Wind Today - Q4 2008 - (Page 72) Wind Resource Maps Wind Powering America, www.windpoweringamerica.gov, provides validated wind maps that document wind resources available in many states, including Nevada and Pennsylvania. Validation done by National Renew- able Energy Laboratory (NREL) staff and consulting meteorologists includes comparison of wind resource modeling results with available wind measurement and modeled data sources. Based on that comparison, initial maps are Nevada The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) reported June 30, 2008 that Nevada ranks 21st nationally in wind energy resource. With no existing installed wind energy capacity and nothing under construction, the state currently ranks 39th nationally in utility-scale wind energy installations. According to An Assessment of the Available Windy Land Area and Wind Energy Potential in the Contiguous United States, prepared by Pacific Northwest Laboratory in 1991, Nevada has annual wind energy potential of 50 billion kilowatt hours (kWh). Potential is stated in terms of average megawatts of capacity (MWa) where one MWa is approximately equal to three MW of nameplate wind turbine capacity. Stated in megawatt (MW) terms, Nevada has potential capacity of 5,740 MW. According to the Reno Gazette-Journal, nearly two dozen companies are currently using anemometers to measure wind speed and directions for possible turbine sites across the desert mountains in northern Nevada. These potential sites are located in the Virginia Range near Pyramid Lake, The Pah Rah mountains east of Sparks, and other parts of northern Washoe County. In the south county, Great Basin Wind has proposed to install up to 70 wind turbines on federal land stretching from Geiger Summit to McClellan Peak. The ridge lines lie between Washoe Valley and Virginia City. This map, published by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), indicates 72 • Ranked No. 21 in Wind Resource • Ranked No. 39 in Utility-Scale Wind Energy Installations that Nevada has wind resources consistent with utility-scale production. The largest contiguous lower elevation areas of good-to-excellent resource are located in southern Nevada near Las Vegas and near Ely. Good-to-excellent wind resources are also located on the higher ridge crests throughout the state. Additional information on Nevada wind resource is available at www.eere.energy.gov. Validation of wind maps: Elliot, D.; Schwartz, M. (2005). WIND TODA Y First Quarter 2008 http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov http://www.eere.energy.gov
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