The Spanish wind park consists of 9 wind turbines located at the Spanish Fork Canyon as the name suggests. Each of the turbine has a capacity to produce 2.1MW thus putting the total production at 18.9MW. The wind park is adjacent to the “Fingerhut Warehouse” property and a gravel pit which is privately owned. The site is connected to Spanish Fork Substation via a 49 kV line. There is the transfer of the power to Rocky Mountain Power via a fixed price contract destined to last 20 years. The southern easterly nightly canyon wind resource that is to be the most reliable wind in the US is harvested by the farm. These nine wind turbines are all horizontal axis in type. There is a constrain to the maximum power the farm can produce as it is located between the canyon walls on the North and south while there are housing developments in the southwest and its power production is limited to 18.9MW. The land harboring the project is not fully utilized as much since it still has a high potential for multiple industrial uses, however, the land is not apt for housing projects.
Environmental Benefits
Utah is in the 4th position according to the US ranking for pollutants emission for every kilowatt-hour of electricity produced. This is attributed to the fact that 94% of the power generated in Utah is from coal plants. Following the reality that electrical energy cannot be stored on the grid (after generation); the fuel generators are put off whenever the wind power is being produced. The amounts of pollutants that are released to the environment are therefore reduced considerably due to this fact. Bearing in mind that the project is capable of providing over 55,000,000kwh annually when complete, which is equivalent to 1600 homes’ power requirement. For peak provision by the project that usually happens in the morning hours, the power output is enough for 1900 homes.
The installation of the five turbines which are under the royalty program was made possible by the Spanish Fork City providing the land. The city has started gaining the reputation of being at the frontline in taking care of the environment. Due to this environmental consciousness, large corporations that operate and do their marketing on a regional, national or multinational basis might start thinking seriously of relocating to Spanish Fork due to the good attitude the local government has in supporting renewable energy. The corporations would like to gain that positive environmental branding by simply being next to a windmill. Through the branding of both the city and the corporate users (of the nearby properties), there has been a setting apart of the city (www.AsymptoticLife.com).
Turbine Safety
There is certification to the international standard of safety and performance of the nine 2.1MW Suzlon turbines on the project. The description is the IEC Class 2 turbines designed for sustained winds of 98mph. The wind has a speed of 135mph. There is parking if the wind speed happens to exceed 58mph also the rotors of the turbines are parked. The IEC is recognized in the US.
Revenue Benefits through Tax
Taxation of wind turbines depends highly on their values (just as it is done for buildings or a manufacturing facility. The City, Utah County, as well as Nebo school district, will be the beneficiaries of the tax revenues that will be charged on each of the turbines. Putting into consideration that the economical lifespan of the turbines is more than 20 years and that there will be turbines replaced with new ones after every 20 years, the tax base is thus projected to be substantial (WASATCH WIND).
References
- WASATCH WIND. Spanish Fork Wind Park. 2006. New York.
- www.AsymptoticLife.com. Spanish Fork Wind Farm for 2008.