The wind farm will have 23 wind turbines, each at around 256 feet tall and with three fiberglass blades, each at around 140 feet in length. The turbines will be located on private property in three different Pennsylvania townships.
Washington, D.C. is about to power 35% of its electricity from wind.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with Iberdrola Renewables to supply the city with wind energy. The move is expected to save taxpayers $45 million over 20 years, and is the largest wind power deal of its kind entered into by a U.S. city.
“The District of Columbia is proud to lead the nation in the utilization of affordable, green energy that creates jobs right here at home,” said Mayor Bowser. “The District is well on its way to achieving the Sustainable DC goal of using renewables to satisfy 50% of D.C.’s energy supply by 2032.”
The agreement will give power to the Department of General Services (DGS) to purchase the entire output of Iberdrola’s South Chestnut 46-MW wind farm in southwestern Pennsylvania. The wind farm will supply Washington with approximately 125,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity each year.
“Directly sourcing renewable power costs 30% less than fossil fuel-based sources, reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 100,000 tons, and protects our city from volatile energy price increases,” said Mark Chambers, Sustainability and Energy Management Director at DGS. “Put another way, over its 20-year span, this deal removes the same amount of carbon from our atmosphere as planting 44 million trees, or removing 18,000 cars from the road every year.”
The wind farm will have 23 wind turbines, each at around 256 feet tall and with three fiberglass blades, each at around 140 feet in length. The turbines will be located on private property in three different Pennsylvania townships.
“This deal marks a watershed moment for renewable power purchases in our country,” said Iberdrola Renewables vice president Barrett Stambler. “Not only is the District of Columbia giving its residents what they want — clean and sustainable power — they are getting that power at a very competitive price, helping ensure a secure energy economy for the next generation.”
In 2011, the city commissioned a report “to identify ways for the D.C. government to acquire the wind power for its own facilities in a way that allows it come out ahead financially — that is, to pay less for wind power than it now pays for its conventional electricity.” The report looked at the best options for bringing wind to the city — whether it be purchasing a farm, building a new farm, or purchasing wind from an existing farm. The report also looked at an option of offshore wind for the project.
“Offshore wind has been recognized for some time as an expensive yet promising alternative to wind energy on land,” the report said. “There are numerous advantages to developing wind offshore — the wind resource tends to be stronger and more steady than on land; the visual impacts associated with wind on land can in cases be averted; the developable offshore wind resources in the U.S. are to a great extent located close to major load centers as opposed to land?based wind resources which are greater in the more rural parts of the country.”
Although Washington, D.C. is the largest city to propose powering their city with wind, they are not the first. In February, Burlington, Vermont announced they would be the first U.S. city powered by 100% renewable energy. Last year, the city purchased a hydropower plant, which added to their biomass and wind sources. The city has operated a 40 MW wind plant near the city limits for years.
Iberdrola Renewables
www.iberdrolarenewables.us/
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