Economic Impact of Windpower

[frawin]

There is a great article on Windpower in todays Tulsa World Windpower is clean and helps reduice our dependence on Foreign Energy Sources. Thanks to Liz and Ken, Elk County will benefit in both jobs, Royalties and Taxes Receipts.

athttp://www.tulsaworld.com/business/energy/wind-power-industry-spent-million-in-state-over-years-report/article_3914a432-7ef6-531a-b7d9-f7d09c93a239.html

[nykkylsdymes]

Too bad none of that great energy those wind towers are making actually stays in the state of Kansas.  Now that might be of great benefit not only to Elk County but to our neighboring counties as well.  Just good business.  As for the boost in employment, I fail to see that.  But I do not know exactly how many people they employ and if they are from Elk County. I know of one for sure but not of any others.  I can however see that the PILOT money is being spent wisely fixing our roads and helping lower our taxes. 

[nykkylsdymes]

RE: Post from Elk County's New Website in response to  frawin

   
"Re: New Official Elk County Web Site
« Reply #4 on: Today at 11:14:54 am »


Some of it probably is staying in Kansas or surrounding states. As I recall it was for a power company in Tennessee. I am positive it is not being routed to Tennessee but instead being traded . Power is traded all of the time. I trade crude oil and Natural Gas all the time."



No, actually if you do the research it is in fact all going east.

From the Tradewind Energy website (emphasis added):

Utility Buyers:
The power produced by Caney River will be sold to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the nation's largest public power company.  The power will be delivered to TVA's customers in the Southeast U.S.

http://www.tradewindenergy.com/project.aspx?id=238

Also taken from another site:

The Caney River Wind Project was developed by TradeWind Energy and is owned by Enel Green Power North America. The wind farm includes 111 Vestas V90 turbines that have a total nominal generating capacity of 200 megawatts (MW). The turbine towers stand 80 m (~260 feet) tall, and the blades are 44 m (~144 feet) long. Electricity produced at the Caney River Wind Project feeds into a regional transmission line and is sold to the Tennessee Valley Authority for its customers in the southeastern U.S.

http://www.geospectra.net/kite/caney/caney.htm
Modify message

[frawin]

I understand that the power is for customers in the Southeast, but I doubt that it is transported from Elk County to the SE. I feel sure they are trading it for equivalent power in Tennessee. Power is traded all the time to save overloading lines.

[nykkylsdymes]

Well there is that matter of new, more powerful transmission lines through Kansas in order to move the power.  I still say, it would be beneficial of the wind energy made here, stays here.  I don't see my electric bill going down, I see it rising.

[Bullwinkle]

     You are correct ,Frank. The power is simply put into the grid. It would be quite difficult to single out one path for it to follow.

    As for new lines in Kansas, most are to replace old and unreliable ones, others are to provide a path to route power in the event of a line failure or damage. I don't know about you, but my electric bill is the smallest bill I get.

    In addition, Liz and Ken did not bring the wind farm here, they merely negotiated the PILOT contract. And since both had a vested interest in seeing it happen, it wasn't them thinking of Elk county as much as their own pocket.

[nykkylsdymes]

Just for clarification....

It is put into the grid.  My point is that it is sold to then to the east.  Does Westar or Caney Valley buy it from Tradewinds?  That I don't know.  If they did, then bravo, because then I and others in Kansas would benefit from it.  I can only look at what I find from their companies to tell me what they do with it.

The new power lines from Barton County across Kansas, Missouri and Illinois is being built not only to replace lines but to bring that power outside of Kansas because the existing lines aren't capable to carrying that power.  Again, power made here, leaves here. 

[frawin]

Trade winds picked the locations, Liz and Ken had nothing to do with picking where the Windfarm is located.I happen to think they are both sharp young people and did a great job. Liz's and Kens family are old  line ranching families and their Ancestors had the wisdom to invest in land. I am happy for them. I have had firsthand experience working for a successful oil operator in West Texas that invested in large tracts of land and one of his ranches was picked for a large Windfarm. It has been in operation for ten years. I recently traveled back to Midland on business and on I-20 from East of Abilene all the way to Big Spring you can see Wind turbines on both sides of the highway. I came back from Midland on I 40 and there are Windfarms along I 40. A lot of oil operators have invested in  Windfarms.

[Ross]

Even though wind farms are only 25 to 35% efficient they still mAke a lot of money called profits for their owners.
Our wind farm is owned by an Italian company and that company is 1/3 owned by Italy.

Thus the wind farm acts as a giant money funnel siphoning money right out of the US.
Which is in no way healthy for the US economy. The economic impact of our wind farm is Pisa Poor for our country as a whole. If you give it just a little thought it is an economic negative for the US. And could be considered unpatriotic in my opinion.

So a small amount of there profit (maybe 1%) stays in Elk County that leaves 99% for Italy.
I`d links to know how that is good for the US as a whole?

What are there 4 whole jobs for the wind farm?
How many are Elk County residents?

As far as I can tell Liz and Liebau as county commissioners failed Elk County ,
but did quite well for themselves. I am entitled to my opinion just as you are.
I base that opinion on the fact that the same company built the same size
wind farm in Oklahoma and pays them $3Million a year.

All this is documented in the thread titled "Elk Konnected Hand out at County Commissioners Meeting 4/25"
in the politics section.

I`m quite certain the transfer of electricity is much the same as petroleum products. If one company puts 50,000 barrels of product in the line in Huston they Don`t wait for their exact product to travel 250 miles to take possession. The simply take the equivalent amount of the same product.

Electrons are electrons as soon as some are pushed they are taken at the other end, just not the same electron. The electrons are not individually labeled.

NEWS

[Nancy]

I would like to thank Frank for always being positive in his wishes for Elk County. Also to the ones that can read please go look at the county map and you will see that my husband and I have no wind turbines on our property. I am very happy for land owners that do have turbines on their land.