Overview of Bergey Windpower Co.

Small Wind Technical
Requirements in the U.S.
Mike Bergey
Bergey Windpower Co.
DW’s 2030 Domestic
Market Potential
Market
Segment
2013 Size,
Units
Data
Source
Businesses
Rural Residential
Farm
Public Buildings
Schools
8,900,000
30,600,000
2,200,000
1,200,000
140,000
Census, 2008
HUD, 2009
USDA, 2007
DWEA Estimate
NCES, 2010
2030 Size, Percent 2030 Potential Average Potential
Units
Suitable Installed Units Size (kW) (MW)
14,300,000
49,100,000
2,200,000
1,350,000
165,000
15%
50%
60%
25%
40%
2,145,000
350
24,550,000
10
1,320,000
150
337,500
250
66,000
250
Total Potential (MW):
 Distributed Wind: ~ 1,300 GW
 Offshore Wind: ~ 1,100 GW (<30m depth); ~ 600 GW (30-60m
depth); ~ 2,500 GW (>60m depth); Total = ~ 4,200 GW
 Onshore Large Wind: ~ 8,000 GW
 Current (2013) U.S. Generating Capacity: ~ 1,100 GW (EIA)
750,750
245,500
198,000
84,375
16,500
1,295,125
Manufacturing:
ISO-9001
ISO-14001
Small Wind
Standards
Landscape
Turbine:
AWEA 9.1-2009
UL 6142
Wiring:
NEC
NEC 694
Interconnection:
Varies by utility
Inverter or
Controller:
UL 1741
IEEE 1547
Tower:
IBC / EIA-222-F
Endless Supply of “Snake
Oil” Products
 Clueless inventors and unethical
opportunists bring dozens of new small
wind turbines to market annually
 General public wants to believe that
there’s been a performance and cost
breakthrough; but lack the experience or
tools to sort wheat from chaff
 For numerous articles and citations, see
subcategories at http://www.windworks.org/cms/index.php?id=17
 U.S. Green Building Council LEED, with
no wind turbine standards yet (DWEA is
working with them on this), is another
challenge
AWEA 9.1-2009 Turbine
Performance and Safety Standard*
 Certification required by most states offering
incentives
 Expect federal requirement in 2014 or 2015
 Covers turbines up to 200m2 in rotor area
 Testing can be by manufacturer, but certification
must be by accredited agency
 Small Wind Certification Council
(www.smallwindcertification.org)
 Intertek (www.Intertek.com/wind/small/)
 Germanischer Lloyd Industrial Services GmbH
*Available at http://www.smallwindcertification.org/wpcontent/uploads/2011/05/AWEA_2009-Small_Turbine_Standard1.pdf
AWEA 9.1-2009
 Based on IEC 61400 standards for performance,
acoustics, and safety – but some differences
 Nearly identical to British and Japanese
certification standards
 Required reports:
 Performance (based on IEC 61400-12.1)
 Acoustics (based on IEC 61400-11)
 Safety and Function (based
on IEC 61400-2)
 Duration (6 months, hours
> V, 90% availability)
 Structural Analysis (based
on IEC 61400-2)
AWEA 9.1-2009
 Requires consumer-oriented performance
reporting:
 Rated Annual Energy at
5 m/s average
 Rated Sound Level per fixed
definition (~ 10 m/s, distance
of 60m)
 Rated Power at 11 m/s
 Certification cost:
$30,000 - $100,000
 Limited reciprocity between
certification agencies /
countries
(SWCC, Intertek, BRE,
TUV-NEL, ClassNK, etc.)
UL 6142 Small Turbine Electrical
 “Small” means a person can’t climb into the
nacelle
 Concerns electrical safety, mostly references
other UL electrical standards
 Example: UL 1004, Generators
 Will be required by 2014 National Electric Code
 Not all local inspectors use the latest version of
NEC
 Certification by Underwriters Laboratory (UL) or
Intertek
 Cost: $10,000 - $20,000
UL 1741 Inverter Standard
 Created ~ 20 years ago for PV inverters, but also
applied to small wind inverters
 Requires safety features and specific settings
 Requires minimum power quality (e.g., THD<5%)
 Certification costs $25,000 - $80,000
 Similar to inverter standards
in other countries
 Most OEM inverters carry
UL 1741 certification
 Non-inverter controls subject
to UL 1547
National Electric Code (NEC)
 Mostly concerns wiring and requirements of listed
(certified) electrical – pertains to installation
 Local electrical inspections
 NEC Article 694 covers small wind systems
 Mostly harmless, but generator grounding can be
an issue
 2014 version will require turbine and all
associated electrical equipment to be listed
(certified)
Towers
 Need to offer range of height options, 24m – 49m
 Need to be able to design custom foundations
due to wide variation in soil conditions
 Local building permit will require structural
analyses to the code they follow, typically the
International Building Code (IBC)
 References TIA/EIA-222-F
 Each county assigned a “Wind Class”; mostly 85 – 130
mph (38 – 58 m/s)
 Analyses must be “stamped” by a Professional
Engineer licensed in the customers state (fee of
$500 - $2,500)
Interconnection
 Federal law guarantees right to connect
 Utilities will require an “accessible disconnect
switch”
 Some utilities have a “pre-approved inverter list”,
but most just require certification to UL 1741 or
IEEE 1547
 Simple applications and quick approval are the
norm, but there are exceptions
 41 states offer “net metering”, though rules and
coverages vary over a wide range.
Questions?