WorldWide Drilling Resource

ENV A Growing Renewable Resource Adapted from a Press Release by the U.S. Energy InformationAdministration The drilling industry services sever- al renewable energy sectors in a time where a push for green energy has become more prevalent across the United States. In 2016, wind generators accounted for 8% of the operating elec- tric generating capacity for the country, more than any other renewable technol- ogy. Wind turbines accounted for more t han one - t h i r d o f t he nea r l y 200 gigawatts (GW) of utility-scale electricity generating capacity added since 2007. The increase in wind development in the U.S. over the past decade reflects a combi- nation of improved wind turbine technology, increased access to transmission capacity, renewable portfolio standards at the state level, and federal production tax credits and grants. More than half of U.S. wind capacity is located in five states - California, Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. In three states - Iowa, Kansas, and Oklahoma - wind makes up at least 25% of in-state utility- scale generating capacity. Several states with the highest wind capacity are located in the Midwest, which is a region with favorable wind resources. Texas alone accounts for almost a quarter of total wind capacity in the U .S. , and electricity generated by these turbines made up 13% of Texas's total electricity output in 2016. During particularly breezy times, wind can provide a much larger share of Texas’s electricity generation. One example of this occurred in the early hours of March 23, 2017, when wind output on the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) grid in Texas accounted for up to 50% of the electricity generation mix, which is the highest wind penetration level seen in the ERCOT electric system. Although wind makes up about 8% of the total U.S. electricity generating capacity, wind generators provided a smaller share because wind turbines have relatively low capacity factors. Capacity factors measure the output over a set period of time as a percentage of the total mechanical ability the turbine uses to generate energy given sufficient wind. The capacity factors vary from about 25-40% for wind generators depending on seasonal patterns and geographic location. The average wind generat ing facility in the United States consists of about 50 turbines. However, the Alta Wind Energy Center in Kern County, California, is the largest wind power site in the United States with 586 turbines and a combined 1548 megawatts (MW) of capacity across several separate projects. Unt i l late 2016, al l U.S. wind capacity was on land. The first U.S. offshore wind project, Block Island Wind Farm, began commercial opera- tion off the coast of Rhode Island in December 2016 with a generating capacity of just over 29 MW. Two other offshore wind projects off the coasts of Ohio (Icebreaker Windpower, Inc.) and virginia (Dominion Energy) are expected by 2020. Distribution of wind power plants in the lower 48 states. Here’s what people are saying about WWDR ! Thank you very much! Thanks for a great mag! Love your magazine! Great magazine! Thank you for supporting our industry. A very informative drilling magazine. Excellent magazine! Absolutely love the magazine!! Very informative. Great information source. 42 MAY 2018 WorldWide Drilling Resource ®