HomeMy WebLinkAboutPoint Lay Wind-Diesel Conceptual Design Report - Jan 2015 - REF Grant 7030014Point Lay Wind-Diesel Conceptual Design
Report
9 January 2015
This report prepared for
North Slope Borough
by
and
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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 Point Lay, 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
Point Lay ................................................................................................................................................. 1
Wind Resource Assessment ..................................................................................................................... 3
Met tower data synopsis ..................................................................................................................... 3
Data Recovery ..................................................................................................................................... 4
Wind Speed ......................................................................................................................................... 4
Wind Rose ........................................................................................................................................... 4
Turbulence Intensity ............................................................................................................................ 5
Cold Climate Considerations of Wind Power ........................................................................................ 6
Wind Project Sites ................................................................................................................................... 7
Site A ................................................................................................................................................... 7
Site B ................................................................................................................................................... 8
Site C ................................................................................................................................................... 9
Other Site Options ............................................................................................................................. 11
Recommended Site Option ................................................................................................................ 11
Wildlife/Avian Study .............................................................................................................................. 11
Geotechnical Report .............................................................................................................................. 12
Noise Analysis ....................................................................................................................................... 13
Permitting and Environmental Review ................................................................................................... 14
Alaska Pollution Discharge Elimination System .................................................................................. 14
US. Fish and Wildlife Service/National Marine Fisheries Service ......................................................... 14
Federal Aviation Administration ........................................................................................................ 15
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers............................................................................................................. 16
Alaska Department of Fish and Game ................................................................................................ 16
State Historic Preservation Office ...................................................................................................... 16
Wind-Diesel Hybrid System Overview .................................................................................................... 16
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Wind-diesel Design Options ............................................................................................................... 16
Low Penetration Configuration ...................................................................................................... 17
Medium Penetration Configuration ............................................................................................... 17
High Penetration Configuration ..................................................................................................... 18
Recommended Penetration Configuration ..................................................................................... 19
Wind-Diesel System Components ...................................................................................................... 19
Wind Turbine(s) ............................................................................................................................. 20
Supervisory Control System ........................................................................................................... 20
Synchronous Condenser ................................................................................................................ 20
Secondary Load ............................................................................................................................. 20
Deferrable Load ............................................................................................................................. 21
Interruptible Load .......................................................................................................................... 21
Storage Options ............................................................................................................................. 21
Wind-Diesel Philosophy ......................................................................................................................... 22
Point Lay Powerplant............................................................................................................................. 24
Switchgear ..................................................................................................................................... 24
Geospatial Perspective of Electrical Load ....................................................................................... 24
Phase Balance of Electrical Load .................................................................................................... 25
Transformers ................................................................................................................................. 25
Phase and/or Transformer Capacity Location(s) for Additional Load .............................................. 25
Condition of Distribution Lines, Transformers, Poles ...................................................................... 25
Parasitic and Other Losses ............................................................................................................. 25
Wind Turbine Options ........................................................................................................................... 26
Aeronautica AW/Siva 250 .................................................................................................................. 26
Northern Power Systems 360-39 (NPS 360-39) .................................................................................. 27
Vestas V27 ......................................................................................................................................... 28
Wind-Diesel HOMER Model ................................................................................................................... 29
Powerplant ........................................................................................................................................ 29
Caterpillar Diesel Generators ......................................................................................................... 30
Cat 3508 Recovered Heat Ratio ...................................................................................................... 30
Wind Turbines ................................................................................................................................... 31
Electric Load ...................................................................................................................................... 31
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Thermal Load..................................................................................................................................... 32
Wind Turbine Configuration Options ................................................................................................. 33
System Modeling and Technical Analysis ............................................................................................... 34
Model Results .................................................................................................................................... 35
AW/Siva 250, three (3) turbines, 40 m hub height .......................................................................... 36
Northern Power NPS 360-39, two (3) turbines, 30 m hub height .................................................... 37
Vestas V27, three (3) turbines, 32 m hub height ............................................................................ 38
Economic Analysis ................................................................................................................................. 39
Fuel Cost ........................................................................................................................................... 39
Wind Turbine Project Costs................................................................................................................ 39
Modeling Results ............................................................................................................................... 40
Data Analysis Uncertainty ...................................................................................................................... 41
Discussion ............................................................................................................................................. 41
Cost ................................................................................................................................................... 42
Reliability........................................................................................................................................... 42
Aesthetics .......................................................................................................................................... 42
Redundancy....................................................................................................................................... 42
Support ............................................................................................................................................. 43
Commonality ..................................................................................................................................... 43
Turbine Recommendation ..................................................................................................................... 43
Single Turbine Option ........................................................................................................................ 44
Wind Turbine Layout ......................................................................................................................... 45
Data Collection Recommendation ......................................................................................................... 46
Project Design Penetration Consideration ............................................................................................. 46
Appendix A – FAA’s Notice Criteria Tool, Site A ........................................................................................ A
Appendix B – FAA’s Notice Criteria Tool, Site B ........................................................................................ B
Appendix C – FAA’s Notice Criteria Tool, Site C ........................................................................................ C
Appendix D – Generator Switchgear Schematics ......................................................................................D
Appendix E – Power Grid, Point Lay ......................................................................................................... E
Appendix F – Proposed Power Distribution One-Line Diagram ................................................................. F
Appendix G – Power Distribution System Expansion for Sites A, B, or C................................................... G
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Introduction
North Slope Borough is the electric utility for the City of Point Lay. 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 to complete the conceptual design phase of the project
in anticipation of Alaska Energy Authority authorizing wind power design projects for the three
communities.
WHPacific Solutions Group 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 Point Lay 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 Point Lay wish to install wind turbines in Point Lay 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.
Point Lay
Point Lay is one of the more recently established Inupiaq
villages on the Arctic coast and has historically been
occupied year-round by a small group of one or two
families. They were joined in 1929-30 by several more
families from Point Hope. The deeply-indented shoreline
has prevented effective bowhead whaling, but the village
participates in beluga whaling. In 1974, the village moved
from the old site on a gravel barrier island just offshore.
The old village site is now used as a summer hunting
camp. Some residents of Barrow and Wainwright
relocated to Point Lay in the mid-1970s. Later that decade, due to seasonal flooding from the Kokolik
River, the village relocated again to a site near the Air Force Distance Early Warning station to the south.
Homes were relocated to the new town site.
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Point Lay is a traditional Inupiat Eskimo village, with a dependence upon subsistence activities. The sale
and importation of alcohol is banned in the village. According to Census 2010, there were 70 housing
units in the community and 60 were occupied. Its population of 189 people is 88 percent Alaska Native,
10 percent Caucasian, and 2 percent Hispanic, Pacific Islander, multi-racial and other.
Water is obtained from a lake near the community and is treated and stored in a tank. Households have
water delivered to home tanks, which allows running water for the kitchen. Electricity is provided by
North Slope Borough. There is one school located in the community, attended by 87 students. Local
hospitals or health clinics include Point Lay Clinic. Emergency Services have coastal and air access.
Emergency service is provided by 911 Telephone Service volunteers and a health aide. Auxiliary
healthcare is provided by Point Lay Volunteer Fire Dept. (907-833-2714). A public 4,500' long by 100'
wide gravel airstrip, owned by the U.S. Air Force, provides Point Lay's only year-round access. Marine
and land transportation provide seasonal access.
Most year-round employment opportunities are with the borough government. Subsistence activities
provide food sources. Seals, walrus, beluga, caribou, and fish are staples of the diet.
Note that information regarding Point Lay is drawn from the Alaska Community Database Community
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 Point Lay and area
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Google Earth image of Point Lay
Wind Resource Assessment
The wind resource measured in Point Lay is very good, measured at high wind power class 4 (good) to
low wind power class 5 (excellent). In addition to strong average wind speed and wind power density,
the site experiences highly directional prevailing winds and low turbulence.
A thirty meter NRG met tower was supplied to the Point Lay’s Cully Corporation in 2006 by the National
Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) under their anemometer loan program. A number of details of
the project are not known, including the rationale for choosing the test site, but the location of the
tower is desirable for a wind resource assessment as it is well away from obstructions such as buildings
and well exposed to winds from all directions. Although data collection in 2006 and 2007 was slightly
short of twelve months, the met tower was returned to operational status in June 2011, enabling
additional data collection to strengthen the earlier data set.
Met tower data synopsis
Data dates October 5, 2006 to September 11, 2007
Wind power class High 4 (good) to low 5 (excellent)
Power density mean, 30 meters 403 W/m2
Wind speed mean, 30 meters 6.63 m/s
Weibull distribution parameters k = 1.74, c = 7.44 m/s
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Wind shear power law exponent 0.142 (moderate), June to September data only
Roughness class 0.54 (snow surface), June to September only
IEC 61400-1, 3rd ed. classification Class III-c (likely, based on nearby Wainwright data)
Turbulence intensity, mean 0.072 (at 15 m/s)
Calm wind frequency 23% (less than 3.5 m/s)
Data Recovery
Specific sensor data recovery problems typical of Alaska met tower operations, such as freezing rain,
hoarfrost, and rime icing, likely occurred to some extent during the nearly one year met tower study in
Point Lay, but original data was not available, other than in an Excel file with data from June 7 through
September 11, 2007. Although this three month data set could be reviewed for data loss typically due
to atmospheric icing conditions, such weather does not occur during the months of June, July, August
and (early) September. All met tower data (including that not included in the Excel file download of
original data) is summarized in several WindPRO software reports prepared by the National Renewable
Energy Laboratory.
Wind Speed
Wind data collected from the met tower and summarized in the NREL WindPRO reports, from the
perspective of both mean wind speed and mean power density, indicates an excellent wind resource.
Note that temperature data was not included in the analysis of power density. Given the extremely cold
temperatures, and hence high air densities, of Point Lay, true wind power density will be higher yet,
categorizing Point Lay more solidly as wind power class 5. For purposes of analysis, wind data monthly
wind speed summaries contained in the 30 meter WindPRO report, along with other statistical data
gleaned from the three-month Excel data, was used to synthesize a virtual data set. This enabled certain
mathematic and graphical analyses not contained in the WindPRO reports.
Wind speed profile (30 meter height)
Wind Rose
Wind frequency rose data (from NREL’s WindPRO report) indicates highly directional winds from
northeast to east-northeast. Although the NREL report did not show a power density rose, Wainwright
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data confirms the Point Lay directional frequency and indicates that power winds are nearly exclusively
northeast to east-northeast, which presumably is representative of Point Lay.
Wind frequency rose
Turbulence Intensity
From the NREL report, turbulence intensity at the Point Lay 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 graphs
The complete V3 Energy, LLC wind resource assessment report of Point Lay is forwarded with this
conceptual design report.
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Cold Climate Considerations of Wind Power
Point Lay’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 Point Lay, 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
Point Lay 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 Point Lay’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.
SLD ice on an airplane
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Wind Project Sites
North Slope Borough requested that two wind turbine sites be identified in Point Lay. On June 24, 2011,
Ross Klooster of WHPacific, Doug Vaught of V3 Energy LLC, and Max Ahgeak of North Slope Borough
Public Works Dept. traveled to Point Lay and met with City of Point Lay and Cully Corporation
representatives to discuss 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 Cully
Corporation land were chosen, identified as Site A and Site B in the Google Earth image below. The Cully
Corporation owns much of the land surrounding Point Lay and has championed wind power in Point Lay
for a number of years, including working with NREL in 2006 for the met tower that measured the local
wind resource.
A new site option – Site C – has recently been identified as a possible alternative to Sites A and B. This
site is south of the community landfill about 3.6 km (2.2 mi) straight-line distance from the Point Lay.
Point Lay wind power site options, Google Earth image
Site A
Site A is located on a low, well-exposed north-south trending hill immediately north of the village and
immediately south of the mouth of the Kokolik River. Site A presents a number of positive features for a
wind power site including clear exposure to winds from all directions, relative proximity to existing
three-phase power distribution, and dry tundra. The FAA notice criteria tool indicates possible
navigation signal interference (refer to Appendix A), but this is a resolvable problem as FAA made a
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Determination of No Hazard for wind turbines up to 195 ft. (60 meters) above ground level in a 2011
analysis.
Less desirable features of Site A include its proximity to Point Lay residences, its near-parallel orientation
with prevailing winds which increases spacing requirements and limits future expansion, and avian
concerns with nearness to the Kokolik River. Additionally, development of wind power at Site A
precludes residential development along this ridge, which appears to be the natural direction of future
housing expansion for the village.
Point Lay Site A (view to east)
Site B
Site B is located in a well exposed area south of the village between the village and the airport. Positive
features of Site B for wind power development are that it is on the “industrial” side of Point Lay, has
good wind exposure in all directions, is very near existing three-phase power distribution, and would
require minimal access improvements.
Less desirable features of Site B include possible restricted hub height due to proximity to the airport
and possible navigation signal interference, although the latter likely is resolvable (refer to Appendix B),
and possible site size constraint (when considering only land west of the airport-village access road)
which may restrict future wind power expansion. Another potentially undesirable aspect of Site B given
its location near south of the community is possible turbine rotor blade sun shadow flicker during
certain times of the year. A flicker analysis would be required to determine the extent of this potential
problem.
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Point Lay Site B (view to east)
Site C
Site C on a moderately-sized plateau of higher ground immediately south of the community landfill.
Positive features of Site C for wind power development is that it is quite far from the community hence
presents much less visual and noise impact as Sites A and B, it has good wind exposure from all
directions, is relatively dry, is quite large for future expansion, and likely presents less avian concerns
than nearer the lagoon and Kokolik River.
Drawbacks of Site C are its distance from existing electrical distribution, U.S. military and Arctic Slope
Regional Corporation land ownership boundaries at the site that would require negotiation to enable
development, and possible airport navigation signal interference (refer to Appendix C), although the
latter issue likely is resolvable.
Of special concern with Site C is Point Lay’s low 4,160 V distribution system voltage. Two NPS 360-39
wind turbines generating a peak 720 kVA of power will result in a 100 amp current. With line
impedance, a 260 V voltage drop from the turbine site to the village is anticipated. This exceeds that
which can be supported by the wind turbines, and hence corrective measures would be necessary.
Three possible options, all costing approximately $100,000,are:
1. Install a voltage regulator in the distribution system near the village
2. Near the village distribution system connection point, install a small substation in the wind
turbine power line to increase the line voltage to 12,470 V. This would reduce voltage drop to
3%, which could be eliminated by transformer tap adjustment.
3. Install a booster transformer, which would compensate for the voltage drop.
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Point Lay Site C (view to northwest)
Point Lay wind turbine site options table
Site Advantages Disadvantages
A Cully Corp. land
Site large enough to
accommodate several turbines
Dry site; likely good geotech
conditions
Relatively unrestricted turbine
height
Short road and distribution line
required
Natural direction of village
expansion
Turbines will be in view and
possible auditory range of village
residents
Possible avian conflicts with near
proximity to mouth of the Kokolik
River
Somewhat limited space for future
expansion
B Cully Corp. land
Short road and distribution line
required
Location is on the “industrial” side
of the village with reduced
viewshed and possible fewer noise
issues
Relatively dry site; likely good
geotech conditions
Proximity to the airport; possible
navigation signal interference;
possible height restrictions
Somewhat limited space for future
expansion
Possible turbine flicker (shadow
from moving blades) with low-
angle sun
Site is immediately downwind of
the village with prevailing NE wind
direction
C Arctic Slope Regional Corp. land
(partial)
Minimal visual and noise issues
due to distance from community
Up to 3.5 km (2.2 mi) of new
distribution line required;
additional line requires 3-phase
upgrade
Portions of new distribution near
runway likely must be buried to
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Short road extension (from
landfill) required
Large area, lots of room for future
expansion
Relatively dry site; likely good
geotech conditions
not interfere with ILS approach
minimums
Mitigation necessary to minimize
voltage drop from turbine site to
village
Site was not discussed during July,
2011 site selection visit
Site option was not addressed in
ABR, Inc. avian study
Transfer of/easement through
U.S. military land may be required
Other Site Options
Other than variations of Sites A, B, and C, the only other possible area for wind turbines in Point Lay is
the terrain east of the village near the water supply lagoon. Although expansive and easily large enough
to contain many wind turbines, it is characterized by very marshy and wet conditions which would
require considerable fill material for construction. Additionally, alignment of the airport runway
precludes high constructed obstructions, such as wind turbines, unless they are quite distant. For this
reason, WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC do not consider terrain east of Point Lay to be
practical for wind power development.
Recommended Site Option
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC recommend Site C as the preferred site option for a wind
power project in Point Lay, presuming a satisfactory FAA obstruction determination. Although Site C
would be the most expensive site option to develop, the non-resolvable disadvantages of Sites A and B
weigh against them, comparatively.
It should be noted, however, that the Site C option has not been presented to Arctic Slope Regional
Corporation representatives and the residents of Point Lay and possibly there are problems and/or
objections to this site that WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC are not yet aware of.
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 land cover map products to prepare generalized land cover 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
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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 3 villages.
In Point Lay, the 2 sites are located close to one another. Site A is surrounded by water bodies that often
are attractive to birds, and their corresponding use of these habitats is evident in the flight patterns
recorded in the spring. Birds move from Kasegaluk Lagoon eastward up the Kokolik River and nest in the
drained-lake basin on the western side of the site. Site B also is located near Kasegaluk Lagoon, but
much of the area around it already is occupied by village structures. The proximity of Site B to the
airstrip may be a navigation hazard for aircraft, but it also reduces the availability of preferred wildlife
habitat because so much of the area consists of existing roads and gravel pads. Based on an evaluation
of the habitat at both locations and the recorded bird movements at Site A (but not Site B), we may
expect Site B to have fewer avian issues with the proposed development.
The reader is cautioned to note that the ABR report is complex and that the preceding paragraphs do
not adequately summarize ABR’s conclusions; they are included in this CDR for reference only. The
reader is strongly encouraged to consult the ABR report for a complete understanding of the plant and
wildlife species of concern and potential impacts of a wind study in Point Lay.
The complete ABR, Inc. site characterization and avian field study report of the proposed Point Lay 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 Point Lay: Point Lay is on the coast of the Chukchi Sea,
situated on ice-rich soils between a beach ridge and a lagoon. The lagoon and barrier beach protect the
village from direct ocean current erosion, but some bank deterioration, aided by thermal erosion, is
occurring. Point Lay lies within the Arctic Coastal Plain physiographic province, which is typified by
gently topography, ice-bonded permafrost soils, wet tundra, oriented thaw lakes, and meandering
stream channels.
The tundra plain in the Point Lay area has little relief, and surficial drainage is poorly defined. A low hill
near the northern end of the village provides minimal surface drainage, but water ponding is common
between the gravel pads in several parts of town. Drifting snow is a continuous problem throughout
the winter months and snow storage at the edge of gravel pads contributes to the standing water in
the spring and early summer.
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The village has been built directly on the tundra. Some smaller structures are built on at-grade sills on
a gravel fill pad but most buildings are pile supported. A 2 foot to 4 foot gravel overlay is commonly
used for roadways, parking and staging areas.
The soils underlying Point Lay are very icy. The surficial organic mat of live moss and peat is underlain by
organic silt with high ice contents. Below about 10 feet the brown organic silt is interbedded with gray
silt with sand and fine gravel, probably of estuarine origin. Old beach deposits of sand and sandy gravel
are present at depths below an average of about 15 feet, but as shallow as about 10 feet in some areas.
The coarse granular material is well rounded and may contain saline pore water.
Massive ice with silt inclusions is common in association with the organic silt, and generally is observed
in the upper 10 feet. The coarse-grained deposits contain some interstitial ice; however, massive ice is
uncommon.
Two sites for the wind turbine have been identified in Point Lay. Site "A" is on the north end of the
community, while the Site "B" is on a bluff to the southwest of the community. Both sites appear to be
located on relatively undisturbed tundra. Subsurface conditions are similar in most areas of the village,
and are typified by icy soils with massive ice underlying much of the area. Beneath icy fine-grained soils,
coarse grained beach deposits are observed generally from 15 feet below ground surface. Elevated pore
water salinity contents have been measured in samples near the 20 foot depth, however typically range
between 1 and 10 ppt. Pore water salinities on the order of 100 ppt have been reported in the village.
Active layer thickness is likely within the range of 1 foot to 3 feet. The proximity of the wind turbine sites
to landforms and topography that may encourage snow drifting may increase the thickness of the active
layer and may also result in relatively warmer ground temperatures beneath the sites.
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 Point Lay 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
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time). This work was documented in a report titled: Noise Analysis Memorandum, Point Lay Wind Farm,
dated March 6, 2012.
The noise analysis memorandum summary stated: This project will install a wind turbine generator farm
outside of Point Lay Alaska. The project proposed to use one Vestas V47, three Vestas V27’s, or one
Fuhrländer 600 wind generator(s). The wind turbine nearest to the southern edge of town will be
located approximately 3800 feet to the south. 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 29 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 the Point Lay wind farm 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
area. A discussion with the USFWS will be initiated, and at a minimum, a letter and a map will be sent
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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 15
th 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.
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.
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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.
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.
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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.
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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
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.
Categoriesofwind-diesel penetrationlevels
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
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Penetration
Category
Wind Penetration Level
OperatingCharacteristicsandSystem RequirementsInstantaneous Average
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 all world-wide designers 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
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)
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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 Point
Lay 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.
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 Point Lay 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
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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
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.
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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
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 to meets their needs.
The purpose of this conceptual design report is to introduce and discuss the viability of wind power in
Point Lay. 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 Point Lay residents ultimately will
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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 Point
Lay 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 700 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. 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.
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 Point Lay.
Installing approximately 500 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 Point Lay 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 Point Lay will provide benefits that are not
easily captured by economic modeling. These are the externalities of economics that are widely
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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 Point Lay’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 Point Lay that is in the vanguard of risk from climate
change due to global warming.
Point Lay Powerplant
Electric power (comprised of the diesel power plant and the electric power distribution system) in Point
Lay 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. A new power plant in Point Lay, which became
operational in July 2013 consists of four Caterpillar 3508C diesel generators, each rated at 600 kW
output. North Slope Borough documentation has not yet been updated to indicate efficiency of the new
power plant.
Point Lay powerplant diesel generators and bays
Genset Rated Capacity Model Installed New
1 600 kW Caterpillar 3508C 2013
2 600 kW Caterpillar 3508C 2013
3 600 kW Caterpillar 3508C 2013
4 600 kW Caterpillar 3508C 2013
Switchgear
With its new powerhouse, Point Lay has new switchgear using Allen Bradley PLC Device Net which
interfaces devices via RS485 and 10/100 Ethernet. Refer to Appendix D for the Point Lay generator
switchgear schematics.
Geospatial Perspective of Electrical Load
The new powerplant is located in a new building located in the southeast corner of the village. Power is
distributed via two 480 volt distribution feeders, supplied by two 1,600 amp circuit breakers from the
common powerplant switchgear bus. The 480 V distribution feeders supply two 1.0 MVA main three-
phase, pad-mounted, transformers located adjacent to the east side of the power plant. The main
transformers transform the 480 V generated power to 4,160Y/2,400 V distributed power. Distributed
power from each main transformer is supplied on the east side of the power plant to an overhead,
three-phase power line to each aerial distribution feeder through pole-mounted cutout fuses. Refer to
Appendix E for the Point Lay power distribution grid schematic.
A group-operated, pole-mounted, air-break switch maintained in a normally open position is located on
a pole between the two overhead village feeder power line connections. This switch can be closed in an
emergency to allow the entire village to be fed from one distribution transformer in the event of failure
of a feeder circuit breaker, main transformer or underground feeder. In the event of failures or faults in
overhead power lines, seven additional three-phase, group-operated, pole-mounted switches can be
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operated either open or closed to connect or disconnect portions of one feeder to the adjacent feeder,
or to isolate portions of the power grid.
4,160Y/2,400 volt power in the west feeder supplies west village electrical services, including airport
lighting and navigation, USAF Hangar, old White Alice Site facilities, Kali School, water treatment plant,
waste water treatment plant, health clinic, washeteria, police department, fire station, store and other
commercial and west village residential loads. The east feeder supplies power to the fuel station, SKW
shop facilities, and east village residential loads. At present, the west distribution feeder supplies a
significantly greater electrical load than the east distribution feeder. As configured, wind turbines at Site
A would connect to the west distribution feeder, while wind turbines at sites B or C would connect to
the east distribution feeder.
Phase Balance of Electrical Load
At the present time WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC do not have phase balance
information of the Point Lay power system. Although the phases are presumed to be in balance, this
will be examined during the design phase of the project.
Transformers
The main transformers, serving each feeder at the power plant, are conservatively sized. 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 of 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 #2 ACSR. At some point, NSB may upgrade distribution to 1/0 AAAC to increase conductor strength
for snow and ice loading and to prevent problems related to electrolysis corrosion in Point Lay’s salt air
environment, but this is not scheduled at present.
Condition of Distribution Lines, Transformers, Poles
North Slope Borough villages generally have some of the better maintained power systems in rural
Alaska. The original power poles in Point Lay 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.
Parasitic and Other Losses
As documented in the 2013 PCE Report, distribution line loss in Point Lay for fiscal year 2013 was 2.0%
and powerhouse consumption was a very high 11.6%, yielding a rather low 86.4% ratio of sold vs.
generated energy. Recorded powerhouse consumption was also quite high (10.1%) in fiscal year 2012
and hence indicative of a potential problem with billing and/or recordkeeping, but this may instead be
related to construction of the new powerhouse. 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.
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Wind Turbine Options
Turbine choice was oriented toward turbines that are large enough to match well with Point Lay’s
electrical load and wind penetration goals. Turbines that meet these criteria are generally in the 100 to
500 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, three wind turbines are considered:
1. Aeronautica AW/Siva 250: 250 kW rated output; new
2. Northern Power Systems 360-39-30: 360 kW rated output; new
3. 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 Point Hope, the 30 meter version likely would be most 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.
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AW/Siva 250 specifications:
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 setpoint-controllable power
converter used to connect the permanent magnet generator output to the local power system.
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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.
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 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 30, 40, and 50 meter tubular steel
towers. The 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
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 9 January 2015
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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 (big brother of the V27) 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.
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 North
Slope Borough’s desire to operate a highly stable and reliable electrical utility in Point Lay, 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 Point Lay.
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 Point Lay, appropriate wind turbines for medium wind penetration are generally in
the 100 to 300 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
In July 2013, Point Lay retired use of their former powerplant, which had been equipped with five
Caterpillar 3406B diesel generators and one Caterpillar 3412 diesel generator and began use of their
new powerplant, equipped with four 600 kW Caterpillar 3508C diesel generators.
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 9 January 2015
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Diesel generator HOMER modeling information
Diesel generator Cat 3508C
Power output (kW)600
Intercept coeff. (L/hr/kW rated)0.0237
Slope (L/hr/kW output) 0.2377
Minimum electric
load (%)
15.0%
(90 kW)
Heat recovery ratio (% of generator waste
heat energy available to serve the thermal
load; when modeled)
35
Notes: Intercept coefficient – the no-load fuel consumption of the generator divided by its capacity
Slope – the marginal fuel consumption of the generator
Caterpillar Diesel Generators
The graphs below illustrate fuel usage and electrical efficiency curves of the Caterpillar 3508 diesel
generator used in Homer modeling (Cat 3508 fuel usage information obtained from Alaska Energy
Authority). 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. This is
somewhat of a moot point for modeling Point Lay in that all four diesel generators are identical and
hence of equal fuel efficiency. Also note that Homer was programmed to allow parallel diesel generator
operation, which is verfied on review of North Slope Borough’s Point Lay power plant logs.
Cat 3508 fuel curve Cat 3508 electrical energy efficiency curve
Cat 3508 Recovered Heat Ratio
The 35 percent heat recovery potential of the Cat 3508 generator was assumed to be equivalent to that
of the Cat 3512 generators in use in Point Hope. This information was derived from technical data
supplied by NC Power Systems for the Cat 3512. 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,
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%.
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Cat 3512 heat recovery table (used as stand-in for Cat 3508)
Wind Turbines
Wind turbine options for Point Lay 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 Point Lay 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.
Aeronautica AW/Siva 250 power curve Northern NPS 360-39 power curve
Vestas V27 power curve
Electric Load
For modeling purposes with Homer software, the Point Lay electric load was derived from calendar year
2013 Point Lay and Point Hope powerplant data forwarded to V3 Energy, LLC by North Slope Borough in
an Excel spreadsheet entitled 2013_Point_Lay_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 Point Lay load profile for 2013.
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
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Completion of the Point Lay powerplant logs was spotty however and data is entirely missing for July
through December. With these limitations 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 59 percent to match Point Lay’s energy usage for the Homer model. This is reasonable as
seasonal and diurnal variation are likely to be similar between the villages with the primary difference
being the magnitude of usage.
Point Lay electric load
For Homer input, load data is organized into 8,760 lines, representing 24 hours per day, 365 days per
year. In a number of instances diesel generator power (load) data was missing from the data set. In
these cases, missing data interpolated with reference to data before and after the blank sections.
Thermal Load
The new Point Lay powerplant is equipped with a heat recovery system to extract jacket water waste
heat from the diesel generators and supply it thermal loads, but unfortunately system potential is
significantly underutilized at present. RSA Engineering recently indicated to WHPacific that only the
wastewater treatment plant is connected to the recovered heat loop and temperature drop between
supply and return is well below system design potential. RSA Engineering noted that the recovered heat
system was installed with flanges for the school and public works building, but at present they are not
connected. It should be noted, however, that the school is located approximately 1,500 ft. from the
powerplant, and supplying jacket water recovered heat this distance may be less efficient than installing
a remote node electric boiler directly in the school’s hydronic heat system. In any event, a medium-to-
high penetration wind-diesel system requires substantial thermal load demand to make use of excess
instantaneous wind energy, hence options to connect the school and public works building will be
investigated during the design phase of this project.
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Wind Turbine Configuration Options
Discussions between WHPacific Solutions Group, V3 Energy, LLC and North Slope Borough to date have
indicated that the borough’s goals with a wind-diesel system in Point Lay is to offset a high 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 NPS 360, 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 as additional
cost to the project.
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.
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. With this guideline in mind, and 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)
Northern Power NPS 360-39, two turbines (720 kW capacity)
Vestas V27, three turbines (675 kW capacity)
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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 Point Lay
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 energy modeling software was used to analyze the Point Lay power generation system. HOMER
was designed to analyze hybrid power systems that contain a mix of 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 F.
Modeled wind-diesel configurations
Turbine
No.
Turbines
Installed
kW Tower Type
Hub Height
(meters)
AW/Siva 250 3 750 Monopole 40
NPS 360-39 2 720 Monopole 30
Vestas V27 3 675 Monopole 32
Modeling assumes that wind turbines constructed in Point Lay 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 diesel generator jacket water heat recovery system and is
modeled as such in the technical analysis of this report (although not in the economic analysis).
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 9 January 2015
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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 this
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 14.0 kWh/gal (Homer output)
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 6.63 m/s at 30 m level at met tower site; wind speed scaled
to 6.14 m/s for 85% turbine net AEP
Density adjustment Density not adjusted
Energy Loads
Electric 10,963 kWh/day mean annual electrical load
Thermal Not documented
Fuel oil boiler efficiency 85%
Electric boiler efficiency 100%
Model Results
The wind resource at Sites B and C is presumed to be identical to that measured at the met tower site.
Site A may have a wind resource slightly better than measured by the met tower due to its higher
elevation and likely lower wind shear. Note that turbine energy production is 85 percent net.
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 9 January 2015
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AW/Siva 250, three (3) turbines, 40 m hub height
This configuration models three AW/Siva 250 kW wind turbines at Point Lay Site C at a 40 meter hub
height and generating 85 percent of maximum annual energy production.
Energy table, three AW/Siva 250’s, 85% net AEP
Chart, four AW/Siva 250’s
-
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Electric Load kWh Turbine Energy kWh Excess Energy to Thermal kWh
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Northern Power NPS 360-39, two (3) turbines, 30 m hub height
This configuration models two Northern Power Systems NPS 360-39 wind turbines at Point Lay Site C 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
Chart, two NPS 360-39’s
-
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Electric Load kWh Turbine Energy kWh Excess Energy to Thermal kWh
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Vestas V27, three (3) turbines, 32 m hub height
This configuration models three Vestas V27 wind turbines at Point Lay Site A or Site B at a 32 meter hub
height and generating 85 percent of maximum annual energy production.
Energy table, three V27’s, 85% net AEP
Chart, three V27’s
Month
Electric
Load
Turbine
Energy
Energy
Generated
Turbine
Energy to
E. Load
Wind
Penetra-
tion
Excess
Energy to
Thermal
Excess
Energy to
Thermal
kWh kWh kWh kWh % kWh %
1 377,988 171,029 416,781 132,236 41.0% 38,794 7.3%
2 339,332 174,977 383,084 131,225 45.7% 43,753 9.2%
3 358,920 110,015 377,626 91,308 29.1% 18,706 3.6%
4 342,230 172,843 385,182 129,891 44.9% 42,952 8.5%
5 323,109 63,526 330,411 56,224 19.2% 7,302 1.6%
6 285,080 110,679 312,059 83,700 35.5% 26,979 6.0%
7 300,646 86,519 315,986 71,179 27.4% 15,340 3.3%
8 315,339 89,799 330,235 74,902 27.2% 14,897 3.2%
9 307,730 75,981 319,098 64,613 23.8% 11,368 2.6%
10 335,032 158,762 373,779 120,015 42.5% 38,747 7.6%
11 353,490 145,812 384,935 114,367 37.9% 31,445 6.2%
12 362,604 143,341 395,167 110,779 36.3% 32,562 6.2%
Annual 4,001,500 1,503,283 4,324,344 1,180,439 34.8% 322,844 5.4%
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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 Point Lay 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 $6.13/gallon ($1.62/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, 2013 and the 2013_06_R7Prototype_final_07012013
Excel spreadsheet, also written by ISER. The $6.13/gallon price reflects the average value of all fuel
prices between the 2015 (the assumed project start year) fuel price of $5.17/gallon and the 2034 (20
year project end year) fuel price of $7.28/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 Point Lay reported to Regulatory Commission of Alaska for the 2013
PCE report is $3.96/gallon ($1.05/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
2013 Point Lay fuel price was $4.36/gallon ($1.15/Liter).
Heating fuel displacement by excess energy diverted to thermal loads is valued at $7.18/gallon
($1.90/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 $5.17 $7.28 $6.13 $1.62
Heating Oil $6.22 $8.33
$7.18 $1.90
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.
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 9 January 2015
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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)
$6.13/gal ($1.62/Liter)
Fuel Properties (no. 1 diesel to serve
thermal loads)
Price (20 year average; ISER 2013,
medium projection plus social cost of
carbon)
$7.18/gal ($1.90/Liter)
Diesel Generators
Generator capital cost $0 (already installed)
O&M cost $0.02/kWh (ISER spreadsheet assumption)
Efficiency 14.0 kWh/gal (Homer calculation)
Wind Turbines
Net capacity factor 85% (adjusted by reducing mean wind speed in Homer
software)
O&M cost $0.049/kWh (ISER spreadsheet assumption)
Wind Turbine Costs
Modeling Results
Economic benefit-to-cost is shown by the ISER method which does not account for heat loss from the
diesel engines due to reduced loading and subsequent impact on heating fuel usage to serve the
thermal loads. ISER cost modeling assumptions are noted above or are discussed in the
2013_06_R7Prototype_final_07012013 Excel spreadsheet. Net annual energy production of the wind
turbines was assumed at 85 percent to reflect production losses due to operations and maintenance
down time, icing loss, wake loss, hysteresis, etc.
Config-
uration
No.
Turbs Turbine Freight Install Civil
Distribu-
tion
Power-
plant
Project
Cost Cost/kW
AW 250 3 750 1.90 0.70 2.00 1.40 0.75 0.30 7.05 9,400$
NPS 360 2 720 1.50 0.70 1.80 1.30 0.75 0.30 6.35 8,800$
V27 3 675 0.90 0.50 2.00 1.40 0.75 0.30 5.85 8,700$
Wind
Capacity
(kW)
Estimated Cost (in $ millions)
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Economic comparison table of Point Lay wind turbine options
Data Analysis Uncertainty
There are a number of concern and potential problems with data used for modeling in this report. Chief
among them is that the Point Lay powerplant data are manually-collected log readings, not computer-
calculated average power per hour as one might conclude by reviewing North Slope Borough’s
2013_Point_Lay_PPOR file. Further, one half year of the 2013 powerplant logs were missing. 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 in Point Hope (used as a reference load for Point Lay) 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 in Point Lay is not documented and is not quantified in this report. Thermal loads in
other North Slope Borough communities are reasonably well documented and can be used as reference
for Point Lay, but that data is four years old. Additionally, the RSA Engineering report, the source
document of thermal loads for other Borough villages, 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 much higher wind penetrations where thermal offset would be considerably larger than
modeled.
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 configurations considered 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
Config-
uration
Project
Cost
NPV
Benefits
NPV
Costs
B/C
ratio
AW 250 750 7.05 7.91 6.26 1.26 95,100 9,800 101,000
NPS 360 720 6.35 8.39 5.64 1.49 95,100 11,600 106,700
V27 675 5.85 7.24 5.20 1.39 84,300 8,300 92,600
Diesel
Fuel
Saved
(gal/yr)
Heat Oil
Saved
(gal/yr)
Petroleum
Fuel
Saved
(gal/yr)
(in $ millions)
Wind
Turbine
Capacity
(kW)
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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 has matured such that one may be assured that wind turbines are controllable when
operating in Point Lay in a medium penetration/non-storage mode.
With these issues in mind, the primary deciding factors for selection of wind turbine(s) for Point Lay will
be cost, 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 three turbine options exhibit beneficial economic potential for
North Slope Borough and the community of Point Lay.
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. Point Lay 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, Point Lay residents must collectively agree on the project site and on the aesthetic
impact of wind turbines in their community. Simply put, wind turbines will have a visual impact in Point
Lay and will easily be the highest and most dominating structure(s) for miles around. Which is
preferable: one or two larger turbines or an array of several smaller turbines? This is a difficult question
for most people to answer in the abstract because one must mentally imagine wind turbines at Site C (or
the other sites) where at present the landscape is flat, bare and nearly featureless. Software modeling
that superimposes virtual wind turbine(s) onto the Google Earth image of Point Hope may prove
beneficial for the discussion.
Redundancy
A single wind turbine would be redundant in the sense that diesel generation will continue to function
to 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 itself. Should a
single installation wind turbine be out of service for an extended period of time, no wind energy would
be generated during the outage.
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Support
Manufacturer warranty and support will be a primary consideration of North Slope Borough given its
responsibility as electrical utility for Point Lay. 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 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, site dimensions, 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 cost-wise to install a turbine(s) from
one manufacturer in one village or more villages and turbine(s) from a different manufacturer in the
other villages.
Turbine Recommendation
A number of factors presented in the discussion section above are the province of North Slope Borough
and/or the community of Point Lay to decide, such as aesthetic considerations and confidence in
manufacturer guarantees and proffered support. These factors and others will influence the turbine
configuration decision for the design phase of the project. Nevertheless, and with these issues in mind,
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC recommends the configuration of two Northern Power
Systems NPS 360-39 wind turbines (with the possibility of additional turbines in the future) as the
preferred option for wind power development in Point Lay.
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy recommend a configuration of three 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:
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 9 January 2015
Point Lay Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 44
Cost – Preliminary cost modeling indicates that the NPS 360-39 and V27 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 approx. 35 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 Point Lay. As a general rule, 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 – The 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
three 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
Lay, Point Hope, Wainwright and Kaktovik (North Slope Borough’s companion wind power
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
This conceptual design report focused on medium penetration options to provide approximately one-
third of Point Lay’s electrical load demand with wind power. Should higher wind penetration be
contemplated and should NSB be amenable to a single turbine configuration, the EWT DW 900 wind
turbine is an excellent option.
The EWT 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 can be found on EWT’s website: http://www.ewtdirectwind.com/. The turbine boasts a track
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 9 January 2015
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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 Point Lay, the 54
meter rotor version likely would be most optimal and should Site C be developed, a higher hub height of
50 or 75 meters can be considered.
It should be noted that as with the NPS 360-39, the EWT DW 54-900 can be setpoint controlled to limit
maximum power output; for the EWT to as low as 250 kW. This is accomplished by pitching the rotor
blades to achieve less than optimal power production.
Recommending a EWT 900 for Point Lay, however, even if operated in a permanent setpoint-controlled
manner to reduce wind penetration, would counter the values of redundancy and commonality
expressed above. WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy believe that North Slope Borough would be
better served with redundant wind turbine capacity in their project communities, but 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.
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy considers commonality of wind turbines for all four planned
wind power projects (Point Hope, Point Lay, Wainwright, and Kaktovik) 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 for their fleet, the EWT DW 900
may be an excellent choice for Point Lay.
Wind Turbine Layout
Site C boundaries indicate ownership by both the U.S. military, presumably the Air Force, and Arctic
Slope Regional Corporation. It is presumed that the Air Force would consider transfer of land ownership
to corporate or borough control to support a wind project, but lacking that, Arctic Slope Regional Corp.
land boundaries appear sufficient to support wind development at the site. The image below shows two
Northern Power Systems NPS 360-39 wind turbines in a northwest-to-southeast alignment with five
rotor diameter (approximately 200 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 G for drawings of the existing electrical distribution system and necessary expansion
to connect wind turbines located at Site C. As indicated, approximately 3.5 km (2.2 miles) of new 4,160
V distribution is required. Should wind turbines be located at Sites A or B, much shorter new
distribution would be required.
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 9 January 2015
Point Lay Conceptual Design Report, rev. 3 P a g e | 46
Proposed NPS 360-39 turbine layout, Site C
Data Collection Recommendation
Prior to or at least during the design phase of the Point Lay wind power project, North Slope Borough is
strongly encouraged to implement 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
extremely 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 Design Penetration Consideration
This conceptual design report focused on four wind turbine configuration options that achieved
approximately 35 percent wind power penetration. During design, presuming that the turbine type has
been selected, North Slope Borough is encouraged to consider the benefits and cost implications of
additional wind turbine capacity; for instance, 50 percent and higher average wind power penetration.
This evaluation can be achieved with Homer software and other modeling tools and may reveal a more
optimal and beneficial wind-diesel power system for the community of Point Lay than the configurations
presented in this report. Higher wind penetration though requires greater system complexity and
control; these factors are inter-mutual and cannot be de-linked. But, high penetration yields the
greatest benefit of wind power and North Slope Borough may want to examine and consider this option
carefully before committing to a design objective.
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 9 January 2015
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Appendix A – FAA’s Notice Criteria Tool, Site A
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 9 January 2015
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Appendix B – FAA’s Notice Criteria Tool, Site B
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Appendix C – FAA’s Notice Criteria Tool, Site C
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Appendix D – Generator Switchgear Schematics
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Appendix E – Power Grid, Point Lay
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Appendix F – Proposed Power Distribution One-Line Diagram
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Appendix G – Power Distribution System Expansion for Sites A, B, or C
WHPacific Solutions Group and V3 Energy, LLC 9 January 2015