FAQ
"YOUR" COSMIC POWER CORP
Is An Independent Power Producer (IPP) Focused On Developing, Owning Manageing And Operating Wind Energy Projects in Texas.
What is a wind turbine and how does it work?
A wind energy system transforms the kinetic energy of the wind into mechanical or electrical energy that can be harnessed for practical use. Mechanical energy is most commonly used for pumping water in rural or remote locations. Wind electric turbines generate electricity for homes and businesses and for sale to utilities. Wind turbines vary in size and the corresponding amount of electricity they are capable of generating.
How much electricity can one wind turbine generate?
The ability to generate electricity is measured in watts. Watts are very small units, so the terms kilowatt (1,000 watts), megawatt (1 million watts), and gigawatt (1 billion watts) are most commonly used to describe the capacity of generating units like wind turbines or other power plants.
Electricity production and consumption are most commonly measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh). A kilowatt-hour means 1,000 watts of electricity produced or consumed for one hour. One 100-watt light bulb left on for 10 hours consumes one kilowatt-hour of electricity (100 watts x 10 hours = 1,000 watt-hours = 1 kWh).
The output of a wind turbine depends on the turbine's size and the wind's speed through the rotor (blades). Wind turbines being manufactured now have power ratings ranging from 250 watts to 2.0 megawatts (MW) and larger. A 2.0 MW turbine can produce more than 5 million kWh in a year--enough to power more than 500 households.
How much does wind energy cost?
Over the last 20 years, the cost of electricity from utility-scale wind systems has dropped by more than 80%.
In the early 1980s, when the first utility-scale turbines were installed, wind-generated electricity cost as much as 30 cents/kWh. Now, state-of-the-art wind power plants are generating power at costs as low as 4 cents/kWh, a price that is competitive with many conventional energy technologies.
What is the "production tax credit" for wind energy?
A 1.5-cent/kWh* production tax credit (PTC) for wind energy was included in the Energy Policy Act of 1992. Extension of the PTC in early 2002 is recognition of the important role that wind energy can and should play in our nation's energy mix. It also was intended to partially correct the existing tilt of the federal energy tax code, which has historically favored conventional energy technologies such as oil and coal.
Generally, the credit is a business credit that applies to electricity generated from wind plants for sale at wholesale. It applies to electricity produced during the first ten years of a wind plant's operation.
How much energy can wind realistically supply to the U.S.?
Wind energy could supply about 20% of the nation's electricity, or 600 billion kWh annually, according to Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratory, a federal research lab. Wind energy resources useful for generating electricity can be found in nearly every state. At the end of 2001, 28 U.S. states had installed a total of 4,222 MW of wind generating capacity. This capacity could double in less than two years due to projects that are proposed across the country, making wind one of the fastest growing energy markets in the country.
How much energy can wind supply worldwide?
Today, there are approximately 35,000 wind turbines generating power worldwide, totaling 12,000 MW of generating capacity and producing more than 20 billion kWh each year. Yet this is but a tiny fraction of wind's potential.
What does the U.S. wind industry contribute to the economy?
Wind power supplies affordable, inexhaustible energy to the economy. It also provides jobs and other sources of income. Best of all, wind powers the economy without causing pollution, generating hazardous wastes, or depleting natural resources.
What are America's current sources of electricity?
Coal, the most polluting fuel and the largest source of the leading greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide (CO2), is currently used to generate more than half of all of the electricity (52%) used in the U.S. Other sources of electricity are: natural gas (15%), oil (4%), nuclear (19%), and hydropower (9%).
What are the environmental benefits of wind power?
Wind energy system operations do not generate air or water emissions and do not produce hazardous waste. Nor do they deplete natural resources such as coal, oil, or gas, or cause environmental damage through resource extraction and transportation.
Development of 10% of the wind potential in the 10 windiest U.S. states would provide more than enough energy to displace emissions from the nation's coal-fired power plants and eliminate the nation's major source of acid rain; reduce total U.S. emissions of CO2 by almost a third and world emissions of CO2 by 4%.
What are wind power's other environmental impacts?
Wind power plants, like all other energy technologies, have some environmental impacts. However, unlike most conventional technologies (which have regional and even global impacts due to their emissions), the impacts of wind energy systems are local. This makes them easier for local communities to monitor and, if necessary, mitigate.
The local environmental impacts that can result from wind power development include:
Erosion, which can be prevented through proper installation and landscaping techniques.
Bird kills and other effects. Birds occasionally collide with wind turbines, as they do with other tall structures such as buildings. Avian deaths have become a concern at Altamont Pass in California, which is an area of extensive wind development and also high year-round raptor use. However, new design technology and the slow rotation of the blades have greatly reduced avian mortality issues.
Visual impacts, which can be minimized through careful design of a wind power plant.
What exactly is "green power"?
Green power is a term applied to electricity that is generated from wind and other renewable energy sources, such as solar, geothermal, biomass, and small hydropower. Typically, the environmental impacts of these sources are quite modest compared to those of coal and other conventional sources.
How many wind turbines will be installed on my land?
That typically depends on the land and its terrain. Developers will evaluate the geographical characteristics of the site and design the turbine layout to maximize the energy output of not just a single turbine, but the entire windpark.
Will my real estate taxes increase due to this project ?
No. The developer will normally incur any of the additional real estate taxes due on the property in connection with the windpark through the entire term of the lease agreement.
Will I be liable if someone gets injured on my land during construction, or later down the road, possibly during maintenance of the wind turbines?
No. The developer normally maintains the required level of accident insurance that would cover personal injuries or accidents that may occur as a result of the windpark equipment installed on the leased property.
Can I sell my land if I have signed a lease option?
Since you will maintain ownership of the land, even after signing an exclusive lease option with a developer, you have the right to sell your land at anytime during the lease agreement; however, potential buyers will be required to assume the existing lease on the land with the purchase.
Will I incur any out-of-pocket expenses if I agree to sign a lease option for construction of a wind project?
No. Any out-of-pocket expenses, such as executing a Memorandum of Option and Easement suitable for recording in the public records, special meetings and the like, will typically be reimbursed by the developer. The developer will also pay for and maintain the necessary accident insurance and, in addition, assume the responsibility for paying any additional real estate tax specific to the increased valuation of the land due to the windpark through the entire term of the lease option.
How will I be paid for the use of my land; how much will it be?
Payments made to landowners are typically made in the form of a percentage royalty on the revenue generated by the sale of electricity from each wind turbine. Payments are made semi-annually, and in no event, will they be less than $1,000 per year per wind turbine generator.
How much wind does it take to make energy?
Energy output of a wind turbine is dependent on the amount of wind moving through the turbine blades. The relationship of energy output to wind is a cubic relationship which means if you increase the wind by a factor of two, the energy output would change by a factor of eight. Economics play a major role in wind development projects and therefore, each site is evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
What impact do wind farms have on property vaues?
Despite widespread claims that wind farms have a negatve effect on property values in host communities, the evidence suggests otherwise. One recent study, "Impacts of Windmill Visibility on Property Values in Madison County, New York" concluded that propety values were unaffected by the installation of (20) megawatt-class turbines in 2001.
