To be clear, I think small distributed projects are important,
worthwhile pieces of the overall sustainable energy solution. (In fact,
my career involves developing such projects!) However, they should not
be exploited as justification against utility scale renewable energy
projects. In order to fairly compare the benefits of such projects, look
at the net CO2 reduction:
A hypothetical 40 megawatt (MW)
Vermont wind farm will generate approximately 100,000 megawatt-hours
(MWh) of carbon free energy per year. Using the Energy Information
Administration's conversion factor for CO2 per MWh on the New England
Regional grid (ref: www.eia.gov/), that equates to approximately 66,000
tons of CO2 reduction per year. This is equivalent to taking over 18,000
cars off the road.
In comparison, the Ferrisburgh 1 MW solar
farm, one of the largest projects referenced in the editorial, will
generate approximately 1100 MWh of carbon free energy per year. This
equates to 723 tons of CO2 reduction per year or just 197 cars off the
road.
Equally important on the cost side, the wind project will
cost less than 40 percent of the solar project to install on a dollar
per MW basis and will yield 60 percent cheaper energy due to the
capacity factor differences.
We are facing a global climate
crisis and every little bit of CO2 reduction is a step towards the
solution. But if we're going to have a conversation that weighs the
impacts and benefits of one type of energy project against another, we
have to use real numbers supported by real facts.
Jesse Stowell
Warren
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