Golden West Power Partners’ Industrial Wind Turbine Project – now is the NextEra Wind Farm.

Golden West Power Partners’ Industrial Wind Turbine Project – now is the NextEra Wind Farm

Golden West Power Partners' Pushed for Fast Track BOCC Approval Prior to PTC

Expiration on 12/31/13• 10/22/13 first notice to adjacent non-participating property owners• 11/4/13 Letter sent by GES Tech to Golden West and GE, questioning 1.7 mw and 250 mw claims• Numerous email exchanges with GW followed• GE requested an NDA and stoned walled until 12/5/13 when “proprietary technical data” was finally received• NDA ultimately not required by GW/GE-Energy

Golden West Power Partners and the Magic GE 1.7-100 Wind Turbine

A mystery, and an interesting detective story!

• Magic GE Turbine claimed to produce 170%* of energy available.

*Impossible…

Golden West Power Partners and the Magic GE1.7-100 Wind Turbine

• There was no independent engineering review on behalf of the BOCC, and thus El Paso County residents.

• GES Tech Group Investigation of Golden West and GE technical claims, and Calhan Wind Turbine Project, was initiated on 10/30/13.

FINDINGS OF INVESTIGATION:

WIND POWER CLAIMS•FIRST COST NOT IMPORTANT

•FUEL IS “FREE”…

•WIND IS “GRID FRIENDLY”…

•WIND IS “GREEN” …

•WIND IS PEOPLE FRIENDLY…

“People like to be taken care of.”

(Dave Hazel, Golden West, quoted in Falcon Herald, 10/13/13)

THE INDUSTRIAL WIND TURBINE PONZI SCHEME

•FIRST COST ( source: Golden West quoted in Falcon Herald)

$400 million/250 mw = $1600/kw

•100 mw simple cycle gas turbine

$530/kw ($53 million)

•1600/530 = WIND is 3 x more expensive*

* Based on GE inflated “name plate” rating

THE INDUSTRIAL WIND TURBINE PONZI SCHEMEBasis of GE 1.7-100 Turbine Rating

•Sea Level Air Density (78% @ Calhan)

•Based on wind velocity of 24.5 mph, 3.2 x power at standard 16.7mph

•Corrected for Calhan elevation, average wind

conditions, and all loses: 0.7 mw/turbine

•Wind Project, actual power rating: 104.6 mw


•FIRST COST, Golden West/NEXT ERA

$400 million/250 mw = $1600/kw

•Corrected: $400 million/104.6 mw = $3824/kw

•3824/530 = WIND is 7.2 x more expensive


• But, it gets worse…

• REALITY: WIND IS NOT “DISPATCHABLE”

• Translation: Not controllable

• PUC Decision C13-1267 @ para. 14, rates NextEra Project at 12.5% of “nameplate”.

• 31.25 mw EFFECTIVE LOAD CARRYING CAPABILTIY (ELCC) 24 times more expensive than comparable conventional power systems

The INDUSTRIAL WIND TURBINE PONZI SHEME

•REVIEW OF FINDINGS SO FAR…•FIRST COST - 7.2 to 24 times more expensive•FUEL IS “FREE” – “Free” fuel is very expensive, cost of natural gas would need to rise 500% to make wind power competitive without PTC (source: American Tradition Institute 2012, G. Taylor, PhD)•GRID FRIENDLY – not so much, 12.5% ELCC•WIND IS “GREEN” •WIND IS PEOPLE FRIENDLY


• WIND IS “GREEN” ?? SERIOUSLY??

• 500 CUBIC YARDS CONCRETE FOR EACH TURBINE…

• 73,500 CUBIC YARDS, 7350 REDIMIX TRUCKS TOTAL…

• EQUALS A ROADWAY 6 INCHES THICK, 20 FEET WIDE & 38 MILES LONG - CALHAN TO COLORADO SPRINGS

• 2 MILLION GALLONS OF DEEP AQUIFER FOSSIL WATER JUST TO MAKE CONCRETE AND 30+ million gallons MORE FOR DUST CONTROL, etc. (source, phone call from contractor to Upper Big Sandy Ground Water Management District)

• PERMIT TO KILL RAPTORS (American Eagles) MAY BE REQUIRED


•WIND IS “GREEN” ??

•REQUIRES 100 x copper & steel, 35,000 ACRES, ROADS, INFRASTRUCTURE, AND 25 MILE TRANSMISSION LINE

THE INDUSTRIAL WIND TURBINE PONZI SCHEME: All this for 31 mw of ELCC?

The INDUSTRIAL WIND TURBINE PONZI SCHEME

•WIND IS “GREEN” MYTH•100 mw GAS TURBINE, replaces Golden West Wind project three times over with 100% dispatchable resource.

•Effective Load Carrying Capability: 100%


• WIND IS GRID FRIENDLY MYTH

• WIND IS NOT “DISPATCHABLE”

• Translation: Not controllable

• 31.25 mw (ELCC)*

*NOTE: May require new gas turbine units as back up for wind power…


And, the people living with the turbines??•Sun Flutter: health, quality of life•Infra-sound: health, quality of life. Minimum separation distance from homes is violated in populated rural area.•Ice Throw: life safety•Migratory and raptor bird kills (permits to kill?)•Loss of unobstructed views: quality of life•Potential conflicts between neighbors, property values•Public Health Legal Liability for County and risk of law suits against “participating land owners”.


HARVESTING TAX DOLLARSHARVESTING TAX DOLLARS

FOLLLOW THE MONEY!FOLLLOW THE MONEY!

• 2.3 cents/kWh, PTC (production tax credit)

• $ 143,224/year per turbine

• $ 21,054,030/year BAILOUT

•WITHOUT PTC, CORPORATE WELFARE, THERE WOULD BE NO WIND FARMS IN THE USA; CALHAN PROJECT ABANDONED


Summary of Findings

• FIRST COST - 7.2 to 24 times more expensive

• FUEL IS “FREE” – Free is VERY expensive

• NOT GRID COMPATIBLE – 12.5% ELCC

• NOT “GREEN”

• NOT FRIEDLY TO RURAL FOLKS LIVING IN AND AROUND THE PROJECT

SELLING THE WIND TURBINE PONZI SCHEME

•The BOCC WAS THE LAST LINE OF DEFENSE AGAINST THIS PONZI SCHEME

• The BOCC, as our elected representatives, were responsible for authorizing a project that may have health risks and one that depends 100% on BIG GOVERNMENT tax subsidies.

SELLING THE WIND TURBINE PONZI SCHEME - UPDATE

DENVER POST REPORTED IN DECEMBER OF 2012 THAT XCEL HAD SUFFICIENT WIND POWER ON LINE OR ON TRACK TO SATISFY THE GOVERNMENT MANDATED PERCENTAGE THROUGH 2029. THIS INFORMATION WAS NOT CONSIDERED IN THE BOCC APPROVAL IN DECEMBER OF 2013. THE CALHAN WIND FARM APPARENTLY DID NOT HAVE A CUSTORMER IN DEC. 2013 AND NEXT ERA MAY NOT HAVE A CUSTOMER AT THIS TIME.

THE PROJECT HAS BEEN DELAYED UNTIL SPRING OF 2015. IF THE PTC CAN BE REPEALED OR IF THE NEGATIVE IMPACT ON RESIDENTS HEALTH, PROPERTY VALUES, AND QUALITY OF LIFE CAN BE MADE WELL KNOWN, THE PROJECT MAY NOT BE IMPLEMENTED.

RECOMMENDATIONS: That were ignored by our elected El Paso County BOCC

•REJECT the CALHAN WIND PROJECT, as an un-economic Ponzi Scheme, Corporate Welfare, and yet another Bail Out of a non-viable industry.

•REJECT THE PROJECT BASED ON POTENTIALLY SERIOUS HEALTH AND LIFE SAFETY ISSUES FOR LOCALS

L. J. Mott, PE

Consulting Engineer

WIND TURBINE ENGINERING

TECHNICAL APPENDIX FOLLOWS

•GE 1.7-100 POWER CURVE

•CUBED VELOCITY RELATIONSHIP

•BETZ WIND POWER FORMULA

• Average wind Cp, USA

•VERIFICATION OF GE 1.7 mw “NAME PLATE” and ACTUAL RATING AT CALHAN SITE

WIND TURBINE ENGINEERING

TEXT FROM GE LITERATURE IMPLIES 1.7 MW POWER RATING AT 7.5 METERS/SEC WIND VELOCITY, SUBSEQUENTLY QUOTED REPEATEDLY BY GOLDEN WEST PROMOTERS AND ACCEPTED BY LOCAL MEDIA AND BOCC WITHOUT QUESTION.


ACTUAL RATING AT 7.5 M/S AND IDEAL SEA LEVEL CONDITIONS IS ONLY 1.0 MW – FYI: CALHAN, CO IS NOT LOCATED AT SEALEVEL…


POWER AVAILABLE IN WIND IS A CUBED POWER RELATIONSHIP.

ANY WIND TURBINE IS INHERENTLY INEFFICIENT, WASTING AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF ENERGY

WIND TURBINE ENGINEERING•POWER: KILO-WATTS, kW •ENERGY: KILO-WATT-HOURS, kWh•POWER: THE ABILITY OR POTENTIAL TO DO WORK. Example: 1.2 kW HEATER•ENERGY:WORK COMPLETED, A 1.2 kW HEATER RUN FOR ONE HOUR = 1.2 kWh•UTILITY BILLS CHARGE FOR kWh, NOT kW•THEREFORE, BRAGGING ABOUT NAME PLATE RATINGS OF 250 MW IS MISLEADING

WIND TURBINE ENGINEERING•VERIFICATION OF MEANINGLESS GE 1.7-100 SEA LEVEL “NAME PLATE” RATING.

•BETZ FORMULA: P = ½(AϱV^3Cp)

•P = 0.5(7854)(1.23)(11^3)(0.27) = 1.7 mw*

* Sea Level and 24.5 mph wind (11 m/sec), no losses other than blade efficiency. Average velocity at Calhan much less than 24.5 mph.

WIND TURBINE ENGINEERING•VERIFICATION OF GE 1.7-100 ACTUAL PERFORMANCE, 6800 Foot Calhan elevation.•BETZ FORMULA: P = ½(AϱV^3Cp)•P = 0.5(7854)(0.95)(7.93^3)(0.48) = 0.89 mw•All other inefficiencies = 0.8•(0.89 mw) (0.8) = 0.7 mw/turbine•Project ACTUAL NAME PLATE POWER RATING:

147 x 0.7 = 104.3 mw (not 250 mw)• ELCC ENERGY RATING, per PUC = 31 MW


GOLDEN WEST CLAIMS A CF OF 41.8%

Golden West Power Partners’ Industrial Wind Turbine Project – now is the NextEra Wind Farm.

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