By Rikki Stancich in Paris

WindEnergyUpdate:  Grid congestion is leading to an increasing frequency of curtailment orders, which present significant unforeseen 'lost energy' costs for wind power generators. How can operators avoid costs and losses resulting from curtailment orders?

Charlie Daum: It is dependent on which region you are in and whether there are any other wind plants operating in the area.

You can integrate better by forecasting, but that is a challenge that won’t be solved over night.

Also, having the appropriate amount of transmission available to move wind when it is at 100% capacity. Often the cost of transmission build-out is shared between the developer and the transmission operator, but the extent to which the costs are shared depends on the transmission operator.

WindEnergyUpdate: The BLM's ruling earlier this year restricting wind energy
developments in Wyoming, and NIMBYism in Oregan have both scuppered
plans for several large wind farms. When it comes to site selection, how can developers improve stakeholder engagement so as to identify potential blockages to project proposals early on -and know when its time to pull out and cut losses?

Charlie Daum:  If somebody else has tried and failed in a given area, that is usually a tell tale sign that subsequent projects will unlikely succeed there.

To a large extent, success or failure hinges on the extent of communication. When you go into a community it is best to sit down with as many stakeholders as possible, up-front. Transparency and communication is key with both the immediate and surrounding communities.

WindEnergyUpdate: Radar interference has threatened several US projects. Are there plans for any cooperation between the US air force and US wind developers to
collaborate on finding a solution to this problem?

Charlie Daum: There is a desire from both sides to collaborate. This could be done via new technologies that enable the radar interference issue to be overcome.

Usually, studies carried out up-front should indicate whether or not there is likely to be a problem with wind turbine interference.

WindEnergyUpdate: In the interim, what measures can developers take to ensure that their project does not create radar interference?

Charlie Daum: If there are solutions outside of siting, then developers should try to implement those solutions.

WindEnergyUpdate: What is considered to be 'best practice' when it comes to site
selection - what bases need to be covered to ensure site approval?

Charlie Daum: Again it depends on the region, but broadly speaking, ensuring that you have transmission access and the right pricing at that transmission node; if you ensure that the land use is compatible with wind development; and if you are familiar with the layers of rules that need to be followed in a given region. These are all key points for developers to understand.

WindEnergyUpdate: Are there any tools or methods you have used that have eased the siting permitting process, such as using visual simulations, for example?

Charlie Daum: We haven’t done any visual impact stuff yet – well, we have done some preliminary visual impact stuff and it has been very effective. It really helps the project along if you can show stakeholders where the turbines will be sited, but this is often difficult to do in the early stages, so it’s not as easy as it sounds.

The most important thing is to be forthright and open. Also, the more involvement in the project people have in a project at the early stages, the more they are likely to accept it. Being involved gives them a sense of ownership – of being a part of it. I would say that communication is definitely key to the success of a project.

Hear more from Charlie Daum, who will be presenting at WindEnergyUpdate's forthcoming US Wind Energy Project Site Selection Conference, June 29-30, 2010 at the Radisson Hotel, Boston.

To respond to this article, please write to the editor:

Rikki Stancich: rstancich@gmail.com