| Federal officials have invested big in weather | | | | Better forecasting solves only part of the |
| forecasting and other wind related technologies, | | | | problem. Carl Borgquist, president of Grasslands |
| citing a goal of doubling U.S. wind-generation | | | | Renewable Energy, a wind startup in Bozeman, |
| capacity. | | | | has a high-priced proposal he believes will solve it. |
| More than $5 million in grants will go to five | | | | Borgquist told that wind needs a way to get the |
| projects, the U.S. Department of Energy said | | | | energy to market. That means costly |
| today. Two will be used to help utilities better plan | | | | transmission lines, and Borgquist said the only way |
| around the variability of wind energy. The other | | | | to make them cost-efficient is to fill them up. |
| three grants assist development of mid-sized wind | | | | That means backup energy. Coal and natural gas |
| turbines used at such locations as schools, farms | | | | are the most lucrative possibilities. |
| and factories. | | | | But Borgquist has another idea. He told Forbes |
| "Wind power holds enormous potential to help | | | | about his pump-storage proposal: "Pump water |
| reach our nation's clean energy goals," said U.S. | | | | uphill when there is excess power, and let it run |
| Energy Secretary Steven Chu in a statement. | | | | downhill through a hydroturbine when power is |
| "Today's awards will help better integrate wind | | | | needed." |
| energy into the electrical grid and will support the | | | | It needs lakes, a hill and a lot of cash. It's |
| development of midsize wind turbines that can be | | | | uncertain if others share his vision. The cost |
| used to provide renewable electricity in | | | | Forbes mentioned was $3.25 billion for 1,000 |
| communities across the country." | | | | megawatts of steady clean power. |
| The move is another that beefs up one of the | | | | Here's a detailed list of the DOE grants: |
| most promising U.S. alternative energy sources. | | | | -- AWS Truepower: $2.15 million. Targets high-wind |
| The private sector is humming with proposals | | | | region in Texas and works with the Electric |
| looking to expand the reach of wind farms from | | | | Reliability Council of Texas, which manages an |
| Montana to Chesapeake Bay. And Southern | | | | electric power system with the largest amount of |
| California Edison -- like many others -- is investing | | | | wind power capacity in the United States. Include |
| big bucks into new and bigger transmission lines. In | | | | Texas Technological University, North Carolina |
| SCE's case, it's to get power from growing | | | | State University, University of Oklahoma and |
| Tehachapi, Calif.-area wind farms to the Los | | | | National Renewable Energy Laboratory. |
| Angeles market. | | | | -- WindLogics: $1.25 million. Spans several |
| Last month, Terra-Gen Power LLC says it | | | | Upper-Midwest states and many active wind |
| secured $1.2 billion to build four wind-powered | | | | energy projects and assesses utility benefits with |
| electrical generation projects near Tehachapi. | | | | the Midwest Independent System Operator. |
| Officials estimate the project will generate about | | | | Corporate parent NextEra Energy Resources will |
| 1,500 jobs and have a combined generating | | | | provide meteorological data from 14 wind plants |
| capacity of 570 megawatts, expanding the wind | | | | totaling about 2 gigawatts of capacity. Includes |
| farm by about 20 percent. | | | | South Dakota State University and National |
| DOE reported 10 gigawatts of wind-powered | | | | Renewable Energy Laboratory. |
| capacity added nationwide last year for a $21 | | | | -- Clean Green Energy LLC of Brighton, Mich., |
| billion investment, enough to power about 2.4 | | | | $620,000: Bring a 200-kilowatt vertical axis wind |
| million homes. Yet wind still delivers a paltry 2.5 | | | | turbine design into cost-effective mass production. |
| percent of the nation's electrical supply, DOE said. | | | | The vertical turbine design will allow for distributed |
| But that is expected to grow. One of the | | | | onsite generation near buildings. |
| drawbacks is the intermittent nature of wind. | | | | -- Northern Power Systems of Barre, Vt., |
| When it blows, energy can be produced. When it's | | | | $620,000: Leveraging about $10 million in private |
| not, another source must take up the slack. | | | | sector capital to develop a 450-kilowatt turbine, |
| Two of the latest DOE grants, to AWS | | | | helping to complete the final turbine design, |
| Truepower LLC in Albany, N.Y. and WindLogics Inc. | | | | procurement, and prototype testing within 18 |
| in Saint Paul, Minn., will lead teams and work with | | | | months. The project is expected to reduce the |
| DOE and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric | | | | cost of energy from midsize turbines. |
| Administration to install "advanced atmospheric | | | | -- Texas Tech University in Lubbock, $620,000: |
| measurement systems over a broad area, | | | | Adapt a turbine featuring two blades downwind of |
| provide data that allow advanced weather | | | | the tower. This turbine design builds available |
| prediction systems to improve short-term | | | | technology and scales it up to a 500-kilowatt |
| turbine-level wind forecasts and demonstrate the | | | | rated output. Allows installation without cranes and |
| value of these forecasting improvements for | | | | seeks to compete on cost with fossil fuel power |
| electric utility operations." | | | | generation. |