Wind Power Feasibility Study

One essential part of any wind project’s development is the wind power feasibility study. This study undertakes a thorough analysis of a variety of factors to determine how viable a wind project will be and how much power can be produced. A feasibility study is used to keep the various stakeholders on the same page about a project in the early development stage of a wind project. Further, should a project be deemed unviable, the feasibility study will have saved stakeholders a great deal of time and money. The feasibility study, therefore, serves as a keystone for the wind energy development project.

To get an accurate read on a wind project’s potential, the feasibility study must first include analysis of wind speeds and air density. Wind power output is a cubic function of wind speed and air density, so gaining these data for an area is crucial to understanding the area’s wind power potential. A feasibility study must also carefully consider transmission and interconnection availability. Dearth of transmission lines for new energy projects is one of the wind industry’s biggest setbacks. For a wind project to be successful, the study must show that a wind project has good chances of being connected to the grid and being able to transmit power to areas of high need such as metropolitan centers.

In addition to gaining an idea of transmission and interconnection possibilities, getting a feel for land control possibilities is another central facet of any feasibility study. For any registered plot of land, the owner holds one set of wind rights. He/she cannot agree to put a turbine from one company on one part of this land and another turbine from another company on another part. If land has already been tied up by another wind developer, a new wind project will likely need to refocus its development area on a different location or meet its end.

A feasibility study must also include permitting requests with federal, state, and local levels of government; without these permits, a wind project will never see fruition. On a similar note, the feasibility study needs to address fatal environmental and development flaws. At this early stage, it is important to submit permitting requests, but the actual permits may take months to be granted. Doing an independent analysis of fatal flaws will save time and money, should the study discover valid reason to cancel the project. Further, while other environmental aspects may not make or break a project, it is important to consider wetland and soil condition along with the potential impact on protected species of the region. If wetlands are too pervasive, a wind power project may not have enough available land for its turbine placements. If potential impacts on wildlife are deemed too likely and/or too severe, a wind project may not move forward due to the project owners’ concerns or petitions and protests from landowners or environmental groups.

Finally, a feasibility study must also take into account high level economic issues. Will the owners be able to acquire adequate financing beyond the initial seed capital? What are the economic prospects for the expected rate of return and how much risk is involved in the investment? These questions must also be answered in the wind power project feasibility study before development moves forward.

So many factors are involved in wind energy project’s success – these must be considered not only in the feasibility study, but also throughout the project’s development. As the project advances, new areas of interest emerge, including the acquisition of turbines and turbine financing, the negotiation of power purchase agreements, and the contracting of construction crews. As more wind projects go up, the length and complexity of the process will likely be mitigated, as each stakeholder becomes more familiar with the procedures and policies of wind power project development. The involved process of wind power project development may seem daunting, but, when completed, wind power projects provide clean, native, renewable energy for generations to come – making all the hard work worth it.