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HomeMy WebLinkAbout7 K IdahoNationalLab NomeWind_support_letterr� Idaho Notional Aorabry October 1, 2007 Jerald Brown Vice President Bering Straits Native Corporation PO Box 1008 Nome, Alaska 99762 jbrown@beringstraits.com SUBJECT: BEARING STRAITS NATIVE CORPORATION WIND PROJECT PROPOSAL TO THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE HIGH ENERGY COST PROGRAM Dear Mr. Brown: Idaho National Laboratory (INTL) is a Department of Energy (DOE) laboratory based in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Our office provides regional support for Wind Powering America, supports the Idaho Wind Working Group, and regional anemometer loan programs. We also provide support to surrounding states, and have done work throughout Alaska in support of several US Air Force and other wind and energy projects. I have been briefed on your proposed wind power project to install approximately ten 50 KW Entegrity wind turbines on 100 foot towers, and connect to nearby electrical distribution at 25 kV. We are familiar with the location of the project and have some knowledge of wind resource in the area. INL would like to voice our support of the proposed wind project in Nome, Alaska. INL has been involved with wind energy in Alaska for several years now, doing wind data collection and analysis, feasibility studies, and conceptual design work for the Air Force at several remote military installations. This work has led to the current plans to install 250 KW of wind power at an Air Force installation near Tin City. We have studied wind resources in other areas of the Western coast of Alaska including sites in Cape Romanzof, Cape Lisburne, Cape Newenham and others. Our work in Alaska has also included support for reduction of issues with wind and radar interaction on the Fire Island wind project near Anchorage. Having been involved in several wind -diesel hybrid power system studies, designs, and implementations over the years, INL is keen on seeing wind power installed in areas such as yours. Wind energy just makes sense on many levels when there is a reasonable wind resource co -located with high fuel use and cost associated with electric generation from diesel generators. We believe from our work and the work of others that the wind resource in the Nome area is good enough to make a significant impact on fuel savings and reduction of electricity costs, not to mention all of the other economic, quality of life, and environmental benefits that wind power can bring to Alaska. We also support the idea of using the Entegrity 50 KW wind turbines for this project. They have been deployed on several projects throughout Alaska and have been proven to operate well in that environment over time. This wind turbine is small enough to make the remote installation aspects much easier to deal with, and for these types of applications it is nice to have multiple units for reliability reasons as opposed to a single, larger wind turbine. P.O. Box 1625 • 2525 North Fremont Ave. • Idaho Falls, Idaho 83415 • 208-526-0111 • www.ini.gov — Battelfe Energy Alliance, LLG Jerald Brown October 1, 2007 Page 2 INL supports your proposal to install a wind power project in the Nome area. I look forward to seeing your grant application go in for the USDA High Energy Cost grant program and am hopeful that this will lead to more development and installation of wind power in Alaska. As we have worked throughout Alaska on wind prospecting and development activities, we would be interested in continued opportunities to help you make this project a success. Please call me at (208) 526-5022 or Gary Seifert at (208) 526-9522, if you have any questions. Sincerely, Kurt S. Myers, MSEE, PE Biofuels and Renewable Energy Technologies Dept KSM:mak cc: G.D. Seifert