500 MW Wind Farm Proposals for Bahamas:
http://www.bahamasecoforum.com/2008/03/500-mw-wind-far.html

..."by Larry Smith

In 2003, a New Mexico company called WindErgy proposed a massive wind farm project for the Bahamas that obviously went nowhere.

The proposal was revived in 2006, again without success. It offered to build two 500 MW wind parks (on Abaco near Snake Cay and on Eleuthera near Hatchet Bay) with a potential net output for each of 176.3 MW - enough to generate 1.5 million megawatthours of electricity annually.

Each of the 250-turbine wind parks would have been the largest such operation in the Caribbean, able to have more than completely displaced all the generation capacity on New Providence.

According to the 2006 proposal document, the anticipated generating capacity was based on "exhaustive research of the average annual wind resources on Abaco, Eleuthera, and Exuma". WindErgy said it would be able to find the $2 billion needed to finance the project. No government investment was required.

In order to prove the feasibility of these projects, WindErgy produced detailed research of wind resources accumulated by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and The Bahamas Department of Meteorology.

The gold standard for financial viability of a wind farm is documented wind speeds of 5.9 meters/second (Class 4). WindErgy presented research showing at least Class 5 wind resources on both islands, with the exception of August on Abaco, which recorded Class 3 speeds.

Wind power parks take up a lot of landmass, but the actual footprint of a turbine is only 314 square feet. Parks can consist of wind turbines in a row, separated by at least five diameters of their blades, or they can be located in multiple rows separated by up to eight rotor diameters. Turbines are always sited perpendicular to prevailing winds.

A typical 500 MW wind park with 250 2 MW turbines configured in a single row could extend for 62 miles and occupy 2,150 acres. A similar wind park configured in two staggered rows might occupy 8,618 acres.

The WinErgy project would have wholesaled electricity to Florida Power & Light via an undersea cable from Abaco to Grand Bahama and between Grand Bahama and West Palm Beach, Florida. Power would also have been provided to BEC via undersea cable from Alice Town, Eleuthera to Winton on New Providence.

Both wind farms would have taken 18 months to complete. WindErgy was seeking a 25-year concession, after which the development would have been transferred to the government. In its 2006 proposal, the company said construction could begin as early as August of this year once government approval had been obtained, but this was not forthcoming.

WindErgy's principal is Larry Richardson, an electrical engineer with over thirty-five years of experience in operations and management of complex infrastructure projects with Fortune 500 companies like Lockheed Martin, Black & Veatch, and the US Army. He was a corporate representative to the World Bank and the US EXIM Bank, and has served as a consultant to the Department of Energy, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Strategic Petroleum Reserve Office.

The company says it is in the business of wind turbine manufacturing, wind park development and operations, and sales of wind-generated electrcity to regional and national grids. WindErgy’s engineers have modeled over 21 wind parks in the United States, as well as in Taiwan, China, Canada, Scotland, and Central America."...
Article posted March 29, 2008

*suck teeth at we foolishness and na we payin all dat money fa dem diesel generators da gubment buy dat never could keep da lights dem on! *

:gi:

there were such high hopes for this project :dgi:

500 MW Wind Farm Proposals for Bahamas:
http://www.bahamasecoforum.com/2008/03/500-mw-wind-far.html
..."by Larry Smith
In 2003, a New Mexico company called WindErgy proposed a massive wind farm project for the Bahamas that obviously went nowhere.
The proposal was revived in 2006, again without success. It offered to build two 500 MW wind parks (on Abaco near Snake Cay and on Eleuthera near Hatchet Bay) with a potential net output for each of 176.3 MW - enough to generate 1.5 million megawatthours of electricity annually.
Each of the 250-turbine wind parks would have been the largest such operation in the Caribbean, able to have more than completely displaced all the generation capacity on New Providence.
According to the 2006 proposal document, the anticipated generating capacity was based on "exhaustive research of the average annual wind resources on Abaco, Eleuthera, and Exuma". WindErgy said it would be able to find the $2 billion needed to finance the project. No government investment was required.
In order to prove the feasibility of these projects, WindErgy produced detailed research of wind resources accumulated by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and The Bahamas Department of Meteorology.
The gold standard for financial viability of a wind farm is documented wind speeds of 5.9 meters/second (Class 4). WindErgy presented research showing at least Class 5 wind resources on both islands, with the exception of August on Abaco, which recorded Class 3 speeds.
Wind power parks take up a lot of landmass, but the actual footprint of a turbine is only 314 square feet. Parks can consist of wind turbines in a row, separated by at least five diameters of their blades, or they can be located in multiple rows separated by up to eight rotor diameters. Turbines are always sited perpendicular to prevailing winds.
A typical 500 MW wind park with 250 2 MW turbines configured in a single row could extend for 62 miles and occupy 2,150 acres. A similar wind park configured in two staggered rows might occupy 8,618 acres.
The WinErgy project would have wholesaled electricity to Florida Power & Light via an undersea cable from Abaco to Grand Bahama and between Grand Bahama and West Palm Beach, Florida. Power would also have been provided to BEC via undersea cable from Alice Town, Eleuthera to Winton on New Providence.
Both wind farms would have taken 18 months to complete. WindErgy was seeking a 25-year concession, after which the development would have been transferred to the government. In its 2006 proposal, the company said construction could begin as early as August of this year once government approval had been obtained, but this was not forthcoming.
WindErgy's principal is Larry Richardson, an electrical engineer with over thirty-five years of experience in operations and management of complex infrastructure projects with Fortune 500 companies like Lockheed Martin, Black & Veatch, and the US Army. He was a corporate representative to the World Bank and the US EXIM Bank, and has served as a consultant to the Department of Energy, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Strategic Petroleum Reserve Office.
The company says it is in the business of wind turbine manufacturing, wind park development and operations, and sales of wind-generated electrcity to regional and national grids. WindErgy’s engineers have modeled over 21 wind parks in the United States, as well as in Taiwan, China, Canada, Scotland, and Central America."...
Article posted March 29, 2008
WHAT HAPPEN! THIS IS WHEN WE HAVE LEADERS WHO DON'T HAVE BALLS TO GET A PROJECT LIKE THIS GOING FOR THERE FELLOW COUNTRYMEN ,WE ALL SUFFER FOR LACK OF BAD DECISION.I HOPE IS CORRECTED NOW!

WHAT HAPPEN! THIS IS WHEN WE HAVE LEADERS WHO DON'T HAVE BALLS TO GET A PROJECT LIKE THIS GOING FOR THERE FELLOW COUNTRYMEN ,WE ALL SUFFER FOR LACK OF BAD DECISION.I HOPE IS CORRECTED NOW!

I would guess it has to do with the amount of land required to put the project up, no one wants a huge windfarm on their island. Offshore windfarms are the future.

I would guess it has to do with the amount of land required to put the project up, no one wants a huge windfarm on their island. Offshore windfarms are the future.

WELL YOUR RIGHT BUT THE ISLAND OF ANDROS WITH ALL THOSE BANKS COULD USED A PROJECT LIKE THIS.WHAT A WAIST !

I would guess it has to do with the amount of land required to put the project up, no one wants a huge windfarm on their island. Offshore windfarms are the future.

that actually wasn't the issue, as the former austin levy plantation was the appropriate size AND zoned for such use and in perfect position.

problem was that at the time, the powers that be at the hotel corporation took over management of that agricultural zone from BAIC, at which point they could only think about anchor developments complete with golf courses and condos :footmouth. and then you had BEC not wanting anyone to make any inroads on ** their ** revenue stream.

that actually wasn't the issue, as the former austin levy plantation was the appropriate size AND zoned for such use and in perfect position.
problem was that at the time, the powers that be at the hotel corporation took over management of that agricultural zone from BAIC, at which point they could only think about anchor developments complete with golf courses and condos :footmouth. and then you had BEC not wanting anyone to make any inroads on ** their ** revenue stream.
That was very short-sighted and visionless.

That was very short-sighted and visionless.

rhymes with dunce ... oops!

That was very short-sighted and visionless.
...and the people continue to suffer.
though quietly, couldnt entrepreneural bahamians provide such services for bahamians as opposed to mexicans?

...and the people continue to suffer.
though quietly, couldnt entrepreneural bahamians provide such services for bahamians as opposed to mexicans?

what's the mexican connection?

Problem with wind farms here is height, When a storm is approaching, it must be assessed to take it down.

Never gonna happen with conventional Wind Fields.

There is, however a new Technology which uses a different approach.

what's the mexican connection?
my bad, I though I read mexico, not new mexico. even so, the rest of the world is far enterprising (and I would even say advanced) in the ways of using green technologies...

I would guess it has to do with the amount of land required to put the project up, no one wants a huge windfarm on their island. Offshore windfarms are the future.

Ya the amount of land played into it...but I think the big problem was politicans wanting to get a piece of the 2 billion dollar action and BEC not wanting to let in a competitor.