A long-winded answer to powering data centers by carol wilson

Views and Opinions on Green IT (Jul 17 2009) Wind

1. 

   T. Boone Pickens goes on television to tout wind power. Warren Buffet says his Berkshire Hathaway investment firm will continue to invest heavily in wind energy, especially in states like Iowa, where 11% of the nation’s wind energy is generated.

   When big money men talk, people tend to listen. But they are not the only ones talking up wind energy.  The U.S. Department of Energy has said the U.S. could get 20% of its electricity from wind energy by the year 2030.

   In a report issued in April, the U.S. Interior Department said that wind turbines placed in the Outer Continental Shelf of the U.S. have “the potential to become a significant source of electricity in the United States.” Noting that offshore winds are typically stronger and more consistent than those over land, the report also pointed out that the 28 states with coastal boundaries (including those along the Great Lakes) consume 78% of the nation’s electricity. Using wind turbines in shallow waters could, over time, generate 20% of electricity consumed.

   Wind power’s availability is already impacting data center siting. In places as diverse as Fall River, Massachusetts; Omaha, Nebraska; and Buffalo, N.Y., major data centers have been planned with wind turbines to provide power.

   But even the American Wind Energy Association, in the U.S. wind energy report card issued this week, gives the U.S. only a “C” grade when it comes to transmission facilities to carry wind-generated energy to places where it can be consumed.

   And that is the major drawback to wind power: Transmission facilities must be built to link power generated by large wind turbines to the power grid, and that is more complicated that it sounds. It’s no accident that Texas leads the nation in wind power, generating one-quarter of the U.S. wind energy. By taking a statewide approach to siting and deploying new power lines, Texas has been able to make use of its vast, unpopulated spaces to generate power and transmit it to population centers. Other states, such as North Dakota, haven’t had the same experience. There is natural resistance to running major power lines across state borders, not to mention a “not in my backyard” mentality that can limit wind power’s success.

   Even Pickens has run into problems with his biggest proposed wind power project, calling at least a temporary halt to a massive wind farm in the Texas panhandle, due to costs, tight credit and lower natural gas prices.

   For data centers, wind is a hit or miss proposition – where it’s available, wind power is a renewable energy source worth using but availability remains spotty.

   
   

   Bookmark or Share this article

Login to comment.

Related Articles