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MSU Extension economists provide wind-power irrigation tool
November 19, 2008
Producers considering wind energy to offset irrigation system energy expenses have a new tool to help them analyze their alternatives.
The tool is a spreadsheet developed by Duane Griffith, Montana State University Extension economist, with funding from the Northern Rocky Mountain Resource Conservation and Development Council, a nonprofit partnership of private enterprise and government. The tool allows producers to compare the kilowatt hours of electricity they need to power their irrigation systems to the electricity produced by several wind turbine systems, Griffith said.
The spreadsheet is available free and can be downloaded from the Internet at http://www.montana.edu/softwaredownloads/cropdownloads.html.
"Energy costs have gone up and down, but long-term they are expected to increase," Griffith said. "Increasing energy costs are one of the main reasons ag producers are interested in alternative energy sources."
Wind is a frequent companion in the lives of Montana producers, making it natural for farmers to wonder whether wind turbines would make a good source of power for irrigation systems, Griffith said.
Griffith added that some local electrical utilities will credit owners of wind turbines for the electricity they generate up to the amount used on the farm. This process is called net metering. Producers should check with their local utilities about the utility's specific net metering requirements when investigating a wind system.
The Excel spreadsheet tool helps analyze the financial and economic feasibility of investing in wind power generation for a specific operation.
The tool helps producers compare up to three different sizes of wind turbines for up to four different types of irrigation systems. The user enters information about the types of irrigation systems they operate and the tool then estimates the kilowatt hours used by each type of irrigation system, as well as the number of kilowatt hours generated by a particular size of wind tower.
If a producer can use a wind turbine to offset expenses of more than one irrigation pump and pivot motor, it can substantially increase the economic feasibility of installing a wind turbine generator, Griffith said. Local utilities that allow net metering require that the electricity applied towards a credit must come through one electric meter. So, if the producer needs one meter per irrigation system pump, or multiple turbines per meter, the financial and economic feasibility is less likely.
Users of this spreadsheet enter information about the costs to purchase and operate up to three different sizes of wind turbines. Kilowatt hours of generating capacity for each size of wind tower is estimated using wind speeds provided by the user and the type of use pattern each irrigation system/turbine may have. Generating capacity can be estimated using average annual wind speeds or monthly average wind speeds. The program provides references sources the user can use to find wind speeds for their geographic location.
The program calculates up-front investment costs, operating costs, reduction in electricity costs as a result of the turbine installation and available tax incentives that may be applicable to the purchase and operation of a wind turbine. The net present value can be used to evaluate the feasibility of investing in a wind turbine to supply electricity for irrigation.
For more information about wind energy, visit http://www.msuextension.org/energy/wind/windhome.asp. For information on the Northern Rocky Mountain Resource Conservation and Development Council, see http://www.nrmrcd.org/
Contact: Duane Griffith, (406) 994-2580 or Griffith@montana.edu
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