A number of sweeping wind farms are being erected on the rolling plains of northwest Oklahoma as part of a $2 billion project by Invenergy.
Another wind project owned by Duke Energy Renewables in the northern part of the state just went online this month.
Mark Yates, vice president of the Advanced Power Alliance, said this week still more projects could come to fruition in Oklahoma.
About 11 gigawatts (GW) of solar and storage projects being developed inside of Oklahoma have applied for approval from the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) to feed power onto the grid, Yates said. SPP is the regional transmission operator that oversees grid operations across the Great Plains.
“It gives you an idea of how attractive Oklahoma has become as a home for renewables because of the resources we have available,” Yates said.
Frontier II wind project coming to Kay County
Duke Energy Renewables added another 350 MW to the energy generated by wind projects operating in Oklahoma earlier this month when it took its Frontier II Windpower project operational.
Frontier II is the second phase of a project the Duke Energy unit started years ago. Its original Frontier Windpower project, which has a 200 MW nameplate capacity, went operational in 2016.
Together, the projects (when running at total capacity) generate enough energy to power about 193,000 average-sized homes.
Duke relied in part on virtual power purchase agreements it executed with AT&T and Ball Corp. to help finance Frontier II’s construction.
A typical virtual power purchase agreement is a type of renewable energy contract that provides the buyer with a financial hedge against future energy cost fluctuations.
Wind energy in Oklahoma
- Oklahoma continues to be among the leading states in the nation when it comes to generating renewable energy.
- Of the electricity generated inside the state in 2020, wind generated nearly 42% — up 2% from the year before — saving Oklahoma energy customers $1.2 billion, according to the Oklahoma Power Alliance.
- Oklahoma produced the third-most wind-generated electricity nationally in the same year, the alliance reports, and it estimates the state’s solar energy potential is ranked sixth best in the nation.
- Also of note from the report is that wind projects were the top taxpayer in 65 of the 73 state school districts where they operated during the year.
- Renewable projects also support communities through leasing payments to land owners and even through charitable contributions made by renewables owners/operators toward worthwhile causes.
- Renewable energy generation and its ability to meet load on SPP’s grid continues to set records.
- On March 29, SPP reported that renewables (mostly wind) set a peak generation record of nearly 22.7 GW early in the day, plus set a record the same morning by supporting more than 84% of the grid’s load (wind’s share of that was more than 80%, also setting a record).
One of AT&T’s executives said the communications firm is an enthusiastic backer of the technology.
“At AT&T, we believe renewable energy is good for the planet, for our business, and for the communities we serve,” said Scott Mair, its engineering and operations president. AT&T, he continued, has contracted with developers to obtain more than 1.5 GW of renewable energy to support its operations.
Ball Corp. officials, which makes aluminum packaging products for the beverage, aerosol and aerospace industries, said the company entered into its contract with Duke Energy Renewables as part of its commitment to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 55% between now and 2030.
During peak construction, Frontier II created about 250 jobs and increased local spending in the service and construction industries that boosted local tax revenues.
Power purchase deals fuel southwest OK wind
ALLETE Clean Energy, developer of a 303 MW project in Caddo County, announced earlier this year it obtained virtual energy sale agreements with Oshkosh Corp. and Hormel Foods to help build that project.
The company now has virtual power purchase agreements from three companies to help it get the project up and running.
ALLETE said the windfarm will double its capacity to serve an accelerating demand for clean energy from the corporate world, and officials thanked landowners, communities and state lawmakers for their support of the industry.
“We’re proud to work with two leading upper Midwest corporations to help them achieve their sustainability goals with Caddo’s renewable energy,” said Allan S. Rudeck Jr., ALLETE Clean Energy’s president. “Projects like Caddo help diversify and decarbonize the nation’s energy supply while strengthening local economies.”
It created about 200 construction-related jobs and will provide between 12 and 15 permanent jobs once the plant is up and running at the end of this year.
“ALLETE’s strategy of sustainability in action is powered by clean energy projects such as Caddo,” said ALLETE President and Chief Executive Officer Bethany Owen.
For the entire Article: Source: The Oklahoman
