Page 46 - North American Clean Energy July/August 2019 Issue

wind power
Best Practices in Early-Stage Wind Project Development
and Construction
by Richard Ortiz
THE GLOBAL MARKET FOR WIND
energy installations is projected to reach an annual total of $70 billion in the near future. According to
the American Wind Energy Association, the U.S.
wind industry added 7,588 megawatts (MW) of new wind capacity last year, with an additional 841 MW added in the rst quarter of 2019. Across the United States, Puerto Rico, and Guam, more than 56,000
wind turbines produce a combined capacity of nearly 100,000 MW. Wind power in the U.S. has more than tripled in the past 10 years, and is now the largest source of renewable generating capacity in the country.
Reading Wind
A recently announced project, the Reading Wind Facility (located in Osage and Lyon Counties, Kansas) provides an opportunity to review some of the innovations in wind project development and construction. Reading Wind will generate roughly 760,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of clean energy per year once operational, in the second quarter of 2020.
e facility will consist of 62 wind turbines and just under 5 miles of transmission lines. Each turbine is mounted to the top of an 80-meter-tall tower and has a 116-meter, three-blade rotor connected to
a generator. e project will generate signi cant bene ts to the local community,
including creating approximately
125 full-time jobs during peak
construction, and up to eight
permanent jobs once operational.
During construction and operation,
both Osage and Lyons counties
will bene t from increased local
spending on goods and services.
Key Insights from On the Ground
e development and construction of Reading Wind provides a number of best practices around sourcing, recruitment of trained personnel, and quality control.
When constructing wind projects, a best practice for sourcing is to maximize the purchase of local goods and services to the greatest extent possible. is brings added economic bene ts to the local community, and can also contribute to building goodwill. In instances where local sourcing is not feasible, using vendors that have proven to be predictable and reliable partners on past projects is the next best choice.
A second-best practice incorporated into Reading Wind is leveraging the expertise of local individuals as much as possible. Recruiting local workers can sometimes be challenging because of the advanced skill sets required for wind energy construction. To overcome these concerns, Reading Wind personnel organized local job fairs focused on attracting local applicants that align with the labor and operator positions for on-site equipment positions.
Other best practices include micrositing, considering underground cable installation methods, routing access roads and crane movements, and creating a comprehensive development process to improve the impact of wind project complexities.
46
JULY•AUGUST2019 /// www.nacleanenergy.com