1 Regional Wind Energy Purchase Jim Caldwell Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection April 5, 2004

2 State Implementation Plan (SIP) Compliance with Clean Air Act Reduce ground-level ozone by reducing precursors: NOx and VOC Safeguard federal transportation dollars

3 Emissions tons per year Source: MDE, 1999 U.S. EPA data

4 Ground-Level Ozone # Days above 1-hour standard Source: MDE, 2002 data—note: Baltimore Region is represented for Maryland

5 So, where does the ozone come from? “Ozone Transport”

6 Maryland Department of the Environment

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8 And the Power Plants are… The Nation’s largest 50 power plants (open circles). Source: NOAA

9 Wind Energy -Air Quality and other Benefits No combustion occurs in wind, many pollutants are displaced, including- –NOx –Mercury –Acid Rain Precursors –Particulates –Greenhouse Gases Displaced Pollutants, also means less pollutants entering our watersheds –Power plants are the greatest source of mercury – Up to 30% of the nitrogen in the bay is from air deposition Other benefits- – Reduced reliance on imported energy –No risk of fuel price hike

10 Dickerson Plant Emissions as a Portion of Local Air Quality Problems Point Sources, such as power plants account for 45% of all NOx emissions in the County. 93% of the point source NOx emissions is attributable to fossil- fueled power generation. The on-road mobile category, which accounts for 34% of NOx emitted in the County, represents the emissions from 613,781 vehicles. Source: MWCOG 1999 PEI

11 Wind Energy as a Control Measure or as a Strategy Montgomery County’s Wind Energy Purchase was included in March SIP package as a cost effective control measure : –Commitment letter from County –Montgomery County and Maryland Department of the Environment worked together to adopt an appropriate strategy acceptable by the EPA with the use of Maryland’s “set aside” program. Wind Energy has also been included as a strategy in MWAQC’s Gold Book for other jurisdictions to adopt.

12 Emissions “Offset” We buy wind from area where NOx emissions occur (ozone transport) Wind power “offsets” some coal power generation MDE (or equivalent) awards NOx “allowances” Allowances are retired Credit for “allowances” taken in SIP

13 Price Premium: 1.5 ¢ 2 ¢ (per kWh) Price for Wind Depends On: Size of purchase Contract Term NOT electricity rates Cost of Wind Power

14 Cost by Agency Agency 5% Wind kWh 1.5 cents 2 cents Water 10,914,544$163,718$218,291 Schools 9,241,066$138,616$184,821 Government 3,549,996$53,250$71,000 Parks 2,525,126$37,877$50,503 Housing 1,282,956$19,244$25,659 College 1,217,320$18,260$24,346 Total 28,731,008$430,965$574,620

15 Control MeasureCost (ton/year) Wind Energy$32,000 CNG Refueling Stations$54, CNG Busses$103, Bike Lockers$247,111 Cost Effective NOx Reduction

16 Savings Offset Price Very simple measures – behavioral changes – no capital investment. Computers: –Monitor Management Ex.: Loudoun County has saved $17,000 with Monitor Management alone. Montgomery County estimates savings to range from $75,000 to $100,000. Lights – 40 hrs./week vs. 168 hrs./week savings range from $140,000 to $400,000 per year Office Equipment – purchase “Energy Star” compliant, activate energy saving features, turn off at night

17 What is the Next Step? Even though the one-hour SIP has been submitted, it is never to late to take action. Other possiblities: –Inclusion as part of the 8-hour SIP –Adopt as part of an air quality improvement measure in your jurisdiction, following the gold book Questions regarding Montgomery County’s contract for wind energy ???

18 Wildlife Impacts Largest single bird kill incident in the history of the wind industry: ~ 30 birds killed on the night of May 23, 2003, heavy fog incident. Approximately 400 migrating bats killed between August and October Both incidents took place at the Mountaineer wind facility on Backbone Mountain, WV According to the National Wind Coordinating Committee, there are about 33,000 documented bird fatalities per year due to the 15,000 wind turbines in America.

19 Leading Causes of Bird Deaths Habitat Destruction: number one cause of bird and wildlife death and species extinction Glass: It is estimated that one bird per year is killed by impact with each of the 100 million homes, apartment buildings, office towers, schools, and storefronts that dot the American landscape. If you include towers and other structures, total kills may be as high as 1 billion per year. Cats: about 60 million cats in the U.S. kill hundreds of millions of birds each year, estimates vary.

20 Mountaintop Removal vs.