Letter to Editor – resolve the Kansas transmission debate, fast
January 5, 2009
Reprinted from the Hutch News:
If you have signed a wind farm lease in southwest Kansas over the last few months or are getting ready to, or live in any community in southwest Kansas, these are things you need to know.
Kansas ranks third in the nation as far as wind resource for generating wind power is concerned.
The southwest region of the state has the best wind resource in Kansas; needless to say, our opportunities as far as generating wind power are endless.
Wind farms produce revenue, not only for themselves and landowners, but for nearby communities, counties and schools, which makes it a “win-win” situation for all of southwest Kansas.
All of these things would lead one to believe construction of wind farms would begin shortly after landowners sign leases.
That would be best for all concerned; however, at this time there are no transmission lines to connect southwest Kansas to the main power grid.
In other words, we have the wind to produce a lot of electricity but no way to get it where it needs to go.
Common sense should tell us we need to get started building these lines as soon as possible, but the decisions about who builds these lines and where are made by committees and some of our state officials.
And as usual, common sense goes out the window.
Michigan-based transmission line company ITC filed with the state some time ago to build lines through through the state, allowing substations to be built along the way for wind farms to tie into.
Then along comes Westar Energy claiming they should be allowed to build these transmission lines.
Westar Energy’s plan will take an additional two years to build and does not allow for any substations for any wind farms to tie in farther west than Medicine Lodge. In essence, it cuts off all of southwest Kansas’ wind power production.
Several recent newspaper articles have discussed the battle between these two transmission line companies, but not the ramifications.
If wind farm companies get held up in Kansas because of our failure to get transmission lines built quickly, they will go to Oklahoma where the state government waits with open arms.
Kansas’ state government has to realize the need for energy here and surrounding states is great.
If coal plants produce too much pollution, one would think wind would be the perfect alternative.
We as southwest Kansans need to do what we can to expedite the construction of lines that can be used by southwest Kansas wind farms…
RICK and PEGGY MARSHALL
Minneola
Wind markets and businesses in Kansas – Meet Entertech
January 5, 2009
From the Wichita Eagle:
Enertech fills middle turbine niche
BY CONOR SHINE
With the increase in demand for renewable energy, there has been a boom in turbine building, both big and small. With plenty of companies manufacturing large turbines and lots of options for smaller ones, Newton-based Enertech is building turbines sized somewhere in between.
Enertech specializes in midsize turbines that generate between 10 kilowatts of electricity and 1 megawatt, a range Enertech founder Dale Jones said is well suited for businesses and schools.
“It’s a very good market because there’s not a lot of players in it,” he said.
Jones entered the wind business in the 1980s working on smaller turbines, but eventually left to work on geothermal energy as tax incentives for wind energy dried up.
He re-entered the market after witnessing demand from different groups from across the state and country.
“We kept getting phone calls from people who said they wanted a wind turbine service,” he said.
To meet that demand, Jones started Enertech in 2001 to manufacture and refurbish mid-sized turbines. The company employs between 4 and 10 people at a time, Jones said.
Jones said he has “definitely seen a growth” in demand for midsize turbines and that Enertech is currently working on four to five turbine projects.
While some of the increased demand has come from a desire to be more environmentally responsible, Jones said most of the demand “boils down to pure economics.”
Economics were a big factor in the Sublette school district’s decision to purchase a 250-kilowatt turbine from Enertech to power the middle and high schools.
“As we looked into it, the numbers seemed almost too good to be true,” superintendent Rex Bruce said.
Bruce said the turbine should be installed by the end of February. He estimated it would pay for itself in energy savings after about six years and will provide most, if not all, of the schools’ electricity.
Jones said Enertech is planning to introduce two new turbine models in 2009. He also is looking into expanding Enertech’s facilities or moving to a larger location.
Jones also predicted continued growth for the wind industry.
“It’s not only of interest in Kansas and the United States,” he said. “It’s huge globally.”
