Page 18 - North American Clean Energy January/February 2020 Issue

wind power
Innovation Removes Barriers to Wind in Remote Locations
by Debbie O’Hara
18
JANUARY•FEBRUARY2020 /// www.nacleanenergy.com
MANY OF US PICTURE ISLANDS AS PRISTINE
environments, destinations for vacation travel, even paradise. The reality, however, is that thousands of islands and other remote communities are struggling to keep up with their basic energy needs. They rely on expensive, dirty, diesel fuel systems for
their electricity. It would seem that renewable energy solutions would be ideal replacements for these diesel systems, especially in the Caribbean islands where sun and wind are abundant. Unfortunately, when it comes to taking advantage of cleaner technologies, the costs are prohibitive. Land is at a premium in these island nations, so large solar farms are not always viable. Wind offers an alternative, but the costs of transporting large turbine components to smaller islands - with limited port and roadway infrastructure - creates big challenges.
How can we ease this pain for small islands and other remote communities, and provide them with viable, accessible, and affordable energy that will drive economic growth, while ensuring that both their economies and communities are less vulnerable to severe weather events?
It’s time to systematically eliminate the barriers for renewable wind energy. We have the knowledge and resources to create a solution that is:
• Less expensive to purchase
• Less expensive to transport to an island or remote location
• Easier to transport on limited roadways, often with sharp
twists and turns
• Not dependent on a large, expensive crane to erect
• Less expensive to operate and maintain
In order to achieve all of the above, we need to:
• Eliminate the expensive nacelle and gearbox
• Eliminate large blades and subsequent over-sized shipping charges
• Make all components transportable in standard shipping containers
• Make the turbine self-erecting
• Eliminate the need for oil changes
and gearbox repairs
This is not an impossible task.
Rather than trying to adapt current
wind technology to reach these goals, however, maybe it would make more sense to borrow from a different industry. Amusement rides may seem like a farfetched idea when considering options for clean energy, but the engineering involved in, say, a Ferris wheel, isn’t too