Wyden says military to allow $2B Oregon wind farm

[stevedeshazer]

http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20100501/UPDATE/100430041

PORTLAND, Ore. — Construction of what could become the largest wind farm in the world can begin in eastern Oregon after the Air Force said it will no longer block the $2 billion project over concerns about radar interference.
Oregon Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley joined U.S. Rep. Greg Walden on Friday to announce construction of the Shepherds Flat wind farm project can begin on schedule in May.

Plans call for building 338 wind turbines on 32,000 acres in remote areas of Gilliam and Morrow counties.

The project is expected to bring more than 700 construction jobs to Oregon and create a clean renewable energy system capable of generating 845 megawatts of power, the equivalent of a nuclear plant.

“It’s a huge, huge win for the cause of green energy in our state,” Wyden said.

more @ link

[grantcart]

1. great

[FightingIrish]

2. "the equivalent of a nuclear plant"

and we'll never have to worry about a toxic wind spill. Once we get wave power up and running, maybe we can wean ourselves from the coal fired plants feeding power to Oregon now.

[jpak]

3. 3...2...1....

:hide:

[stevedeshazer]

4. Ironically, the site of the new wind farm is near the Boardman coal-fired energy plant.

PGE has announced plans to close it by 2020, about ten years too late as it is the largest single source of greenhouse gases in the northwest.

[AmericaIsGreat]

5. Damn

That's a hell of a wind project; very impressive. More like this!!

[stevedeshazer]

6. These are more photogenic than cooling towers and smokestacks.

[Statistical]

7. I thought wind was SSSSSOOOOOOO much cheaper than nuclear?

Wind Farm:
845 MW @ 26% capacity factor = 1.19 billion kWh annually

Nuclear reactor:
1200 MW @ 92% capacity factor = 9.67 billion kWh annually

Thus it would take roughly 5 of these wind farms to produce same amount of energy as a single GenIII+ nuclear reactor.

$2 billion x 5 = $10 billion for wind farm.
$7 billion x 1 = $7 billion for nuclear reactor.

So how is it that for some people $10 billion is cheap for wind but $7 billion is uneconomical for nuclear yet they produce the same amount of energy?

Of course that also ignores the fact that the wind turbines will last 20 years and a nuclear reactor will last 60.