Renewable energy
powers White Mountain's dream of freedom from grid
by
Kevon Storie
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White Mountain Peak (left) overlooks WMRS's Barcroft Plateau Observatory at 13,200 feet above sea level. The proposed renewable energy system would provide off-grid electricity for the remote facility.
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High in the mountains above the Owens Valley, near Bishop, Calif., the White Mountain Research Station is laying the groundwork for an experiment that may turn the facility into a "renewable energy Mecca."
Scientists and graduate students at the University of California's multi-campus research unit study everything from the earth to the heavens. The laboratories, equipment, housing and conference facilities consume an average of 50 to 80 kW daily and have a peak capacity of 150 kW. That electricity is currently delivered to Barcroft and Crooked Creek, the most remote facilities, over 15 miles of 50-year-old power line and 20-year-old buried cable that are well past their replacement date, said Michael Morrison, WMRS station manager.
"We've
looked at renewable energy systems off and on over the decades,
but the technology has only recently become truly efficient
and cost-effective," he said. "Now that the power
lines have to be replaced, it's even more so."
Experts endorse renewable energy demonstration project
So Morrison and hydrogen energy advocate Rick Masters invited state energy officials and experts from the renewable energy field to a two-day retreat last summer. Through his work with the California Hydrogen Business Council, Masters had become personally acquainted with the visionaries who could help create the world's first renewable remote utility system at White Mountain.
"The idea of replacing our antiquated power system by using the University of California's resources to create an environmentally pristine energy system…and get Power Lines out of the ancient Bristlecone pine forest holds tremendous appeal," said Masters. "We felt that getting support for such an idea was mainly a matter of bringing attention to it."
By that
standard, the conference was a complete success. The scientists,
business, academic and government leaders in attendance pledged
their support for a proposal to turn WMRS into a stand-alone
integrated renewable power site. Tom Koppel
wrote an article on the retreat and the proposal that appeared
in Refocus,
the international renewable energy magazine.
Morrison is submitting the proposal to the California Energy Commission to fund a feasibility study. "Ultimately, our goal is to take two of our facilities, Barcroft and Crooked Creek, off the grid entirely," explained Morrison. "That's a big reason why CEC and other programs are so interested in the project."
The Vermont-based Northern Power Systems, and Stuart Energy Systems, which makes electrolyzers and hydrogen fueling stations, have agreed to perform the study at below cost. "A thorough study is an essential part of the process," Morrison insisted. "We want to look at all the options before we go equipment shopping."
System to be shaped by feasibility study
So far the shopping list includes a 100- to 150-kW wind turbine and a photovoltaic array with a similar capacity. Surplus energy will electrolyze water to produce hydrogen, which will power a stationary fuel cell and, potentially, a hydrogen internal combustion engine as a back-up generator. Later, the hydrogen can be used to power vehicles for transportation up and down the mountain.
"With wind and solar, you need some kind of back up, but most auxiliary systems rely on non-renewable fuel and create pollution," said Masters. "When you look at available storage technologies, hydrogen is the only logical choice for what we are trying to accomplish."
The feasibility study will determine how much energy the turbine and PV array must generate to power the facility as well as the electrolyzer. Questions about storage capacity, the size of the electrolyzer and the fuel cell, and turbine siting also need to be answered before the project can move forward.
Completed project will save WMRS thousands
Based on the positive response from the hydrogen energy retreat, Morrison believes that the feasibility study will receive funding and be completed by the end of 2003. With proposals to Federal agencies and private foundations in the works to fund equipment purchases and installation, WMRS could begin building the system early in 2004 and testing it the following year. "If all goes well, we could be off the grid by the end of 2005," he predicted, obviously relishing the prospect.
The projected cost for the integrated system is about $2 million, a bargain compared to the $5 million to $7 million it would cost WMRS to replace the utility line. "And we would still have to pay for the electricity," Morrison added.
WMRS also stands to save $10,000 to $20,000 on power line maintenance and another estimated $10,000 annually in damages and down time caused by power outages. Then there is the potential revenue that would come with being a renewable energy showcase. As Masters put it in his address to attendees at the retreat, "White Mountain...could become a key element in a global strategy that...opens the door to a new age of prosperity."
