Nebraska lags behind in wind energy generation

Only five states have more potential than Nebraska when it comes to wind power.

But 23 other states are better at harnessing that power, according to the American Wind Energy Association.

For example, Iowa recently jumped to No. 2 in the nation in wind energy output, despite ranking tenth in wind potential.

The reason Nebraska may seem to lag behind comes down to three main issues, said Mark Becker, media relations specialist for the Nebraska Public Power District.

One problem is Nebraska is a public power state. Power is supplied by nonprofit organizations, such as NPPD, to provide low-cost, reliable electricity, Becker said.
The problem with public power is districts don't get any tax credits from the federal government to encourage wind energy production, he said.  

A company building wind turbines in another state, for example, could get around two cents per kilowatt hour of energy produced, Becker said. For comparison, running a 100-watt light bulb for 10 hours uses up one kilowatt hour.

Without those incentives, he said, it's too expensive to invest in wind energy-generating projects.

Iowa has two state tax incentives for companies that work with wind energy, said Jim Martin-Schramm, a professor and research chairman at the Center for Ethics and Public Life at Luther College in Wisconsin. However, he doesn't think this was the real reason for Iowa's wind energy boom.

"Iowa was the first state in the union to have what is now called a renewable portfolio standard," he wrote in an e-mail. "This is one reason why Iowa has more wind power: The state demanded this many years ago.  Over time, utilities discovered that wind farms have no fuel cost, whereas coal and natural gas plants do ... Over time utilities flipped from being the biggest opponents to wind power to being some of its biggest supporters."

Nebraska's second problem is transporting the energy.

To get maximum yield out of a wind generator, it would have to be out in western Nebraska. However, getting energy back to eastern Nebraska where it's needed could be costly and a hassle, Becker said.

"In Nebraska, the best wind areas in the state are where there are less people living," he said. "So there has not been a great need for increased energy transmission."

Also, it's hard to rely on wind as an energy source, Becker said.

"You have to understand that the wind isn't always going to be blowing when you want it to be blowing," he said. "You're at the mercy of the wind."

On Tuesday afternoon, most coal and nuclear power plants across the state were running at nearly 100 percent of their capacities, he said.

The Ainsworth Wind Energy Facility was running at 16 percent.

"You can't turn it on, can't turn it off," Becker said. "You have to take that into consideration."

Dave Tobias, a director of the Nebraska Renewable Energy Association, only sees one big problem standing in the way of wind energy.

"There are different schools of thought as to what is causing us to lag behind states that have much less potential," he wrote in an e-mail. "As the owner of the first grid-intertied wind turbine in Nebraska, I'd say public power is the reason."

"It's hard to believe some of the highjinks (sic) they pulled to delay/halt us from getting our turbine installed in 2004."

Tobias sees a solution, however.

"Green energy has become much more popular and hopefully with this new president, maybe it will even become mandatory," he said. "I think a renewable energy standard will have to become a federal law before public power stops dragging its feet."

Becker also anticipates improvement for wind energy generation in the near future.

Legislation recently passed in Nebraska dealing with community-based development projects to allow communities to build and manage wind energy facilities, and NPPD plans to produce 10 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2020.

Other legislation encouraging wind energy production have also been discussed, Becker said, including talk of introducing a Renewable Portfolio Standard.

However, NPPD will remain opposed to this legislation unless it includes some financial aid to offset the extra cost of wind energy, he said.

"We've got to have something that will help us with that, or we'll see a significant rise in rates," Becker said. "Wind is free fuel, but you still have to operate and maintain (facilities) ... it's just not a cheap thing to do."

jennagibson@dailynebraskan.com