assessment framework

NWCC Meetings and Workshops

• Air Quality Issue Forum, Oct 20th, Lansing, MI• NWCC Business Meeting #36, Nov 30th, Washington, DC• Technical Considerations in Siting Wind Developments

Research Meeting, Dec 1-2, Washington, DC• Wildlife Workgroup Core Group Meeting & Risk Assessment

Workshop, Feb 27-28, Washington, DC• Conduct monthly scheduled conference calls

UPCOMING• Wind Energy Contributions in a National Energy Strategy

Issue Forum, May 18-19, Washington, DC• Wildlife Workgroup Core Group: Gaps Prioritization Meeting,

June 20-21, Boulder, CO• Wildlife Research Meeting VI, Nov 14-16, San Antonio, TX

NREL and DOE Keeping Up with Workshops and Activities

2005• NAS study• GAO Report• DOE/NREL Environmental Strategy• WPA – Raleigh, NC• NYSERDA Wind & Wildlife Working Group

2006• AWEA/Audubon Wildlife in California• Columbus, OH – IAFWA• Toledo, OH USFWS/EPA• Colorado State, Fish and Game Services

Selected Offshore Meetings and Workshops

2005• Raleigh, NC• Mineral Management

Service – tutorial & regulatory

• IEA Annex 23

2006• Great Lakes Offshore Wind• NJ Public Hearing• Houston’s OTC• OWEMES

Atlantic Ocean

Gulf of Mexico

Cape Wind Associates

Winergy

LIPA & Florida Power and Light

W.E.S.T. LLC

Hull Municipal

Southern Company

Green Energy Ohio

Toronto Hydro

Offshore Activities

• MMS Actions– New regulations expected– Memorandum of Understanding– Scoping meetings on PEIS

• NREL Actions– White Paper– SeaCon Studies– IEA Annex 23 Workshop

• Offshore Wind Energy Collaborative business plan

Cape Wind Tower --- 179 feet

Offshore Project Challenges• Complex siting process in

the ocean• New regulations may

create a one-stop-shop• Better understanding of

public acceptance• Conduct comparative risk

assessment framework• Need government support

for Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) studies

• Put demonstrations in the water

Operation (2003):

Response distance:

day = c. 3000mday = c. 3000mnight = c. 1000mnight = c. 1000m

Proposed Technical and OutreachActivities FY07

• Support and fully participate in the collaboratives for avian and bat species– Identify cost effective technologies and strategies to mitigate impacts to

the site ecology• Facilitate Interagency Efforts

– Offshore regulations with MMS– Fish and Wildlife Service– DOD radar hazards– NEPA analysis

• State/Great Lakes/Regional Actions– Offshore– Land-based guidelines – Wind Powering America – regional focus groups

• International – IEA Annex 23– R&D studies

National Activities to Watch• National Academy of Sciences Report• US Fish and Wildlife Guidelines• State Guidelines for land-based projects• Wildlife Society Report• Mineral Management Service regulations and NEPA

Strategic Challenges

Offshore • International lessons learned• Risk assessment and multiple uses• Complex siting process• Public education

Land-Based• Proliferation of

State Guidelines• Identifying

Priorities and Gaps

• Comparative Risks

• Cumulative Risks

• Addressing Surprises – Radar

• Public acceptance

More than 400MW added in next 10 years

Public benefit charge for renewable energy

Bonnie Rambram@energetics.com

Thank you DOE and NREL for supporting this research

A Subsidiary of VSE Corporation