HomeMy WebLinkAboutWainwright Wind-Diesel Generation Project Conceptual Design Report - Mar 2015 - REF Grant 7030013Wainwright Wind-Diesel Conceptual
Design Report
6 March 2015
This report prepared for
North Slope Borough
by
and
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | i
This report was written by Douglas Vaught, P.E. of V3 Energy, LLC under contract to WHPacific Solutions
Group for development of wind power in the village of Wainwright, Alaska. This analysis is part of a
wind energy design project for the North Slope Borough and funded by the Alaska Energy Authority.
Contents
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 1
Project Management ........................................................................................................................... 1
Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................. 1
Wainwright ............................................................................................................................................. 2
Wind Resource Assessment ..................................................................................................................... 4
Met tower data synopsis ..................................................................................................................... 4
Data Recovery ..................................................................................................................................... 4
Wind Speed ......................................................................................................................................... 4
Wind Rose ........................................................................................................................................... 5
Turbulence Intensity ............................................................................................................................ 6
Extreme Winds .................................................................................................................................... 6
Cold Climate Considerations of Wind Power ........................................................................................ 7
Wind Project Sites ................................................................................................................................... 7
Site A ................................................................................................................................................... 8
Site B ................................................................................................................................................... 9
Other Site Options ............................................................................................................................. 10
Recommended Site Option ................................................................................................................ 10
Wildlife/Avian Study .............................................................................................................................. 11
Geotechnical Report .............................................................................................................................. 11
Noise Analysis ....................................................................................................................................... 12
Permitting and Environmental Review ................................................................................................... 13
Alaska Pollution Discharge Elimination System .................................................................................. 13
US. Fish and Wildlife Service/National Marine Fisheries Service ......................................................... 13
Federal Aviation Administration ........................................................................................................ 15
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers............................................................................................................. 15
Alaska Department of Fish and Game ................................................................................................ 15
State Historic Preservation Office ...................................................................................................... 15
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | ii
Wind-Diesel Hybrid System Overview .................................................................................................... 15
Wind-diesel Design Options ............................................................................................................... 16
Low Penetration Configuration ...................................................................................................... 16
Medium Penetration Configuration ............................................................................................... 16
High Penetration Configuration ..................................................................................................... 17
Recommended Penetration Configuration ..................................................................................... 18
Wind-Diesel System Components ...................................................................................................... 19
Wind Turbine(s) ............................................................................................................................. 19
Supervisory Control System ........................................................................................................... 19
Synchronous Condenser ................................................................................................................ 19
Secondary Load ............................................................................................................................. 20
Deferrable Load ............................................................................................................................. 20
Interruptible Load .......................................................................................................................... 20
Storage Options ............................................................................................................................. 20
Wind-Diesel Philosophy ......................................................................................................................... 21
Wainwright Powerplant ......................................................................................................................... 23
Switchgear ..................................................................................................................................... 23
Geospatial Perspective of Electrical Load ....................................................................................... 24
Phase Balance of Electrical Load .................................................................................................... 24
Transformers ................................................................................................................................. 24
Phase and/or Transformer Capacity Location(s) for Additional Load .............................................. 24
Condition of Distribution Lines, Transformers, Poles ...................................................................... 24
Parasitic and Other Losses ............................................................................................................. 25
Wind Turbine Options ........................................................................................................................... 25
Aeronautica AW/Siva 250 .................................................................................................................. 25
EWT DW 54-900 ................................................................................................................................ 26
Northern Power Systems 360-39 (NPS 360-39) .................................................................................. 27
Vestas V27 ......................................................................................................................................... 28
Wind-Diesel HOMER Model ................................................................................................................... 29
Powerplant ........................................................................................................................................ 29
Caterpillar 3508 generator ............................................................................................................. 30
Caterpillar 3512 generator ............................................................................................................. 30
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | iii
Cat 3512 Electrical and Thermal Efficiency ..................................................................................... 30
Cat 3512 Recovered Heat Ratio ...................................................................................................... 31
Wind Turbines ................................................................................................................................... 31
Electric Load ...................................................................................................................................... 32
Thermal Load..................................................................................................................................... 34
Wind Turbine Configuration Options ................................................................................................. 35
System Modeling and Technical Analysis ............................................................................................... 36
Model Results .................................................................................................................................... 38
AW/Siva 250, three (3) turbines, 30 m hub height .......................................................................... 38
EWT DW 54-900, one (1) turbine, 50 m hub height ........................................................................ 39
Northern Power NPS 360-39, two (2) turbines, 30 m hub height .................................................... 40
Vestas V27, four (4) turbines, 32 m hub height .............................................................................. 41
Economic Analysis ................................................................................................................................. 42
Fuel Cost ........................................................................................................................................... 42
Wind Turbine Project Costs................................................................................................................ 43
Modeling Results ............................................................................................................................... 44
Data Analysis Uncertainty ...................................................................................................................... 44
Discussion ............................................................................................................................................. 45
Cost ................................................................................................................................................... 45
Reliability........................................................................................................................................... 45
Aesthetics .......................................................................................................................................... 45
Redundancy....................................................................................................................................... 46
Support ............................................................................................................................................. 46
Commonality ..................................................................................................................................... 46
Turbine Recommendation ..................................................................................................................... 46
Single Turbine Option ........................................................................................................................ 48
Wind Turbine Layout ......................................................................................................................... 48
Data Collection Recommendation ......................................................................................................... 49
Project Wind Penetration Consideration................................................................................................ 49
Appendix A – FAA’s Notice Criteria Tool, Site A ........................................................................................ A
Appendix B – FAA’s Notice Criteria Tool, Site B ........................................................................................ B
Appendix C – Power Grid, Wainwright ..................................................................................................... C
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | iv
Appendix D – Proposed System One-Line Diagram ..................................................................................D
Appendix E – Power Distribution System Expansion for Sites A and B ...................................................... E
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 1
Introduction
North Slope Borough is the electric utility for the City of Wainwright. In 2009 North Slope Borough
contracted WHPacific to install met towers and perform wind resource assessment analyses in five
Borough communities: Point Hope, Wainwright, Atqasuk, Kaktovik, and Anaktuvuk Pass (a wind resource
assessment was previously completed by U.S. DOE for Point Lay). This was followed in 2011 with a
contract to WHPacific to write feasibility studies for the villages of Point Hope, Point Lay, and
Wainwright. WHPacific subcontracted V3 Energy, LLC to assist with both efforts. In 2013 North Slope
Borough contracted WHPacific Solutions Group (WHPSG) to complete the conceptual design phase of
the project in anticipation of Alaska Energy Authority authorizing wind power design projects for the
three communities.
WHPSG has contracted V3 Energy, LLC to re-evaluate the wind resource assessment and feasibility study
for each community, update the power systems modeling with a selection of appropriate village-scale
wind turbines, and perform preliminary economic analyses of the proposed projects. This conceptual
design report for the village of Wainwright is a culmination of that effort.
Project Management
The North Slope Borough, Department of Public Works, has executive oversight of this project. North
Slope Borough and the City of Wainwright wish to install wind turbines in Wainwright primarily to
reduce diesel fuel consumption and save money, but also to:
Reduce long-term dependence on outside sources of energy
Reduce exposure to fuel price volatility
Reduce air pollution resulting from reducing fossil fuel combustion
Reduce possibility of spills from fuel transport & storage
Reduce North Slope Borough’s carbon footprint and its contribution to climate change.
Executive Summary
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC recommend the planned (2016 release) new 360 kW
Northern Power System 360-39 wind turbine in a medium penetration mode for a Wainwright wind
power project. This recommendation is based on Northern Power System’s track record and support
network in Alaska, the ability to achieve turbine commonality with all four Borough wind power project
communities (Point Hope, Point Lay, Wainwright, and Kaktovik), and Northern Power System’s factory
technical support.
The recommended wind turbine site location is Site B near the landfill; chosen by the community in
2011 and in 2013 as their preferred site.
The reader is cautioned to note that this conceptual design report was prepared as an abbreviated or
“light” version of a typical conceptual design. With that in mind, although turbine choice, site location,
and wind power penetration goals are presented, discussed and/or recommended in this report, further
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 2
conversation and collaboration with North Slope Borough project management, Olgoonik Corporation,
and residents of the community of Wainwright is recommended before the project progresses to
detailed design.
Wainwright
In 1826 the Wainwright Lagoon was named by Capt. F.W. Beechey for his officer, Lt. John Wainwright.
An 1853 map indicates the name of the village as "Olrona." Its Inupiat name was "Olgoonik." The region
around Wainwright was traditionally well-populated,
though the present village was not established until 1904
when the Alaska Native Service built a school and
instituted medical and other services. The site was
reportedly chosen by the captain of the ship delivering
school construction materials, because sea-ice conditions
were favorable for landing. A post office was established
in 1916, and a city was formed in 1962. Coal was mined at
several nearby sites for village use; the closest was about
seven miles away. Today though most houses are heated
by fuel oil. A U.S. Air Force Distance Early Warning (DEW) Station was constructed nearby in the 1960’s.
A federally-recognized tribe is located in the community, the Village of Wainwright. Most Wainwright
inhabitants are Inupiat Eskimos who practice a subsistence lifestyle. Their ancestors were the
Utukamiut (people of the Utukok River) and Kukmiut (people of the Kuk River).
According to Census 2010, there were 179 housing units in the community and 147 were occupied.
Wainwright’s population of 556 people is 90 percent Alaska Native, 8 percent Caucasian, and 2 percent
Hispanic, multi-racial or other.
The North Slope Borough provides all utilities in Wainwright. Water is obtained from Merekruak Lake
three miles northeast of the community, treated and stored in tanks. Water is hauled from this point or
delivered to household tanks by truck. Hauling services are provided by the borough. The majority of
homes have running water for the kitchen. Electricity is provided by North Slope Borough. There is one
school located in the community, attended by 149 students. Local hospitals or health clinics include
Wainwright Health Clinic. Emergency Services have coastal and air access. Emergency service is
provided by 911 Telephone Service volunteers and a health aide. Auxiliary health care is provided by
Wainwright Volunteer Fire Dept. (907-763-2728).
Economic opportunities in Wainwright are influenced by its proximity to Barrow and the fact that it is
one of the older, more established villages. Most of the year-round positions are in borough services.
The sale of local Eskimo arts and crafts supplements income. Bowhead and beluga whale, seal, walrus,
caribou, polar bear, birds, and fish are harvested for subsistence.
Note that information regarding Wainwright is drawn from the Alaska Community Database Community
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 3
Information Summaries (CIS) which can be found at http://www.dced.state.ak.us/dca/commdb/CIS.cfm.
Regarding the American Community Survey information, MOE refers to margin of error.
Topographic map of Wainwright
Google Earth image of Wainwright
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 4
Wind Resource Assessment
The wind resource measured in Wainwright is good, at wind power class 4. In addition to strong
average wind speeds and wind power density, the site experiences highly directional prevailing winds,
low turbulence and calculations indicate low extreme wind speed probability.
A 34 meter met tower, erected to 30 meters, was installed in June 2009 approximately 500 meters
(1,600 ft.) northeast of the village of Wainwright, near the Chukchi Sea shoreline. This site is relatively
near the power plant and well exposed to winter winds with no upwind obstructions. The met tower
was removed in July 2010.
Met tower data synopsis
Data dates June 19, 2009 to July 16, 2010 (13 months)
Wind power class High 4 (good)
Power density mean, 30 m 413 W/m
2 (QC’d data); 392 W/m2 (with synthetic data)
Wind speed mean, 30 m 7.05 m/s (QC’d data); 6.96 m/s (with synthetic data)
Max. 10-min wind speed average 22.2 m/s
Maximum wind gust 25.8 m/s (Feb. 2010)
Weibull distribution parameters k = 2.2, c = 7.97 m/s
Wind shear power law exponent 0.137 (moderately low)
Roughness class 1.51 (crops)
IEC 61400-1, 3rd ed. classification Class III-c (lowest defined and most common)
Turbulence intensity, mean 0.072 (at 15 m/s)
Calm wind frequency 16% (<3.5 m/s)
Data Recovery
Data recovery in Wainwright was mostly acceptable, with 75 to 80 percent data recovery of the
anemometers and wind vane. Note that data recovery in December and January was particularly poor,
apparently due to frost conditions during this deep cold period of mid-winter. It is possible or even
likely that some data flagged as icing in December 2009 and January 2010 in particular may in fact be
calm winds. If so, annual wind speeds may be lower than noted in the preceding table. With reference
to Wainwright 1999 through 2004 airport ASOS data (8 meter sensor level) analyzed by Alaska Energy
Authority, annual average wind speed of approximately 5.6 m/s was calculated. When scaled to 30
meters with a power law exponent of 0.14, result is 6.73 m/s, which is less than the 6.96 m/s predicted
from filtered and gap-filled met tower data. Either way, the Wainwright wind resource classifies as Class
4 (good).
Wind Speed
Wind data collected from the met tower, from the perspective of both mean wind speed and mean
power density, indicates an excellent wind resource. The cold arctic temperatures of Wainwright
contributed to the high wind power density. It is problematic, however, analyzing wind data with
significant concentrated data loss, such as occurred in Wainwright during November through January,
then again in March. To correct this problem, synthetic data was inserted in the data gaps to create a
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 5
more realistic wind speed data profile. To be sure, long segments of synthetic data introduce
uncertainty to the data set, but missing data does as well. To overcome this uncertainty, improved data
collection with heated sensors would be necessary. But, considering the robust wind resource
measured and noting the long-term airport AWOS data confirming the wind resource measured by the
met tower, continuing a wind study with heated sensors is not truly necessary in Wainwright.
Wind speed profile
Wind Rose
Wind frequency rose data indicates highly directional winds from northeast to east-northeast. Power
density rose data (representing the power in the wind) indicates power winds are strongly directional,
from 030°T to 070°T and to a much lesser extent from 240°T. Calm frequency (percent of time that
winds at 30 meter level are less than 3.5 m/s) was 16 percent during the met tower test period.
Wind frequency rose Wind energy rose
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 6
Turbulence Intensity
Turbulence intensity at the Wainwright test site is well within acceptable standards with an IEC 61400-1,
3rd edition (2005) classification of turbulence category C, which is the lowest defined. Mean turbulence
intensity at 15 m/s is 0.072.
Turbulence graph
Extreme Winds
Although thirteen months of data is minimal for calculation of extreme wind probability, use of a
modified Gumbel distribution analysis, based on monthly maximum winds vice annual maximum winds,
yields reasonably good results. Extreme wind analysis indicates a highly desirable situation in
Wainwright: moderately high mean wind speeds combined with low extreme wind speed probabilities.
This may be explained by particular climactic aspects of Wainwright which include prominent coastal
exposure, offshore wind conditions, and due to the extreme northerly latitude, lack of exposure to Gulf
of Alaska storm winds.
Industry standard reference of extreme wind is the 50 year, 10-minute average probable wind speed,
referred to as Vref. For Wainwright, this calculates to 29.6 m/s, below the threshold of International
Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61400-1, 3rd edition criteria (of 37.5 m/s) for a Class III site. Note that
Class III extreme wind classification is the lowest defined and all wind turbines are designed for this wind
regime.
Wainwright met tower Gumbel distribution of extreme wind
Period (years)
Vref Gust IEC 61400-1, 3rd ed.
(m/s) (m/s) Class Vref, m/s
2 22.2 26.7 I 50.0
10 25.9 31.2 II 42.5
15 26.9 32.3 III 37.5
30 28.5 34.2 S designer-
specified5029.6 35.6
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 7
100 31.2 37.5
average gust factor:1.20
The complete V3 Energy, LLC wind resource assessment report of Wainwright is forwarded with this
conceptual design report.
Cold Climate Considerations of Wind Power
Wainwright’s harsh climate conditions is an important consideration should wind power be developed in
the community. The principal challenges with respect to turbine selection and subsequent operation is
severe cold and icing. Many wind turbines in standard configuration are designed for a lower operating
temperature limit of -20° C (-4° F), which clearly would not be suitable for Wainwright, nor anywhere
else in Alaska. A number of wind turbine manufacturers offer their turbine in an “arctic” configuration
which includes verification that structural and other system critical metal components are fatigue tested
for severe cold capability. In addition, arctic-rated turbines are fitted with insulation and heaters in the
nacelle and power electronics space to ensure proper operating temperatures. With an arctic rating,
the lower temperature operating limit generally extends to -40° C (-40° F). On occasion during winter
Wainwright may experience temperatures colder than -40° C which would signal the wind turbines to
stop. Temperatures below -40° C are relatively infrequent however and when they do occur, are
generally accompanied by lighter winds.
A second aspect of concern regarding Wainwright’s arctic climate is icing conditions. Atmospheric icing
is a complex phenomenon characterized by astonishing variability and diversity of forms, density, and
tenacity of frozen precipitation, some of which is harmless to wind turbine operations and others highly
problematic. Although highly complex, with respect to wind turbines and aircraft five types of icing are
recognized: clear ice, rime ice, mixed ice, frost ice, and SLD ice
(www.Wikipedia.org/wiki/icing_conditions).
Clear ice is often clear and smooth. Super-cooled water droplets, or freezing rain, strike a
surface but do not freeze instantly. Forming mostly along the stagnation point on an airfoil, it
generally conforms to the shape of the airfoil.
Rime ice is rough and opaque, formed by super-cooled drops rapidly freezing on impact. Often
"horns" or protrusions are formed and project into the airflow.
Mixed ice is a combination of clear and rime ice.
Frost ice is the result of water freezing on unprotected surfaces. It often forms behind deicing
boots or heated leading edges of an airfoil and has been a factor airplane crashes.
SLD ice refers to ice formed in super-cooled large droplet (SLD) conditions. It is similar to clear
ice, but because droplet size is large, it often extends to unprotected parts of a wind turbine (or
aircraft) and forms large ice shapes faster than normal icing conditions.
Wind Project Sites
North Slope Borough requested that two wind turbine sites be identified in Wainwright. On July 6,
2011, Ross Klooster of WHPacific and Max Ahgeak of North Slope Borough Public Works Dept. traveled
to Wainwright and met with Village of Wainwright and Olgoonik Corporation representatives to discuss
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 8
the wind power project and to identify the two sites. This was accomplished by reviewing maps and
ownership records and then driving and walking to a number of locations near the village to assess
suitability for construction and operation of wind turbines. Two sites on Olgoonik Corporation land
were chosen, identified as Site A and Site B in the Google Earth image below.
Wainwright site options, Google Earth image
Site A
Site A is a very well exposed area immediately northeast of the village and just beyond the protective
snow fences on Wainwright’s north side. It is an expansive location with plenty of room for a multi-
turbine array, is relatively dry and hence likely to have stable permafrost for foundation construction,
and would require minimal distribution line construction to connect turbines to the power plant.
Unfortunately though, a 2011 FAA notice of presumed hazard (refer to Appendix A) for the site limits
turbine construction to 148 ft. above ground level, without further review. With respect to the turbines
options considered in this report, 30 meter towers may be the highest possible at Site A.
Site A
Site B
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 9
Wainwright Site A
Site B
Site B shares the same apparent physical characteristics as Site A and hence it is a quite suitable location
for wind turbines. A key advantage of Site B over Site A is that construction height is essentially
unrestricted from an FAA perspective (refer to a 2011 FAA Determination of No Hazard letter in
Appendix B). The primary disadvantage of this site is its distance from Wainwright, necessitating an
additional 2.4 km (1.5 mile) distribution line construction. But, turbines could be placed very near the
access road, resulting in lower access road construction costs than at Site A. To be addressed in the
following section though, Site B presents avian concerns not found at Site A.
Wainwright Site B
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 10
Wainwright wind turbine site options table
Site Advantages Disadvantages
A Olgoonik Corp. land
Site is large enough to
accommodate several or more
turbines and has sufficient room
for future expansion
Relatively dry site; likely good
permafrost geotech conditions
Turbines will be in view and possible
auditory range of residents on the
north side of the village
275 to 375 meter (900 to 1,200 ft)
access road and distribution line
construction required (depending on
access direction)
FAA determination of Notice of
Presumed Hazard (NPH) for turbines
exceeding 148 ft AGL
B Olgoonik Corp. land
Site is large enough to
accommodate several turbines and
has sufficient room for future
expansion
Location is relatively far from the
village and unlikely to present
aesthetic and noise complaints
Relatively dry site; likely good
permafrost geotech conditions
FAA Determination of No Hazard to
Air Navigation for turbines up to
195 ft AGL (possibly higher)
Site near existing road to landfill
2.4 km (1.5 miles) of new distribution
line required
More expensive to develop than Site A
Potential avian concerns
Other Site Options
Other than Sites A and B, something in-between, or a minor variation of these two options, realistically
there are no other wind turbine site options for Wainwright. Terrain east of the village is possible, but
the airport constrains the nearer possibilities and, importantly, a road does not exist in that direction,
hence development costs would be extremely high. Terrain to the southwest is marginal due to its
peninsular nature between Wainwright Inlet and the Bering Sea. Plus, airport runway alignment
precludes this consideration. West of Wainwright is the Bering Sea and hence obviously unsuitable for
turbine construction.
Recommended Site Option
Through discussion with community residents and representatives of Wainwright in 2011 and again in
2013, the residents of Wainwright indicated their preference for Site B as the preferred option for a
wind power project. WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC concur with this preference,
conclusions of the ABR, Inc. avian study notwithstanding, but which may require further discussion and
consultation.
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 11
Wildlife/Avian Study
North Slope Borough commissioned ABR, Inc. of Fairbanks, Alaska to summarize the biological resources
of Point Hope, Point Lay and Wainwright, including both plant and animal species to support the wind
project development effort. ABR’s work is documented in a report titled: Site Characterization and
Avian Field Study for the Proposed Community-Scale Wind Project in Northern Alaska.
The ABR study states: The objectives of the Site Characterization Study (SCS) were to: (1) compile and
review existing landcover map products to prepare generalized landcover maps; (2) characterize the
biological resources present; (3) summarize the potential exposure of biological (particularly avian)
resources to impacts; and (4) identify field studies to identify site-specific risks to biological resources
(particularly birds). The objectives of the field studies conducted in 2013 were to: (1) describe temporal
and spatial patterns of habitat use of all birds within and near proposed wind-sites; and (2) provide a
summary of the exposure of focal species to collision risk at each proposed site. This final report
summarizes the SCS and field data to describe the relative exposure of the focal species to the proposed
wind-energy development at the three villages.
In Wainwright, both sites are located in dry upland tundra. Site A is closer to the coastline than Site B is
but does not have any small ponds nearby. Site B is located next to a road and a large sewage pond that
was attractive to birds and was used by Spectacled Eiders. Movement rates at Site B were focused
primarily along the coastline and around the sewage pond. Based on an evaluation of the habitat at both
locations and the recorded bird movements at Site B (but not Site A), we may expect Site A to have
fewer avian issues with the proposed development.
The complete ABR, Inc. site characterization and avian field study report of the proposed Wainwright
wind farm is forwarded with this conceptual design report.
Geotechnical Report
WHPacific commissioned Golder Associates of Anchorage, Alaska to perform a non-field study
assessment of likely geotechnical conditions in Point Hope, Point Lay, and Wainwright in order to
identify potential hazards and provide conceptual foundation recommendations for the proposed wind
tower sites in the three communities. Golder’s work is documented in a report titled: Geotechnical
Review and Feasibility Studies for Wind Turbines: Point Hope, Point Lay, and Wainwright, Alaska, dated
January 27, 2012.
The Golder report states the following regarding Wainwright: The village of Wainwright is located on
Alaska's northwest coast, about 3 miles northeast of the Kuk River Estuary. Wainwright lies within
Alaska's Arctic Coastal Plain physiographic province characterized by gentle topography, ice-bonded
permafrost soils, wet tundra, oriented thaw lakes and meandering stream channels. Wainwright is in a
zone of cold continuous permafrost. The terrain has little relief, although the polygonal patterned
ground from ice-wedge development is evident on the terrain.
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 12
The subsurface soil conditions in Wainwright appear to be similar throughout the village. Subsurface
soils typically consist of a thin live organic tundra mat, underlain by ice-rich organic soils and ice rich
silts and sandy silts. Silty sand, sand and gravelly sand generally underlay the area, and have been
observed at depths ranging from about 15 feet to 20 feet deep, although coarse grained deposits may
be deeper in some locations.
The area is underlain by continuous permafrost, although shallow zones of unfrozen soil have been
observed associated with drained lake beds. The ice content of the soils varies widely. Polygonal ground
is present throughout the area. Massive ice is common in Wainwright and is typically observed at an
average of 3 feet below the natural ground surface.
A proposed wind turbine sites in Wainwright are located northeasterly of the village on relatively
undisturbed tundra. Reviewed areal imagery shows that both sites are characterized by polygonal
patterned ground. Thaw lake and drained lake beds do not appear to be present at the sites, although
some localized ponding may be present or nearby.
Subsurface conditions are expected to be similar to that observed elsewhere in the Wainwright area,
consisting of a thin surficial organic mat, underlain by 1 to 5 feet of organic silt, and further underlain by
deposits of silt, sandy silt and silty sand. Coarse grained deposits of sand and gravel may underlie the
fine-grained deposits, and could be encountered as shallow as 15 feet deep. The soils are expected to be
icy, with massive wedge-ice common and moisture contents in excess of thawed state saturation in the
fine-grained deposits. Pore water salinities are not expected to affect the thermal state of the soils.
Ground temperatures at the site are expected to be typical of the Wainwright area, ranging between
about 14 °F and 22 °F.
The tower site subsurface conditions will most likely consist of very icy silt to massive ice under the
tundra. The tundra mat must be protected during the tower construction and for operations and
maintenance access. A gravel pad should be included with the project for construction and regular
maintenance. The gravel pad should be 4 to 5 feet thick but a thinner section may be feasible if rigid
insulation is placed within the pad fill.
An adfreeze pile foundation system should be used for the tower foundation with an above grade pile
cap/tower base system. Cast-in-place concrete, pre-cast concrete and steel frame pile cap/tower base
systems have been used in permafrost regions.
The complete Golder Associates geotechnical review report of the proposed Wainwright wind farm is
forwarded with this conceptual design report.
Noise Analysis
As part of a 2007 Powercorp Alaska, LLC Preliminary Wind Feasibility Report of Kaktovik, Point Hope and
Point Lay, Michael Minor & Associates of Portland, Oregon was commissioned to complete a desktop
analysis of the expected noise impact of wind turbines at Site A (this was the only site considered at that
time). This work was documented in a report titled: Noise Analysis Memorandum of the Point Hope
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 13
Wind Farm, dated October 14, 2007. Because Point Hope Site A is approximately the same distance
from the village of Point Hope as Wainwright Site B is from the village of Wainwright, its synopsis is
included here for information purposes.
The noise analysis memorandum summary stated: This project will install a wind turbine generator farm
outside of Point Hope, Alaska. The project proposes to use one Vestas V47, four Vestas V27’s, or one
Führländer 600 wind turbine generator(s). The wind turbine nearest to the eastern edge of town will be
located approximately 3,400 feet to the west. Noise due to the operation of the wind turbines is
expected to be audible in the town, although the overall noise levels are low and are not projected to
exceed 31 to 34 dBA. In addition, the noise from the wind turbines should not exceed the ambient by
more than 1 to 5 dBA except in extreme cases accompanied by high winds, low ambient noise levels and
frozen ground.
The complete Michael Minor & Associates noise analysis memorandum of North Slope Borough wind
farms is forwarded with this conceptual design report.
Permitting and Environmental Review
The environmental permitting requirements listed below are discussed in Alaska Wind Energy
Development: Best Practices Guide to Environmental Permitting and Consultations, a study prepared by
URS Corporation for the Alaska Energy Authority in 2009.
Alaska Pollution Discharge Elimination System
State regulations (18 AAC 83) require that all discharges to surface waters, including storm water runoff,
be permitted under the Alaska Pollution Discharge Elimination System (APDES). The goal of the program
is to reduce or eliminate pollution and sediments in stormwater and other discharges to surface water.
Under the state APDES program, projects that disturb one or more acre of ground are subject to the
terms of the Alaska Construction General Permit (CGP) and are required to develop a project Storm
Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) outlining measures to control or eliminate pollution and
sediment discharges. The proposed projects in Point Hope, Point Lay and Wainwright are likely to
disturb more than one acre of ground during the construction of proposed wind turbines, supporting
infrastructure and access roads and would be subject to the requirements of the CGP. Prior to
construction, the contractor would be required to file a Notice of Intent (NOI) with the Alaska
Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) prior to submitting the project SWPPP. ADEC would
issue an APDES permit following the public comment period.
US. Fish and Wildlife Service/National Marine Fisheries Service
Both the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) list
Threatened and Endangered (T&E) that may occur in the vicinity of Point Hope, Point Lay, and
Wainwright, Alaska. T&E species listed by the USFWS in the vicinity of the project area may include the
short tailed albatross, polar bear, Steller’s eider, spectacled eider. Candidate species that may be found
in the area include the yellow billed loon, Kittlitz’s murrelet, and the Pacific walrus. While NMFS lists
marine T&E species, the bearded seal and ring seal may haul on beaches in the vicinity of the project
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 14
area. A discussion with the USFWS will be initiated, and at a minimum, a letter and a map will be sent
requesting their opinion regarding the level of consultation needed to proceed with the construction of
the project.
USFWS regulations and guidance under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act prohibits the taking of active bird
nests, eggs and young. In their Advisory: Recommended Time Periods for Avoiding Vegetation Clearing
in Alaska in order to protect Migratory Birds, USFWS has developed “bird windows” statewide that
prohibit clearing activity. The bird window for the Northern region of Alaska, including the communities
of Point Hope, Point Lay and Wainwright is June 1st – July 31
st for shrub and open type habitats (tundra
and wetlands) and May 20th – September 15th for nesting seabird colonies. The clearing window for
black scoter habitat is through August 10th. Clearing prior to these dates is allowed. If clearing has
already occurred then construction may proceed during these dates.
USFWS Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory Committee developed guidelines and recommendations for
wind power projects to avoid impacts to birds and bats. These recommendations have been released to
the public as draft U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Land-Based Wind Energy Guidelines and will be referred
to during design and construction of a wind turbine project in Point Hope, Point Lay and Wainwright.
In February 2014, ABR Inc. completed a report prepared for the North Slope Borough titled “Site
Characterization and Avian Field Study for the Proposed Community-Scale Wind Project in Northern
Alaska”. The study was for the communities of Point Hope, Point Lay and Wainwright. The ABR study
characterized habitat, bird abundance, migration and nesting movements of observed species and
analysis of the impacts on species of concern, specifically spectacled eiders (endangered), Steller’s
eiders (endangered) and yellow-throated loons (threatened).
The site characterization was focused on a one-mile radius study area surrounding each of the proposed
turbine locations in each of the communities. The study concluded that both the most abundant bird
species and those with limited populations like the Steller’s and spectacled eiders are most at risk from
wind infrastructure. The ABR report states impacts to Steller’s eiders should be considered in all three
project areas. Spectacled eiders were not recorded near any of the proposed turbine locations and
concluded the risk to this species are low. Yellow billed loons, a USFWS species of concern, were active
in Point Hope, were active to a lesser extent in Point Lay, and not recorded in Wainwright. Red throated
loons, which is a BLM Alaska Natural Heritage Program “watch” species, were absent from Point Hope
but were observed in Point Lay and Wainwright. Red throated loons were the most observed among the
focal species discussed in the report and were often observed flying low, below the rotor swept area
(RSA).
The report concludes that post-construction monitoring data suggests wind infrastructure operates in
rural Alaska with limited direct impacts to bird species; however, some impacts would be expected due
to migration and breeding movements. Turbine selection and temporal adjustments to operation could
mitigate potential impacts.
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 15
Federal Aviation Administration
Prior to turbine construction an FAA Notice of Proposed Construction or Alteration (Form 7460-1) must
be completed. Filing a 7460-1 may result in additional discussions with the FAA regarding turbine siting
and appropriate lighting requirements that would need to be incorporated into the project
specifications.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) requires a permit for the placement of fill in “waters of the
United States”, including wetlands and streams, under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (CWA). The
proposed wind turbine site(s) and supporting infrastructure in Point Hope, Point Lay and Wainwright
may be all, or partially located on wetlands. The project must receive a Section 404 permit from the
Alaska District USACE and an accompanying U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Section 401
Water Quality Certification if the project is situated on, or will impact waters of the US. Currently,
Individual Permits and Nationwide 12 permits are being issued for wind power projects in Alaska. An
individual permit would be required for activities related to the construction of access roads or pads in
wetlands. A Nationwide 12 Permit would be appropriate for activities related to utility installation (i.e.
power lines). Depending on the site selection and potential impacts, a jurisdictional determination
(wetland delineation) may be necessary to obtain a Section 404 permit.
Alaska Department of Fish and Game
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) oversees activities that may have an impact on fish
habitat and anadromous fish streams. An ADF&G Title 16 Fish Habitat Permit would be required if the
proposed project includes construction of access roads and infrastructure that may impact fish habitat
or would involve installing a culvert in a fish stream.
State Historic Preservation Office
Consultation with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) for State of Alaska-funded projects is
required under the State Historic Preservation Act. The act requires that all state projects be reviewed
for potential impacts to cultural and historic resources. During the permitting phase of the project prior
to construction, consultation with the SHPO would be initiated to determine if the project may impact
these resources. The extent of needed infrastructure (pads and new roads) and the presence of known
archaeological sites in the vicinity of the project area may trigger the SHPO to recommend an
archaeological survey of the site.
Wind-Diesel Hybrid System Overview
There are now over twenty-four wind-diesel projects in the state, making Alaska a world leader in wind-
diesel hybrid technology. There are a variety of system configurations and turbine types in operation
and accordingly there is a spectrum of success in all of these systems. As experience and statewide
industry support has increased so has overall system performance.
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 16
Wind-diesel Design Options
Wind-diesel power systems are categorized based on their average penetration levels, or the overall
proportion of wind-generated electricity compared to the total amount of electrical energy generated.
Commonly used categories of wind-diesel penetration levels are low, medium, and high; occasionally
very low is also defined as a category. Wind penetration level is roughly equivalent to the amount of
diesel fuel displaced by wind power. Note however a positive correlation of system control and
demand-management strategy complexity with wind power penetration.
Low Penetration Configuration
Low (and extremely low) penetration wind-diesel systems require the fewest modifications to the
existing system. However, they tend to be less economical than higher penetration configurations due
to the limited annual fuel savings compared to fixed project costs, such as new distribution connection.
Medium Penetration Configuration
Medium penetration wind-diesel requires relatively sophisticated power quality control due to
occasional circumstance of wind generation exceeding load demand and generally are with a full-time
diesels-on requirement. Medium penetration is often chosen as a compromise between the minimal
benefit of low penetration and the considerable complexity of high penetration, but experience has
indicated that this may be misleading. Power quality can be difficult to maintain with typical medium
penetration configuration design and upgrades necessary to improve power quality control edge enough
toward high penetration that the greater economic benefits of high penetration wind are not captured
due to insufficient wind turbine capacity.
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 17
High Penetration Configuration
High penetration configuration design typically enables diesels-off operation and uses a significant
portion of the wind energy for thermal heating loads. The potential benefit of high penetration can be
significant, but system complexity requires a significant investment in project commissioning, operator
training, and strong management practices.
Wind-diesel penetration level are summarized table below in a table developed by Alaska Energy
Authority. Note that instantaneous penetration level is much more important for system configuration
design than average penetration. One way to appreciate instantaneous penetration and design is to
consider the brakes of an automobile: they are designed for the maximum (or instantaneous) vehicle
speed of, say, 120 mph, not the vehicle’s typical day-to-day average speed of 45 mph. If the brakes
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 18
were designed for average vehicle speed, one would be unable to stop when driving at highway cruising
speeds, let alone maximum vehicle speed!
The annual contribution of wind energy, expressed as percentage of wind energy compared to load
demand, is the average penetration level. This defines the economic benefit of a project.
Categories of wind-diesel penetration levels
Penetration
Category
Wind Penetration Level
OperatingCharacteristicsandSystem Requirements
Instantaneous Average
Very Low <60%<8% Diesel generator(s) runs full time
Wind power reduces net load on diesel
All wind energy serves primary load
No supervisory control system
Low 60 to 120%8 to 20% Diesel generator(s) runs full time
At high wind power levels, secondary loads are
dispatched to insure sufficient diesel loading, or wind
generation is curtailed
Relatively simple control system
Medium 120 to 300% 20 to 50% Diesel generator(s) runs full time
At medium to high wind power levels, secondary
loads are dispatched to insure sufficient diesel
loading
At high wind power levels, complex secondary load
control system is needed to ensure heat loads do not
become saturated
Sophisticated control system
High
(Diesels-off
Capable)
300+% 50 to 150% At high wind power levels, diesel generator(s) may be
shut down for diesels-off capability
Auxiliary components required to regulate voltage
and frequency
Sophisticated control system
Recommended Penetration Configuration
In general, medium penetration is a good design compromise as it enables a relatively large amount of
displaced fuel usage but requires only a moderate degree of system complexity. Medium penetration is
the preferred system configuration of Alaska Village Electric Cooperative (AVEC), owner and operator of
eleven wind-diesel systems statewide, and Alaska’s leading utility developer of wind-diesel. AVEC’s
experience provides a useful guide for North Slope Borough as it develops wind energy for its
communities.
It should be noted however that not in the wind-diesel industry categorize wind penetration as does
Alaska Energy Authority. Many collapse the penetration categories to just two: low and high. This
simplification is in recognition that system design is dependent on the percentage of instantaneous, not
average penetration. The nuances beyond that are diesels-off capability and inclusion of storage
options. For village wind power, a project capable of off-setting a worthwhile amount of diesel fuel and
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 19
providing real economic benefit to the community invariably must be high penetration by the alternate
definition. With this in mind, limiting average penetration to a compromise level of 20 to 50 percent
may, in some respects, make very little sense. With a design configuration capable of controlling 100
percent and higher instantaneous penetration, there is no particular reason to limit average penetration
to a pre-determined percentage as with Alaska Energy Authority’s definition of medium penetration.
Wind-Diesel System Components
Listed below are the main components of a medium to high-penetration wind-diesel system:
Wind turbine(s), plus tower and foundation
Supervisory control system
Secondary load (plus controller)
Deferrable load
Interruptible load
Storage
Synchronous condenser
Wind Turbine(s)
Village-scale wind turbines are generally considered to be 50 kW to 500 kW rated output capacity. This
turbine size once dominated with worldwide wind power industry but has long been left behind in favor
of much larger 1,500 kW plus capacity turbines. Conversely, many turbines are manufactured for home
or farm application, but generally these are 10 kW capacity or less. Consequently, few new village size-
class turbines are on the market, although a large supply of used and/or remanufactured turbines are
available. The latter typically result from repowering older wind farms in the United States and Europe
with new, larger wind turbines.
Supervisory Control System
Medium- and high-penetration wind-diesel systems require fast-acting real and reactive power
management to compensate for rapid variation in village load and wind turbine power output. A wind-
diesel system master controller, also called a supervisory controller, would be installed inside the
Wainwright power plant or in a new module adjacent to it. The supervisory controller would select the
optimum system configuration based on village load demand and available wind power.
Synchronous Condenser
A synchronous condenser, also referred to as a synchronous compensator, is a specialized synchronous-
type electric motor with an output shaft that spins freely. Its excitation field is controlled by a voltage
regulator to either generate or absorb reactive power as needed to support grid voltage or to maintain
the grid power factor at a specified level. A synchronous condenser or similar device is needed to
operate in diesels-off mode with wind turbines equipped with asynchronous (induction) type
generators. This is to provide the reactive power necessary for operation of the asynchronous
generator.
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 20
Secondary Load
A secondary or “dump” load during periods of high wind is required for a wind-diesel hybrid power
system to operate reliably and economically. The secondary load converts excess wind power into
thermal power for use in space and water heating through the extremely rapid (sub-cycle) switching of
heating elements, such as an electric boiler imbedded in the diesel generator jacket water heat recovery
loop. A secondary load controller serves to stabilize system frequency by providing a fast responding
load when gusting wind creates system instability.
An electric boiler is a common secondary load device used in wind-diesel power systems. An electric
boiler (or boilers), coupled with a boiler grid interface control system, could be installed in Wainwright
to absorb excess instantaneous energy (generated wind energy plus minimum diesel output exceeds
electric load demand). The grid interface monitors and maintains the temperature of the electric hot
water tank and establishes a power setpoint. The wind-diesel system master controller assigns the
setpoint based on the amount of unused wind power available in the system. Frequency stabilization is
another advantage that can be controlled with an electric boiler load. The boiler grid interface will
automatically adjust the amount of power it is drawing to maintain system frequency within acceptable
limits.
Deferrable Load
A deferrable load is electric load that must be met within some time period, but exact timing is not
important. Loads are normally classified as deferrable because they have some storage associated with
them. Water pumping is a common example - there is some flexibility as to when the pump actually
operates, provided the water tank does not run dry. Other examples include ice making and battery
charging. A deferrable load operates second in priority to the primary load and has priority over
charging batteries, should the system employ batteries as a storage option.
Interruptible Load
Electric heating either in the form of electric space heaters or electric water boilers could be explored as
a means of displacing stove oil with wind-generated electricity. It must be emphasized that electric
heating is only economically viable with excess electricity generated by a renewable energy source such
as wind and not from diesel-generated power. It is typically assumed that 40 kWh of electric heat is
equivalent to one gallon of heating fuel oil.
Storage Options
Electrical energy storage provides a means of storing wind generated power during periods of high
winds and then releasing the power as winds subside. Energy storage has a similar function to a
secondary load but the stored, excess wind energy can be converted back to electric power at a later
time. There is an efficiency loss with the conversion of power to storage and out of storage. The
descriptions below are informative but are not currently part of the overall system design.
Flywheels
A flywheel energy system has the capability of short-term energy storage to further smooth out short-
term variability of wind power, and has the additional advantage of frequency regulation. The smallest
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 21
capacity flywheel available from Powercorp (now ABB), however, is 500 kW capacity, so it is only
suitable for large village power generation systems.
Batteries
Battery storage is a generally well-proven technology and has been used in Alaskan power systems
including Fairbanks (Golden Valley Electric Association), Wales and Kokhanok, but with mixed results in
the smaller communities. Batteries are most appropriate for providing medium-term energy storage to
allow a transition, or bridge, between the variable output of wind turbines and diesel generation. This
“bridging” period is typically 5 to 15 minutes long. Storage for several hours or days is also possible with
batteries, but this requires higher capacity and cost. In general, the disadvantages of batteries for utility-
scale energy storage, even for small utility systems, are high capital and maintenance costs and limited
lifetime. Of particular concern to rural Alaska communities is that batteries are heavy and expensive ship
and most contain hazardous substances that require special removal from the village at end of service
life and disposal in specially-equipped recycling centers.
There are a wide variety of battery types with different operating characteristics. Advanced lead acid
and zinc-bromide flow batteries were identified as “technologically simple” energy storage options
appropriate for rural Alaska in a July, 2009 Alaska Center for Energy and Power report on energy
storage. Nickel-cadmium (NiCad) batteries have been used in rural Alaska applications such as the
Wales wind-diesel system. Advantages of NiCad batteries compared to lead-acid batteries include a
deeper discharge capability, lighter weight, higher energy density, a constant output voltage, and much
better performance during cold temperatures. However, NiCad’s are considerably more expensive than
lead-acid batteries, experience a shorter operational life (approx. 5 years vs. 20 years for lead-acid) and
one must note that the Wales wind-diesel system had a poor operational history with NiCad batteries
and has not been functional for a number of years.
Because batteries operate on direct current (DC), a converter is required to charge or discharge when
connected to an alternating current (AC) system. A typical battery storage system would include a bank
of batteries and a power conversion device. The batteries would be wired for a nominal voltage of
roughly 300 volts. Individual battery voltages on a large scale system are typically 1.2 volts DC. Recent
advances in power electronics have made solid state inverter/converter systems cost effective and
preferable a power conversion device. The Kokhanok wind-diesel system is designed with a 300 volts DC
battery bank coupled to a grid-forming power converter for production of utility-grade real and reactive
power. Following some design and commissioning delays, the solid state converter system in Kokhanok
should be operational by early 2015 and will be monitored closely for reliability and effectiveness.
Wind-Diesel Philosophy
Installing wind turbines and creating a wind-diesel power system in an Alaskan village is a demanding
challenge. At first glance, the benefits of wind power are manifest: the fuel is free and it is simply a
manner of capturing it. The reality of course is more complicated. Wind turbines are complex machines
and integrating them into the diesel power system of a small community is complicated. With wind-
diesel, a trade-off exists between fuel savings and complexity. A system that is simple and inexpensive
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 22
to install and operate will displace relatively little diesel fuel, while a wind-diesel system of considerable
complexity and sophistication can achieve very significant fuel savings.
The ideal balance of fuel savings and complexity is not the same for every community and requires
careful consideration. Not only do the wind resource, electric and thermal load profiles, and
powerhouse suitability vary between villages, so does technical capacity and community willingness to
accept the opportunities and challenges of wind power. A very good wind-diesel solution for one village
may not work as well in another village, for reasons that go beyond design and configuration questions.
Ultimately, the electric utility and village residents must consider their capacity, desire for change and
growth, and long-term goals when deciding the best solution that meets their needs.
The purpose of this conceptual design report is to introduce and discuss the viability of wind power in
Wainwright. As discussed, many options are possible, ranging from a very simple low penetration
system to a highly complex, diesels-off configuration potentially capable of displacing 50 percent or
more of fuel usage in the community. It is possible that North Slope Borough and Wainwright residents
ultimately will prefer a simple, low penetration wind power system, or alternatively a very complex high
penetration system, but from past discussions and work it appears that a moderate approach to wind
power in Wainwright is preferable, at least initially.
With a moderately complex project design framework in mind, a configuration of relatively high wind
turbine capacity with no electrical storage and no diesels-off capability was chosen. This provides
sufficient wind capacity to make a substantive impact on fuel usage but does not require an abrupt
transition from low to high complexity. Although conceptually elegant, there is a trade-off to consider
with this approach. Installing a large amount of wind power (600 to 800 kW of wind capacity is
recommended) is expensive, but without electrical or thermal storage some of the benefits of this wind
power capacity may not be used to best advantage.
The thermodynamics of energy creation and use dictates that wind power is more valuable when used
to offset fuel used by diesel generators to generate electricity than fuel used in fuel oil boilers to serve
thermal loads. More specifically, boilers convert fuel oil to hydronic heat at 85 to 95 percent thermal
efficiency, but diesel generators convert fuel oil (diesel) to electrical energy at only 35 to 45 percent
thermal efficiency, hence it is preferable to replace the least efficient generation method first. Referring
to the energy production summaries for the turbine configurations under Modeling Results, one can see
that the wind turbines are expected to produce relatively small amounts of excess electricity, even at 85
percent turbine availability. This excess electricity, although minimal, must be shunted via a secondary
load controller to the diesel generator heat recovery loop or simple radiation heaters to avoid curtailing
wind turbines during periods of high wind and relatively light electrical load.
Although perhaps not readily apparent in the report, this compromise of wind capacity versus
complexity is contained within the economic benefit-to-cost tables. This compromise, which is endemic
to wind-diesel, results in high capital costs, but usage of the energy generated is imperfect from an
efficiency point of view. The most efficient usage of wind energy from a technical point of view – offset
of electrical power, may be too expensive from a cost-benefit perspective.
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 23
It is important not to focus strictly on benefit-to-cost ratio of a particular configuration design or
particular turbine option, but also consider a wider view of the proposed wind project for Wainwright.
Installing approximately 700 kW capacity of wind power has considerable short-term benefit with
reduction of diesel fuel usage, but more importantly it would provide a platform of sustainable
renewable energy growth in Wainwright for many years to come. This could include enhancements
such as additional thermal load offset, battery storage and/or use of a flywheel to enable diesels-off
capability, creation of deferred heat loads such as water heating, and installation of distributed electrical
home heat units (Steffis heaters or similar) controlled by smart metering. The latter, presently
operational to a limited extent in the villages of Kongiganak, Kwigillingok, Tuntutuliak, has enormous
potential in rural Alaska to not only reduce the very high fuel oil expenses borne by village residents, but
also to improve the efficiency and cost benefit of installed and future wind power projects. These
opportunities and benefits are tangible and achievable, but their cost benefit was not modeled in this
report.
Lastly, it must be acknowledged that a wind power project in Wainwright will provide benefits that are
not easily captured by economic modeling. These are the externalities of economics that are widely
recognized as valuable, but often discounted because they are considered by some as soft values
compared to the hard numbers of capital cost, fuel quantity displaced, etc. These include ideals such as
long-term sustainability of the village, independence from foreign-sourced fuel, reduction of
Wainwright’s carbon footprint, and opportunities for education and training of local residents. Beyond
these somewhat practical considerations, there is the simple moral argument that renewable energy is
the right thing to do, especially in a community such as Wainwright that is in the vanguard of risk from
climate change due to global warming.
Wainwright Powerplant
Electric power (comprised of the diesel power plant and the electric power distribution system) in
Wainwright is provided by North Slope Borough Public Works Department, the utility for all communities
on the North Slope, with the exception of Deadhorse and Barrow. The existing power plant in Wainwright
consists of three Caterpillar 3508 diesel generators rated at 430 kW output, and two Caterpillar 3512
diesel generator rated at 950 kW output.
Wainwright powerplant diesel generators and bays
Generator Electrical Capacity Diesel Engine Model
1 440 kW Caterpillar 3508
2 440 kW Caterpillar 3508
3 440 kW Caterpillar 3508
4 910 kW Caterpillar 3512
5 910 kW Caterpillar 3512
Switchgear
Generator sets in the Wainwright power plant are controlled by Woodward 2301A load sharing and
speed control governors with protection and alarms initiated by discreet protective relays for each unit.
A user-programmable PLC controller with SCADA interface automatically parallels and dispatches the
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 24
diesel generators, based on system load and operator-programmable preferences, via a unit-based auto
synchronizer.
Geospatial Perspective of Electrical Load
The power plant is located at the north central end of the village and has feeders that run parallel and
south from the power plant, on the east and west sides of the village. The west feeder serves a tract
owned by Olgoonik Corporation which has a large load. The school and a hotel are located toward the
southeast side of the village and fed from the east feeder. Readings taken in the power plant for several
days in late October, 2013 indicated that the east feeder carried approximately 60% of total load and
west feeder about 40% of the load.
Refer to Appendix C for the Wainwright power distribution grid schematic.
Phase Balance of Electrical Load
Ross Klooster of WHPacific made several per-phase load observations at Wainwright over a two day
period in autumn 2013. His observations indicated excellent per-phase load balance. At the time of
observation the average current, calculated from several measurements on all three phases, was 983
amps (817 kW). Phase A current averaged 997 amps (1.4% above average), phase B averaged 985 amps
(average) and phase C averaged 967 amps (1.6% below average).
Transformers
The main transformers, serving each feeder at the power plant, are conservative. In an emergency,
each is capable of supporting the entire village load during peak winter loads. The distribution
transformers are also believed to be liberally-sized for demand with capacity to be loaded to 150% of
rated load during colder winter temperatures. This is based on experience with facility loads in general;
there is no recorded data to confirm this.
Phase and/or Transformer Capacity Location(s) for Additional Load
The generation and distribution systems have significant reserve capacity and redundancy. Power lines
are gradually being upgraded from #2 ACSR to 1/0 AAAC to increase conductor strength for snow and
ice loading and to immune the system from electrolysis corrosion. As an additional benefit, however,
this will also increase the load capacity of the system, reduce line loss, and lessen voltage drop through
the system. The Wainwright distribution system has adequate reserve capacity for additional load
anywhere in the systems.
Condition of Distribution Lines, Transformers, Poles
North Slope Borough villages generally have some of the best maintained power systems in rural Alaska.
The original power poles in Wainwright have largely been replaced over the years. Most of the
secondary conductor has been replaced in the past five years and distribution transformers are being
replaced with larger transformers to meet increasing residential demand. As discussed in the preceding
section, primary conductor is gradually being replaced and upgraded with larger all-aluminum alloy
conductor to improve strength in wind and ice loading and prevent degradation due to electrolysis, a
problem which has plagued ACSR conductor in coastal villages.
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 25
Parasitic and Other Losses
As documented in the 2013 PCE Report, distribution line loss in Wainwright for fiscal year 2013 was
9.3% and powerhouse consumption was 5.7%, yielding a rather low 85% ratio of sold vs. generated
energy. This indicates a potential problem with the electrical distribution system itself and/or possibly
with billing and recordkeeping. This issue will be investigated during the design phase of the project and
addressed as an integral component of the wind-diesel system design and operations plan.
Wind Turbine Options
Turbine choice was oriented toward turbines that are large enough to match well with Wainwright’s
electrical load. Turbines that meet these criteria are generally in the 100 to 750 kW size range. The
wind power industry, however, does not provide many options as village wind power is a small market
worldwide compared to utility grid-connected projects where wind turbines are 1,000 kW and larger
capacity, or home and farm applications where wind turbines are generally 10 kW or less capacity. For
this project, four wind turbines are considered:
1. Aeronautica AW/Siva 250: 250 kW rated output; new
2. EWT DW 54-900: 900 kW rated output; new
3. Northern Power Systems 360-39-30: 360 kW rated output; new
4. Vestas V27: 225 kW rated output; remanufactured
The choice of selecting new or remanufactured wind turbines is an important consideration and one
which North Slope Borough is carefully considering at present through a separately-contracted
evaluation effort which included visits to the offices and factories of Aeronautica, Northern Power, and
Halus. There are advantages and potential disadvantages of each turbine, including cost, support and
parts availability. Note however that the three wind turbines presented in this report have solid track
records and good support capacity within Alaska. The turbine evaluation report will be forwarded
separately from this conceptual design report.
Aeronautica AW/Siva 250
Aeronautica Windpower, with offices in Plymouth, Massachusetts and production facilities in
Portsmouth, New Hampshire, manufactures the AW/Siva 250 wind turbine in two rotor configurations:
29 meters for IEC wind class design IIA sites and 30 meters for IEC wind class IIIA sites. This turbine is a
Siva (Germany) licensed design. For Wainwright, the 30 meter version likely would be optimal. This
turbine has a 30 meter rotor diameter, is rated at 250 kW power output, is stall regulated, has a
gearbox-type drive system, and is equipped with asynchronous (induction type) dual-wound (50 kW and
250 kW) generators. Braking is accomplished by passive and hydraulically-actuated pivotable blade tips
and hydraulic disc brakes. The turbine has active yaw control and is available with 30, 40, 45, and 50
meter tubular steel towers.
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 26
AW/Siva 250 specifications:
EWT DW 54-900
The DW 52/54-900 is a direct-drive, pitch-regulated wind turbine with a synchronous generator and
inverter-conditioned power output. More information regarding the EWT DW 52/54-900 wind turbine is
attached and available on EWT’s website: http://www.ewtdirectwind.com/. The turbine boasts a track
record of over 400 operating turbines in many different wind climates. At present, six DW 900 turbines
have been installed in Alaska: two each in Delta Junction, Kotzebue and Nome. For Wainwright, the 54
meter rotor version likely would be optimal.
Type DW 54 / DW 52
Rotor diameter 54.0 m / 51.5 m
Variable Rotor Speed 12 to 28 rpm
Nominal Power Output 900 kW
Cut-in wind speed 2.5 m/s
Rated wind speed 13 m/s
Cut-out wind speed (10 minute average)25 m/s
Survival wind speed 59.5 m/s
Power output control Pitch controlled variable speed
Type Certificate
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 27
IEC 61400 wind class IIIA (DW 54)
IEC 61400 wind class IIA (DW 52)
Drive System
Generator Synchronous air-cooled EWT-design, multi-pole, wound-rotor.
Power converter Full-power, IGBT-controlled AC-DC-AC ‘back-to-back’ type.
Control System
Bachman PLC control system.
Possibility for remote access via TCP / IP internet and the DMS 2.0 * SCADA system.
Tower
Type Conical tubular steel, internal ascent.
Hub heights 40, 50 and 75 meters.
Safety systems
Main brake action Individual rotor blade pitch (three independent brakes).
Fail-safe brake Individual rotor blade pitch by three independent battery-powered back-up units.
Northern Power Systems 360-39 (NPS 360-39)
At 360 kilowatts of rated power, the new-to-the-market Northern Power 360-39 is an innovative wind
turbine with gearless direct drive design, permanent magnet generator, and pleasing aesthetics. The
turbine will be marketed in two versions: the NPS 360 for temperature climates and the NPS 360 Arctic
for cold climates such as Alaska. Differences between the two include heaters and insulation for the
Arctic version, plus certification that metal used in the tower and nacelle frame are appropriate for
operation to -40° C (-40° F). Note that design characteristics of the NPS 360-39 will be very similar to the
NPS 100 B model turbine which is well represented in Alaska.
According to Northern Power Systems, the proprietary permanent magnet generator is central to the
design of the NPS 100 (and the new NPS 360) drivetrain. Permanent magnet generators offer high
efficiency energy conversion, particularly at partial load, and require no separate field excitation system.
Permanent magnet generators are lighter, more efficient, and require less assembly labor than
competing designs. The Northern Power permanent magnet generator was designed in conjunction with
its power converter to create an optimized solution tailored for high energy capture and low operating
costs.
A key element of Northern Power’s direct drive wind turbine design is the power converter used to
connect the permanent magnet generator output to the local power system. Northern Power designs
and manufactures power converters for its wind turbines in-house, with complete hardware, control
design, and software capabilities. In 2006, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) awarded its
annual Technical Achievement Award to Northern Power’s Chief Engineer, Jeff Petter. It recognized his
expertise and leadership in the development of Northern Power Systems’ FlexPhase™ power converter
for mega-watt scale wind turbine applications. The FlexPhase power converter combines a unique,
patent-pending circuit design with a high bandwidth control system to provide unique generator
management, power quality, and grid support features. The FlexPhase converter platform offers a
modular approach with a very small footprint and 20-year design life.
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 28
NPS 360-39 Class IIIA general information
Model NPS 360-39
Design Class IEC 61400-1, 3rd ed., WTGS IIIA
Power Regulation Variable speed, pitch control
Orientation Upwind
Yaw Control Active
Number of Blades Three
Rotor Diameter 39 meters
Rated Electrical Power 360 kW
Cut-in/Cut-out Wind Speeds 3 m/sec; 25 m/sec
Controller Type PLC (programmable logic controller)
Hub Height; tower type 30 meters; 3-section tubular steel monopole
Vestas V27
Halus Power Systems of San Leandro, California remanufactures the legacy suite of Vestas wind
turbines, rated from 65 kW (the V15) to 600 kW (the V44). Of most interest to North Slope Borough for
Wainwright is the V27 turbine. The V27 is a 27 meter rotor diameter, 225 kW rated output, pitch-
controlled, gearbox-type drive system, asynchronous double-wound generator wind turbine originally
built by Vestas A/S in Denmark. The turbine has active yaw control and is available with a 32 meter steel
tower as standard and higher towers by special fabrication. The Vestas V27 nacelle, tower, and blades
can be shipped in standard shipping containers, eliminating the expense and risk of damage with break
bulk shipping.
Braking and stopping are accomplished by full feathering of the rotor blades, which is a desirable feature
of pitch-controlled wind turbines. An emergency stop activates the hydraulic disk brake, which is fitted
to the high speed shaft of the gearbox. All functions of the turbine are monitored and controlled by the
microprocessor-based control unit. Blade position (pitch angle) is performed by the hydraulic system,
which also delivers hydraulic pressure to the brake system. Both are fail-safe in the sense that loss of
hydraulic pressure results in feathering of the rotor blades and activation of the disk brake. Of interest
with respect to the pitch system is the mechanical interlink of the three rotor blades contained in the
hub nose cone. With this simple but ingenious design, it is not possible for the turbine blades to pitch
differently from each other.
The V27 was Vestas’ workhorse turbine for many years and thousands were installed worldwide. Design
of the turbine pre-dates the IEC 61400-1 standards, but by present criteria the turbine can be
considered Class II-A and possibly even Class I-A. The V27 is well regarded as a rugged, tough turbine
with an outstanding operational history. Four V27 wind turbines are operational in Alaska: three on
Saint Paul Island and one at the Air Force’s Tin City Long Range Radar Site. Additionally, two V39 wind
turbines were installed by TDX Power in Sandpoint, Alaska and are operational. Because of the large
numbers of Vestas turbines (legacy and new) deployed in North America, Vestas continues to maintain
multiple facilities in the United States including a large manufacturing facility in Colorado and an office
in Portland, Oregon. Vestas can provide technical support and spare parts for their legacy turbines
(from V17 through V44) as needed. In addition, due to the large number of deployed turbines in North
America and worldwide, spare parts are widely available from many suppliers.
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 29
Wind-Diesel HOMER Model
Considering North Slope Borough’s goal of displacing as much diesel fuel for electrical generation as
possible and yet recognizing the present limitations of high penetration wind power in Alaska and the
Borough’s desire to operate a highly stable and reliable electrical utility in Wainwright, only the medium
penetration wind-diesel configuration scenario was modeled with HOMER software. Note that low
penetration wind was not modeled as this would involve use of smaller farm-scale turbines that are not
designed for severe cold climates, and low penetration would not meet North Slope Borough’s goal of
significantly displacing fuel usage in Wainwright.
As previously noted, a medium penetration wind-diesel configuration is a compromise between the
simplicity of a low penetration wind power and the significant complexity and sophistication of the high
penetration wind. With medium penetration, instantaneous wind input is sufficiently high (at 100 plus
percent of the village electrical load) to require a secondary or diversion load to absorb excess wind
power, or alternatively, to require curtailment of wind turbine output during periods of high wind/low
electric loads. For Wainwright, appropriate wind turbines for medium wind penetration are generally in
the 100 to 750 kW range with more numbers of turbines required for lower output machines compared
to larger output models.
There are a number of comparative medium penetration village wind-diesel power systems presently in
operation in Alaska. These include the AVEC villages of Toksook Bay, Chevak, Savoonga, Kasigluk,
Hooper Bay, among others. All are characterized by wind turbines directly connected to the AC
distribution system. AC bus frequency control during periods of high wind penetration, when diesel
governor control would be insufficient, is managed by the sub-cycle, high resolution, and fast-switching
capability of the secondary load controller (SLC). Ideally, the SLC is connected to an electric boiler
serving a thermal load as this will enhance overall system efficiency by augmenting the operation of the
fuel oil boiler(s) serving the thermal load.
Powerplant
On review of the 2013 powerplant data, it appears that only the Caterpillar 3408 in bay 2 and the
Caterpillar 3512 in bays 4 and 5 routinely operate, so for modeling purposes models only these
generators will be considered.
Diesel generator HOMER modeling information
Diesel generator Cat 3508
(bays 1, 2, and 3)
Cat 3512
(bays 4 and 5)
Power output (kW)440 910
Intercept coeff. (L/hr/kW rated)0.0237 0.0307
Slope (L/hr/kW output) 0.2377 0.2325
Minimum electric
load (%)
15.0%
(66 kW)
15.0%
(136 kW)
Heat recovery ratio (% of generator
waste heat energy available to serve
the thermal load; when modeled)
35 35
Notes: Intercept coefficient – the no-load fuel consumption of the generator divided by its capacity
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 30
Slope – the marginal fuel consumption of the generator
Caterpillar 3508 generator
The graphs below illustrate fuel usage and electrical efficiency curves of the Caterpillar 3508 diesel
generator used in Homer modeling.
Cat 3508 fuel curve Cat 3508 electrical energy efficiency curve
Caterpillar 3512 generator
The graphs below illustrate fuel usage and electrical efficiency curves of the Caterpillar 3512 diesel
generator used in Homer modeling.
Cat 3512 Fuel Efficiency
Cat 3512 Electrical and Thermal Efficiency
Electrical and thermal efficiency of the Cat 3512 diesel engine is shown below. Note that North Slope
Borough did not report a seasonal or other specific scheduling plan, hence Homer software was
programmed to select the most efficient diesel for any time period. Also note that Homer was
programmed to allow parallel diesel generator operation, which is verfied on review of North Slope
Borough’s Wainwright power plant logs.
y = 0.00001049x2 + 0.051512x + 4.4482
R2 = 0.99999
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
35.0
40.0
45.0
50.0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 550 600 650 700 750
Output - kW
Fuel Use
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 31
Cat 3512 electrical and thermal
efficiency curves
Cat 3512 Recovered Heat Ratio
The 35 percent heat recovery potential of the Cat 3512 generator was derived from technical data
supplied by NC Power Systems. Homer software defines the heat recovery ratio as the percentage of
generator waste heat energy available to serve the thermal load. Generator waste heat is energy not
used for work; work being the energy output of the generator. As the table below indicates (calculated
with a 665 kW generator), the recovered heat ratio of the Cat 3512 generator equipped with an after
cooler (known also as an intercooler), is 41.8%. Assuming 15% system heat loss, actual heat recovery
ratio is 35.5%, which was modeled at 35%.
Cat 3512 heat recovery table
Wind Turbines
Wind turbine options for Wainwright are discussed previously in this report. For Homer modeling,
standard temperature and pressure (STP) power curves were used. This is quite conservative in that
actual wind turbine power production in Wainwright will typically be higher than predicted by the STP
power curves due to the cold temperature climate and consequent high air density of the area.
electricity
gen pwr % load
rej to JW
(BTU/m)
rej to
atmos
(BTU/m)
rej to
exhaust
(BTU/m)
exh rcov to
350F
(BTU/m)
from oil
cooler
(BTU/m)
from after
cooler
(BTU/m)
work
energy
(BTU/m)
TOTAL
(BTU/m)
665 100 23,146 5,857 33,610 15,753 4,896 3,037 39,865 102,478
22.6% 5.7% 32.8% 15.4% 4.8% 3.0% 38.9% 100.0%
37.0% 9.4% 53.7% 25.2% 7.8% 4.9%
37.0% 4.9% 41.8%
Recovered heat ratio, Homer, 15% heat loss assumed 35.5%
% total energy
rejected energy returned energy to JW
% of remaining non-
work energy
JW and aftercooler
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 32
Aeronautica AW/Siva 250 power curve EWT DW 54-900 power curve
Northern NPS 360-39 power curve Vestas V27 power curve
Electric Load
For modeling purposes with Homer software, the Wainwright electric load was derived from calendar
year 2013 Wainwright and Point Hope powerplant data forwarded to V3 Energy, LLC by North Slope
Borough in an Excel spreadsheet entitled 2013_Wainwright_PPOR. The spreadsheet tabulates average
power per hour for each diesel engine on-line. If two diesel engines are operating in parallel, individual
generator power output is summed to equal total hour (average) load. For each day, generator output
is summed to yield kWh produced per generator and aggregate. Below are an example of daily
generator output/load data and the monthly Wainwright load profile for 2013.
Completion of the Wainwright powerplant logs was spotty however. With this limitation in mind and
with reference to the Statistical Report of the Power Cost Equalization Program, Fiscal Year 2013, the
much more complete Point Hope data was scaled 77 percent to match Wainwright’s energy usage for
the Homer model. This is reasonable as seasonal and diurnal variation will be similar between the two
villages with the primary difference magnitude of usage.
Additionally, it has been noted that the Wainwright (and Point Hope) load data indicates peak load at
mid-morning, which is unusually early in the day. It is possible that there is a time error in the PPOR
files, such as the nine hour time difference between Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and Alaska (UTC
is a common programming reference for SCADA systems). WHPSG and V3 Energy note, however, that
data compiled in the PPOR files are from hand logs; in which case local time would be used. This time
and load discrepancy will be evaluated during the design phase of this project, but it is true that North
Slope Borough communities exhibit diurnal load profiles with relatively small variation.
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 33
Wainwright powerplant data, sample day, 12/9/2013
Wainwright electric load
Engine 1
Caterpillar 3508
Serial # 70Z00641
Engine 2
Caterpillar 3508
Serial # 70Z00643
Engine 3
Caterpillar 3508
Serial # 70Z00642
Engine 4
Caterpillar 3512
Serial # 67Z1942
Engine 5
Caterpillar 3512
Serial # 67Z1904
Total Load Total Load Total Load Total Load Total Load
0:00 735 735 910
1:00 720 720
2:00 734 734
3:00 698 698
4:00 692 692
5:00 700 700
6:00 745 745
7:00 772 772
8:00 730 730
9:00 794 794
10:00 278 560 838
11:00 285 583 868
12:00 294 616 910
13:00 270 571 841
14:00 275 566 841
15:00 269 567 836
16:00 273 569 842
17:00 278 567 845
18:00 257 536 793
19:00 262 546 808
20:00 264 546 810
21:00 265 550 815
22:00 253 526 779
23:00 768 768
Total 0 0 3,523 15,391 0 18,914
Wainwright Power Plant
December 9, 2013
Hour Total Hourly
Load
Peak Load of the
Day
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 34
Thermal Load
The Wainwright powerplant is equipped with a heat recovery system to extract jacket water waste heat
from the diesel generators and supply it to the following village thermal (heat) loads: powerplant, public
works/HEMF, and sewer plant. Possible additional connection points are the school, PSO, health clinic,
water plant, and fire station, according to a February, 2010 draft RSA Engineering, Inc. report to North
Slope Borough entitled North Slope Borough Village Heat Recovery Project Analysis Report, CIP No. 13-
222. Per the RSA report, the combined design day heat load of the above-referenced structures is 5.03
MMBTU/hr. The additional thermal loads, if connected, would increase the design data heat load by
2.61 MMBTU/hr. Data from the RSA Engineering report details monthly existing waste heat (from the
powerplant heat recovery system) consumption and the estimated contribution of waste heat to the
actual heat load. Additional data from RSA Engineering is documented in the table below.
RSA Engineering thermal load data, existing heat loads
Data from the above table and additional information obtained from RSA Engineering, Inc. for the village
of Kaktovik was converted to kW (heat) load and scaled by a factor of 1.53 as adjustment for the higher
thermal loads in Wainwright. Data was uploaded to Homer software to create a thermal load profile for
modeling purposes. Diurnal thermal load variation is not contained in the RSA report and is unknown,
hence modeled as constant.
Wainwright thermal load
month
avg power
(kW)
available
waste heat
(BTU/hr)
available
heat
(MMBTU)
available
waste heat
(kWh)
hourly heat
available
(kW)
waste heat
consumed
(BTU/hr)
waste heat
consumed
(kW)
1 755 2,063,549 1,486 435,432 605 2,063,549 605
2 887 2,423,337 1,745 511,351 710 2,423,337 710
3 639 1,745,766 1,257 368,376 512 1,745,766 512
4 920 2,513,121 1,809 530,297 737 2,513,121 737
5 472 1,290,345 929 272,277 378 1,290,345 378
6 853 2,331,041 1,678 491,876 683 679,843 199
7 693 1,893,136 1,363 399,473 555 585,204 172
8 437 1,193,700 859 251,884 350 812,178 238
9 501 1,369,897 986 289,064 401 1,369,897 401
10 599 1,637,015 1,179 345,428 480 1,637,015 480
11 564 1,542,180 1,110 325,417 452 1,542,180 452
12 718 1,960,276 1,411 413,640 575 1,960,276 575
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 35
Wind Turbine Configuration Options
Discussions between WHPacific Solutions Group, V3 Energy, LLC and North Slope Borough have
indicated that the borough’s goals with a wind-diesel system in Wainwright is to offset a significant
percentage of fuel used in the powerplant, but not create a highly complex system with significant
thermal offset and/or electrical storage capability. This philosophy dictates a medium penetration
design approach (see previous section of this report) where wind power supplies approximately one-
third of the electric load, but at least one diesel generator is always on-line to provide spinning reserve.
Medium penetration design, though, means that instantaneous wind power will at times be well over
100 percent of the load. This can result in unstable grid frequency, which occurs when electrical power
generated exceeds load demand. In a wind-diesel power system without electrical storage, there are
three options to prevent this possibility:
1. Curtail one or more wind turbines to prevent instantaneous wind penetration from exceeding 100
percent (one must also account for minimum loading of the diesel generator).
2. Install a secondary load controller with a resistive heater. The secondary load controller is a fast-
acting switch mechanism commanding heating elements to turn on and off to order to maintain
stable frequency. The resistive heating elements can comprise a device as simple as a heater
ejecting energy to the atmosphere or an interior air space, or more desirably, an electric boiler
serving one or more thermal loads. The boiler can be installed in the powerplant heat recovery loop
and operate in parallel with fuel oil boilers.
3. Equip the wind turbines with output controllers (some wind turbines, such as the EWT DW 900 and
the NPS 100, are pre-equipped with these controllers) to enable reduction of turbine power to
match load demand. This is a more efficient turbine control strategy than curtailment, but of course
presents an additional cost to the project and “wastes” wind energy in the sense that one is
purposely throttling the turbine(s).
For medium penetration design, frequency control features as described above are necessary because,
generally speaking, diesel generators paralleled with wind turbines during periods of high wind energy
input may not have sufficient inertia to control frequency by themselves. This design philosophy is true
of most wind-diesel systems presently operational in Alaska and provides a solid compromise between
the minimal benefit of low penetration systems and the high cost and complexity of high penetration
systems.
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 36
Many utilities prefer to install more than one wind turbine in a village wind power project to provide
redundancy and continued renewable energy generation should one turbine be out-of-service for
maintenance or other reasons. This generally sound advice is modified for Wainwright in that a single
EWT DW 54-900 turbine configuration is included with multi-turbine configuration options, although
900 kW of turbine capacity in Wainwright is more than medium wind penetration. Referencing the
medium wind power penetration design philosophy discussed above, modeled wind turbine
configuration options considered in this report are as follows:
Aeronautica AW 250, three turbines (750 kW capacity)
EWT DW 54-900, one turbine (900 kW capacity)
Northern Power NPS 360-39, two turbines (720 kW capacity)
Vestas V27, four turbines (900 kW capacity)
Turbine types are not mixed, however, as it is assumed that North Slope Borough will select only one
type of wind turbine. A typical configuration for this project is show below.
Sample Wind-diesel configuration for Wainwright
System Modeling and Technical Analysis
Installation of wind turbines in medium penetration mode is evaluated in this report to demonstrate the
economic impact of these turbines with the following configuration philosophy: turbines are connected
to the electrical distribution system to serve the electrical load and a secondary load controller and an
electric heater or boiler to divert excess electrical power to offset thermal load(s) via a secondary load
controller.
HOMER renewable energy system modeling software was used to analyze the Wainwright power
generation system. HOMER was designed to analyze hybrid power systems that contain a mix of
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 37
conventional and renewable energy sources, such as diesel generators, wind turbines, solar panels,
batteries, etc. and is widely used to aid development of Alaska village wind power projects. The
following wind-diesel system configurations were modeled for this conceptual design report. A one-line
diagram of this proposed system is presented in Appendix D.
Modeled wind-diesel configurations
Turbine
No.
Turbines Installed kW Tower Type
Hub Height
(meters)
Aeronautica
AW/Siva 250 3 750 Monopole 30
EWT DW 54-900 1 900 Monopole 50
Northern Power
NPS 360-39 2 720 Monopole 30
Vestas V27 4 900 Monopole 32
Modeling assumes that wind turbines constructed in Wainwright will operate in parallel with the diesel
generators. Excess energy presumably will serve thermal loads via a secondary load controller and
electric boiler that will augment the existing jacket water heat recovery system and is modeled as such
in the technical analysis of this report (although not in the economic analysis).
Although not considered in this report, deferrable electric and/or remote node thermal loads could be
served with excess system energy. This possibility will be considered during the design phase of the
project.
Technical modeling assumptions
Operating Reserves
Load in current time step 10%
Wind power output 50% (diesels always on)
Fuel Properties (no. 2 diesel for
powerplant)
Heating value 46.8 MJ/kg (140,000 BTU/gal)
Density 830 kg/m3 (6.93 lb./gal)
Fuel Properties (no. 1 diesel to serve
thermal loads)
Heating value 44.8 MJ/kg (134,000 BTU/gal)
Density 830 kg/m3 (6.93 lb./gal)
Diesel Generators
Efficiency 14.6 kWh/gal (NSB data)
Minimum load 15%
Schedule Optimized
Wind Turbines
Net capacity factor 85% (adjusted by reducing mean wind speed in Homer
software)
Turbine hub height As noted
Wind speed 6.96 m/s at 30 m level at met tower site; wind speed scaled
to 6.41 m/s for 85% turbine net AEP
Density adjustment Density not adjusted
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 38
Energy Loads
Electric 14,253 kWh/day mean annual electrical load
Thermal 18,528 kWh/day mean annual via recovered heat loop
Fuel oil boiler efficiency 85%
Electric boiler efficiency 100%
Model Results
The Site B wind resource is presumed to be identical to that measured at the met tower site. Given the
flat, featureless terrain between the met tower and Site B, this is a reasonable assumption although
orographic wind modeling may indicate some variability between the met tower location and Site B.
Site B likely is not height restricted, hence larger turbines and/or higher hub heights are possible. Note
that turbine energy production is modeled at 85 percent net.
AW/Siva 250, three (3) turbines, 30 m hub height
This configuration models three AW/Siva 250 wind turbines at Wainwright Site B at a 30 meter hub
height and generating 85 percent of maximum annual energy production.
Energy table, three AW/Siva 250, 85% net AEP
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 39
Chart, three AW/Siva 250’s
EWT DW 54-900, one (1) turbine, 50 m hub height
This configuration models one EWT DW 54-900 wind turbine at Wainwright Site B at a 50 meter hub
height and generating 85 percent of maximum annual energy production.
Energy table, one DW 54-900, 85% net AEP
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 40
Chart, one DW 54-900
Northern Power NPS 360-39, two (2) turbines, 30 m hub height
This configuration models two Northern Power Systems NPS 360-39 wind turbines at Wainwright Site B
at a 30 meter hub height and generating 85 percent of maximum annual energy production.
Energy table, two NPS 360-39’s, 85% net AEP
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 41
Chart, two NPS 360-39’s
Vestas V27, four (4) turbines, 32 m hub height
This configuration models three Vestas V27 wind turbines at Wainwright Site B at a 32 meter hub height
and generating 85 percent of maximum annual energy production.
Energy table, four V27’s, 85% net AEP
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 42
Chart, four V27’s
Economic Analysis
Modeling assumptions are detailed in the table below. Many assumptions, such as project life, discount
rate, operations and maintenance (O&M) costs, etc. are AEA default values. Other assumptions, such as
diesel overhaul cost and time between overhaul are based on general rural Alaska power generation
experience. The base or comparison scenario is the Wainwright powerplant with its present
configuration of diesel generators and the existing thermal loads connected to the heat recovery loop.
Fuel Cost
A fuel price of $5.49/gallon ($1.45/Liter) was chosen for the initial HOMER analysis by reference to
Alaska Fuel Price Projections 2013-2035, prepared for Alaska Energy Authority by the Institute for Social
and Economic Research (ISER), dated June 30, 2103 and the 2013_06_R7Prototype_final_07012013
Excel spreadsheet, also written by ISER. The $5.49/gallon price reflects the average value of all fuel
prices between the 2015 (the assumed project start year) fuel price of $4.67/gallon and the 2034 (20
year project end year) fuel price of $6.47/gallon using the medium price projection analysis with an
average CO2-equivalent allowance cost of $0.58/gallon included.
By comparison, the fuel price for Wainwright reported to Regulatory Commission of Alaska for the 2012
PCE report is $4.28/gallon ($1.13/Liter), without inclusion of the CO2-equivalent allowance cost.
Assuming a CO2-equivalent allowance cost of $0.40/gallon (ISER Prototype spreadsheet, 2013 value), the
2012 Wainwright fuel price was $4.68/gallon ($1.23/Liter).
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 43
Heating fuel displacement by excess energy diverted to thermal loads is valued at $6.53/gallon
($1.73/Liter) as an average price for the 20 year project period. This price was determined by reference
to the 2013_06_R7Prototype_final_07012013 Excel spreadsheet where heating oil is valued at the cost
of diesel fuel (with CO2-equivalent allowance cost) plus $1.05/gallon, assuming heating oil displacement
between 1,000 and 25,000 gallons per year.
Fuel cost table, CO2-equivalent allowance cost included
ISER med. projection
2015
(/gal)
2034
(/gal)
Average
(/gallon)
Average
(/Liter)
Diesel Fuel $4.67 $6.47
$5.49 $1.45
Heating Oil $5.73 $7.51 $6.53 $1.73
Wind Turbine Project Costs
Construction cost for wind turbine installation and integration with the diesel power plant will be
accurately estimated during the design phase of the project. Project costs are estimated in this
conceptual design report in order to provide comparative valuation. The client is strongly encouraged
not to select the wind turbine configuration option based on cost alone, especially the tentative costs
presented in this conceptual design report, as other factors may be more important from an
operational, maintenance, integration, and support point of view.
Economic modeling assumptions
Economic Assumptions
Project life 20 years (2014 to 2033)
Discount rate for NPV 3% (ISER spreadsheet assumption)
System fixed capital cost (plant
upgrades required to accommodate
wind turbines)
Included in turbine project cost
Fuel Properties (no. 2 diesel for
powerplant)
Price (20 year average; ISER 2013,
medium projection plus social cost of
carbon)
$5.49/gal ($1.45/Liter)
Fuel Properties (no. 1 diesel to serve
thermal loads)
Price (20 year average; ISER 2013,
medium projection plus social cost of
carbon)
$6.53/gal ($1.73/Liter)
Diesel Generators
Generator capital cost $0 (already installed)
O&M cost $0.02/kWh (ISER spreadsheet assumption)
Efficiency 13.8 kWh/gal (Homer model)
Wind Turbines
Net capacity factor 85% (adjusted by reducing mean wind speed in Homer
software)
O&M cost $0.049/kWh (ISER spreadsheet assumption)
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 44
Wind Turbine Costs
Modeling Results
The reader is cautioned to note that the economic benefit-to-cost ratios calculated by the ISER method
do not account for heat loss from the diesel engines due to reduced loading and subsequent impact on
heating fuel usage to serve the thermal loads, hence bias high at high modeled wind penetrations. ISER
cost modeling assumptions are noted above or are discussed in the 2013_06_R7Prototype_final_
07012013 Excel spreadsheet. Net annual energy production of the wind turbines was assumed at 85
percent to reflect production losses due to operations and maintenance down time, icing loss, wake
loss, hysteresis, etc.
Economic comparison table of Wainwright wind turbine options
Data Analysis Uncertainty
There are a number of concerns and potential problems with data used for modeling in this report.
Chief among them is that the Wainwright powerplant data are manually-collected log readings, not
computer-calculated averaged power per hour as one might conclude by reviewing North Slope
Borough’s 2013_Wainwright_PPOR file. While manually-collected logs are desirable from an
operational perspective, manual logs are not suitable for modeling as they are only a brief “snapshot”
once per hour of the load and are generally unrepresentative, sometimes dramatically so, of actual
average load demand during the time period of the log entry.
Note that the manually-collected logs likely account for the odd occurrences of very low electrical loads
for a particular hour that are bracketed by much higher loads on either side. In reality this load variation
most likely did not occur, but identifying and correcting every questionable occurrence in an 8,760 line
data set is extremely tedious and not necessary for this analysis.
The thermal load appears to be reasonably well documented, but the data is four years old.
Additionally, the RSA Engineering report was structured such that actual load demand is not readily
apparent. This might be a consideration during design should North Slope Borough wish to consider
Config-
uration
No.
Turbs Turbine Freight Install Civil
Distribu-
tion
Power-
plant
Project
Cost Cost/kW
AW/Siva 250 3 750 1.80 0.70 1.60 1.75 0.65 0.30 6.80 9,100$
EWT 54-900 1 900 1.85 0.70 1.80 1.50 0.65 0.40 6.90 7,700$
NPS 360-39 2 720 1.45 0.70 1.80 1.75 0.65 0.30 6.65 9,200$
V27 4 900 1.60 0.70 1.50 2.00 0.65 0.30 6.75 7,500$
Wind
Capacity
(kW)
Cost Estimate (in $millions)
Config-
uration
Project
Cost
NPV
Benefits
NPV
Costs
B/C
ratio
AW/Siva 250 750 6.80 7.27 6.04 1.20 104,600 2,100 106,700
EWT 54-900 900 6.90 10.35 6.13 1.69 138,900 10,700 149,600
NPS 360-39 720 6.65 8.39 5.91 1.42 118,300 4,300 122,600
V27 900 6.75 9.04 6.00 1.51 123,500 7,700 131,200
Diesel
Fuel
Saved
(gal/yr)
Heat Oil
Saved
(gal/yr)
Petroleum
Fuel
Saved
(gal/yr)
(in $ millions)
Wind
Turbine
Capacity
(kW)
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 45
much higher wind penetrations where thermal offset would be considerably larger than modeled (note
that high penetration with significant excess energy to thermal would occur with one EWT 54-900
turbine; numbers of other turbines must be increased to yield similar results).
Project costs are estimated in this conceptual design report and will be determined with greater
accuracy during the design phase of the project.
Discussion
For this conceptual design report, only proven and robust wind turbines were considered for evaluation,
hence any of the evaluated configurations can be designed and operated to meet expectations of high
performance and reliability. Integration requirements will vary depending on the type of electrical
generator in the turbine (synchronous vs. asynchronous), inverter-conditioning, soft-start or other
similar grid stability control features, VAR support if necessary, minimum loading levels of the diesel
generators as a percentage of the electric load, secondary load controller resolution and response time,
among others. These design elements are beyond the scope of this conceptual design project, but the
technology is mature enough to be assured that the wind turbines operating in a medium
penetration/non-storage mode in Wainwright are controllable.
With these issues in mind, the primary deciding factors for selection of wind turbine(s) for Wainwright
will be cost, reliability, aesthetics, redundancy, support, and commonality.
Cost
Note that the cost estimates in this report were not produced with the same level of precision and
accuracy as will occur during the design phase and so should be treated with a substantial level of
caution. Also note that many cost parameters such as operations and maintenance costs over the life of
the project are estimated using Alaska Energy Authority default values and may not be realistic for any
particular turbine configuration option. For this reason the benefit-to-cost ratios indicated in the
preceding table should not be ranked nor compared. The point of including the table is to indicate that
per the parameters of this analysis, all four turbine options exhibit beneficial economic potential for
North Slope Borough and the community of Wainwright.
Reliability
Turbine reliability can be obtained from manufacturer data, third party reviews, and utility experience.
Even with a great warranty and promises of strong manufacturer support, robust and reliable wind
turbines are highly desirable. Wainwright is an isolated community and expensive to visit, so it is
desirable to install equipment where the likelihood of nagging maintenance issues are minimal. All
warranty and maintenance support periods eventually end, and North Slope Borough will want to be
assured that the turbines they purchase will serve them well in the future.
Aesthetics
This is a highly subjective consideration that undoubtedly will elicit a number of strong and conflicting
opinions. Ultimately, Wainwright residents must collectively agree on the aesthetic impact of wind
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 46
turbines in their community. Simply put, wind turbines will have a visual impact in Wainwright and will
easily be the highest and most dominating structure(s) for miles around. Which is preferable: one large,
very high turbine or two or more smaller, clustered turbines? This is a difficult question for most people
to answer in the abstract because one must imagine wind turbines at Site B where at present the
landscape is bare and nearly featureless. Software modeling that superimposes virtual wind turbine(s)
onto the Google Earth image of Wainwright might prove beneficial for the discussion.
Redundancy
A single wind turbine would be redundant in the sense that diesel generation will meet electrical load
demand should the turbine be off-line for maintenance or a fault condition. On the other hand, a single
wind turbine is not redundant with respect to wind generation. Should the turbine be out of service for
an extended period of time, wind energy will not be generated during the outage.
Support
Manufacturer warranty and support will be a primary consideration of North Slope Borough given its
responsibility as electrical utility for Wainwright. The Borough must have confidence that the turbine
manufacturer and/or its representatives will be available throughout the life of the project. This is a
matter of trust and ultimately a value that North Slope Borough must determine for itself.
Commonality
This is a practical consideration for North Slope Borough. There are four Borough village wind projects
presently entering the design phase: Point Hope, Point Lay, Wainwright, and Kaktovik. In the related
Kaktovik project, North Slope Borough arranged a manufacturer site visit report in March 2014 to Halus
Power Systems in California (remanufacturer of Vestas wind turbines), Aeronautica Windpower in
Massachusetts, and Northern Power Systems in Vermont. Objectives of this trip were to meet company
representatives, establish relationships, and assess the desirability and potential of each as the “fleet
turbine” provider for the Borough.
There are many desirable aspects of a fleet turbine – whether a single turbine model or a family of
models – that would be attractive to North Slope Borough. These include a single supplier and point of
contact, a common control system for all turbines in the fleet, common parts, and utility and village
technicians that learn to service only one type of turbine, not two or more.
On the other hand, given the variability in electrical load profile and site size and height constraints, no
one turbine manufacturer addressed in this conceptual design report provides the perfect solution for
all four North Slope Borough villages. It may be more optimal to install a turbine(s) from one
manufacturer in one village and turbine(s) from a different manufacturer in another village.
Turbine Recommendation
A number of factors presented in the discussion section above are the province of North Slope Borough
and/or the community of Wainwright to decide, such as aesthetic considerations and confidence in
manufacturer guarantees and proffered support. These factors and others will influence the turbine
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 47
configuration decision for the design phase of the project. Nevertheless and with these issues in mind,
the configuration of three Northern Power Systems NPS 360-39 wind turbines (with the possibility of
additional turbines in the future) is recommended by WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy as the
preferred option for wind power development in Wainwright.
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy recommend a configuration of four Vestas V27 wind turbines
as an alternate option, and a configuration of three AW/Siva 250 wind turbines as a second alternate
option, but less is known about the Siva turbine compared to Vestas, hence some hesitancy about this
option at the present time.
These recommendations are based on the following considerations:
Cost – Preliminary cost modeling indicates that the EWT DW 900, NPS 360-39, and V39 options
are relatively equal with respect to life-cycle economic benefit. The AW/Siva 250 option
appears to have a lower life-cycle economic benefit, but still positive.
Reliability – All turbine options presented in this report are considered to be reliable machines
with proper maintenance and support.
Aesthetics – The NPS 360-39 is offered only on a relatively low 28.5 meter tower (for a 30 meter
hub height), minimizing the visual impact of this turbine compared to the others. The alternate
turbines, however, are available on at least 40 meter towers on the low end, so their visual
impact is not much greater.
Redundancy – With respect to redundancy, WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy
recommend two or more wind turbines for Wainwright. Despite the admirably excellent
availability history of the EWT wind turbine in their typical grid-connected installations, it should
be recognized that all wind turbines considered in this conceptual design report have excellent
availability histories when grid-connected.
As a general rule though, wind turbine availability has been lower in Alaska village wind-diesel
systems than in grid-connected applications. There are many reasons for this, principally related
to integration and operational factors. Some of these issues can be mitigated with careful
design and planning, but an expectation of utility-experience wind turbine availability is
unrealistic in rural Alaska. With this reality in mind, installing at least two wind turbines enables
continuity of wind power production should one turbine be out of service for an extended
period of time.
Support – All four turbine manufacturers evaluated in this conceptual design report are highly
regarded companies with extensive depth and capability to provide warranty and continuing
support over time with both factory personnel and Alaska-based representatives. In addition, all
four companies will train North Slope Borough personnel to operate and maintain the turbines.
Commonality – Considering the electric load demand and wind turbine site constraints in Point
Hope, Point Lay, Wainwright and Kaktovik (North Slope Borough’s companion wind power
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 48
project villages), only the Aeronautica, Northern Power Systems, and Vestas family of turbines
can be used in all four communities.
It is the opinion of WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy LLC that North Slope Borough will find it
less demanding to manage one type of wind turbine among several village projects than two or more
turbine types, other factors aside.
Single Turbine Option
The EWT DW 54-900 is an admirable wind turbine and highly suitable for Wainwright, but it has a very
large energy generation capacity for medium penetration mode (although it can be setpoint limited for
reduced output) and recommending it would counter the values of redundancy and commonality
expressed above. Although WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy believe that North Slope Borough
would be better served with redundant wind turbine capacity in their project communities, this is not
strictly necessary for a successful wind project. It should be noted that EWT offers performance
guarantees for their turbines that mitigates the risk of a single turbine application which North Slope
Borough may wish to consider.
Commonality of wind turbines for all four planned wind power projects (Point Hope, Point Lay,
Wainwright, and Kaktovik), however, is considered to be in the Borough’s best interests and hence the
recommendation of a wind turbine that will be suitable for all four communities. Should North Slope
Borough be willing to consider two turbine types, the EWT DW 54-900 may be the best choice for
Wainwright after all.
Wind Turbine Layout
Site B boundaries are not defined at present, but available land for wind turbine layout is expected to be
fairly unrestricted. The image below shows two Northern Power Systems NPS 360-39 wind turbines in a
northwest-to-southeast alignment with four rotor diameter (approximately 160 meters) separation.
This is within the three to five rotor diameter separation generally recommended for turbine array
design. Precise turbine locations with attendant wake loss (array efficiency) calculations will be
modeled during the design phase of this project after site and turbine selections.
Refer to Appendix E for drawings of the existing electrical distribution system and necessary expansion
to connect wind turbines located at Site B. As indicated, approximately 1.5 miles of new 12.47 kV
distribution is required. Should wind turbines be located at Site A, 0.5 miles of new 12.47 kV
distribution would be necessary, one-third that required for Site B. On the other hand, development of
Site A would require construction of a 0.25 mile access road, which is longer than for Site B.
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 49
Proposed NPS 360-39 turbine layout, Wainwright Site B
Data Collection Recommendation
During the design phase of the Wainwright wind power project, North Slope Borough may want to
consider an enhanced power plant monitoring and data collection effort to obtain average and transient
load and other data not presently available. To capture transient behavior, highly granular data (one
second or less averaging time) is most desirable. Data of this nature is valuable for the design process
and significantly reduces the risk of design errors and/or omissions resulting from unknown or
unrecognized behavior of existing system components.
Project Wind Penetration Consideration
This conceptual design report focused on four wind turbine configuration options that achieved
approximately 35 percent wind power penetration, except for the EWT DW 900, which is higher. During
design, presuming that the turbine type has been selected, North Slope Borough may want to consider
the benefits and cost implications of additional wind turbine capacity; for instance, 50 percent-plus
average wind power penetration. This evaluation can be achieved with Homer software and other
modeling tools and may yield in a more optimal and beneficial wind-diesel power system for the
community of Wainwright than the configurations presented in this report. Note, however, that
increasing wind power penetration increases system complexity; these two factors are interrelated and
cannot be uncoupled.
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | A
Appendix A – FAA’s Notice Criteria Tool, Site A
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | B
Appendix B – FAA’s Notice Criteria Tool, Site B
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | C
Appendix C – Power Grid, Wainwright
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | D
Appendix D – Proposed System One-Line Diagram
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015
Wainwright Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | E
Appendix E – Power Distribution System Expansion for Sites A and B
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 6 March 2015