WASH STATE WIND MARKS OUTPUT MILESTONE

Like T. Boone Pickens and Al Gore, Puget Sound Energy (PSE) saw an opportunity to drive a point home. By announcing the achievement of 1,000,000 megawatt-hours of power production from a pair of its wind energy facilities, PSE created some media excitement and called attention to what wind energy is capable of doing.

Both Pickens and Gore made big media splashes in mid-July, using their own notoriety to call attention to something traditional power generation advocates are only barely beginning to come to terms with: Wind can produce electricity in big amounts at competitive rates.

Big energy companies and utilities have been feeding this to the media for some time now while continuing to do business as usual with Big Coal and Big Oil. The Pickens and Gore messages are something a little more profound: No More Business-As-Usual.

Want numbers? PSE has a number: 1,000,000 megawatt-hours. Times two.

Kimberly Harris, executive vice president/chief resource officer, PSE: "Wind energy is now a proven performer for meeting our customers' growing demand…Not long ago, wind power was only a concept. Today, it is a clean, renewable resource for helping combat climate change."

What 2 modest, affordable wind installations in the Pacific Northwest are doing can be done at facilities all over the Rocky Mountain west, all across the Midwestern plains and farmlands, along Appalachian mountain ridges, on and off the shores of the Great Lakes, on New England’s coasts and down through the windy waters of the Mid-Atlantic Bight.

Here are a few more numbers from PSE: Combined, the 2 wind facilities have paid $3.3 million+ in state, county and local taxes and generated more than 20 permanent jobs EACH in low-population, low growth communities (not to mention 150 to 250 temporary jobs during construction).

Yes, the Pickens and Gore goals are overreaching (in different ways). It is called vision. It is a crucial component of great leadership.

What PSE has demonstrated, and continues to demonstrate, is that what leaders envision, the hardworking, dedicated men and women of the New Energy industries can make happen. There is no longer a technological barrier; there is only the matter of commitment.

click to enlarge

PSE Wind Facilities Each Reach Million Megawatt-Hour Milestone
July 14, 2008 (Puget Sound Energy/Business Wire via MarketWatch)

WHO
Puget Sound Energy (PSE) (Kimberly Harris, executive vice president/chief resource officer)

WHAT
Two PSE wind installations, the Hopkins Ridge and Wild Horse facilities, reached the same milestone, each passing the 1,000,000 megawatt-hours of power production mark.

The Wild Horse Wind Farm (click to enlarge)

WHEN
- November 2005: The Hopkins Ridge facility began operation.
- June 3, 2008: Hopkins reached the million megawatt-hour output mark.
- December 2006: The Wild Horse facility began operation.
- July 4, 2008: Wild Horse reached the million megawatt-hour output mark.

WHERE
- The Hopkins Ridge facility is in Columbia County, Wash., near Dayton.
- The Wild Horse facility is in Kittitas County, Wash., east of Ellensburg.

WHY
- PSE is the biggest utility provider of New Energy in the U.S. Northwest. It owns and operates both wind facilities.
- Hopkins: 87 turbines, 150-megawatt capacity.
- Wild Horse: 127 turbines, 229 megawatt capacity. (PSE plans to add 26 turbines to it next year. Another advantage wind has over coal, gas and nuclear: Upgrades are not massive, costly shut-down-and-retrofit undertakings. They can be ongoing and uneventful.)
- There is also a small solar installation at the Wild Horse location. (See WIND AND SOLAR TOGETHER IN WASHINGTON STATE)
- PSE is Washington's oldest/biggest utility, serves a 6,000-square-mile area across 11 counties and has 1 million+ electric customers.

The Hopkins Ridge Wind Farm (click to enlarge)

QUOTES
- Kimberly Harris, executive vice president/chief resource officer, PSE: "Hopkins Ridge and Wild Horse have exceeded our expectations…This year, both facilities are producing about 6 percent more electricity than our meteorological and engineering studies had predicted, and have shown themselves to be reliable resources throughout the year."