Wind Farm Blades Come To Life

By Tammy Gray-Searles
   After several years of planning and many months of construction, the blades at Arizona’s very first wind farm have finally started turning.
   The giant wind turbines at the Dry Lake Wind Farm are in the first phase of testing, or commissioning, as Iberdrola Renewables, the company responsible for building the wind farm, ensures that they operate as expected.
   “There’s a long period of testing,” explained Iberdrola public relations representative Jan Johnson. “We test them in all kinds of weather conditions.”
   Johnson noted that since the blades started turning last week, there has not been an abundance of wind, but the company is confident the calm conditions will not last too long.
   “They’re (the turbines) all in testing. Some are turning, but there’s not a lot of wind right now,"” she remarked.
   Testing is expected to take at least a month. If successful, the wind farm will gear up for full production, adding renewable energy to the state’s power grid.
   Wind must blow at least seven miles per hour for the blades to turn, and for safety reasons they are automatically stopped if wind speeds exceed 56 miles per hour. Ideally, winds in the area will most often blow in the mid-20 mile per hour range to keep the turbines operating at maximum efficiency.
   Construction of the first phase of the wind farm began in January, and at that time officials were predicting it would begin commercial operation by the end of 2009. Barring any unforeseen problems in the testing phase, Iberdrola is likely to meet its start-up goal.
   An open house for the public to see the massive turbines up close and learn about how they work is planned for September, with the exact date and time to be announced. Johnson previously explained that the company would like to give community members a chance to see the project first-hand.
   Future phases with additional wind turbines are also planned, but timelines for construction have not yet been announced. The current phase, which is nearly complete, includes 30 turbines that can generate up to 63 megawatts of electricity. More than 200 additional turbines could be constructed in the next phases of the project.
   Electricity generated by the turbines is being purchased by Salt River Project (SRP), and the power company has options on future power generated by the wind farm.
   The wind farm is built on a combination of federal, state and private land, and local ranchers will be able to continue using the area for grazing. Johnson noted that one of the many benefits of wind power is that the land use is not restricted to solely generating electricity.
   Additional test towers are being erected in the area to determine if other nearby sites are also suitable for commercial wind turbines. Although the Dry Lake Wind Farm has generally received strong support from area residents, a similar proposal by NZ Legacy to construct hundreds of wind turbines closer to residential areas has been met with concern from nearby property owners. Permits for those turbines and test towers have not been approved, and are still under consideration by the Navajo County Planning and Zoning Commission.