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Springwater
Preservation Committee
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How many
homes can one wind turbine provide power for? How many homes can one wind turbine provide power for?
We've all heard different answers to this question ranging from 3,000 to
12,000 homes. One person suggested having one of the turbines set aside to
power all of Prattsburgh (about 1,000 homes and businesses). Well, let's do
the math. Electrical usage is measured in kilowatt hours (kWh) so we must
figure out the kWh production of one turbine. One GE 1.5MW wind turbine has a
rated generation capacity of 1.5 megawatts maximum output. In reality,
because of wind inconsistency and down time, actual output averages between
17-30% (in California the average is 20%). We'll allow a generous 23%
capacity factor. 1.5MW X .23 = .345MW or 345kW actual output. There are 8760
hours in a year (365 X 24), so the equation to figure out how many kWh one
turbine produces in a year would be 345kW X 8760 = 3,022,200kWh. The average U.S.
household in 2001 used 10,656kWh (U.S. DOE). So, 3,022,200 divided by 10,656
= 284 homes. However, one turbine couldn't consistently power even one home
because of the intermittent generation. So the correct answer is one turbine and
one coal plant could power 284 homes. Another interesting aspect is that power produced does not equal power consumed. Even though the turbines may be generating power, and generating income for the corporate owners, some or all of that power may never get used. This is because the Installed Reserve Margin (currently at 5.8% of total production to prevent blackouts during sudden power draws) must increase with the addition of intermittent generation sources (NYISO 10-24-04). -Kerry Lipp, Prattsburgh |