NMSU Team attends WEATS 2007 in Boulder Colorado

The entire group of attendees holding a Happy Birthday sign for a colleague that was overseas during the conference

This years’ Wind Energy Applications Training Symposium (WEATS) was held at the National Wind Testing Center (NWTC) located in Rocky Flats near Boulder, Colorado, August 28 -31. NSF/ NMSU attendees included students Jazmin Garcia and Jacqueline Sanchez, and Faculty Advisor Robert Foster.

This symposium was developed for project planners, engineers that are involved with energy projects, utility officials, and land developers who are considering the integration of wind energy in their investments.

The attendees had the opportunity to become acquainted with Native American tribal members as well as participants from other countries such as China. Amongst the speakers were experts in the wind energy industry, and business leaders that shed light on both the capabilities of wind energy technology and the environmental, economic, and financial aspects that must be considered in both large scale wind farm development and small scale home use.

This workshop was first held in 1988 and has seen great technological advances since. Activities included the hands-on installation of an anemometer based wind monitoring tower, a tour of the National Wind Testing Center, and a visit to Ponnequin Wind Farm on the plains of eastern Colorado just south of the Wyoming state border near Cheyenne. This wind site has 44 wind turbines and generates 30 megawatts of electricity.

According to the studies presented at WEATS, every megawatt of electricity produced supplies the energy needs of over 300 American homes. The power produced at Ponnequin is sold through Xcel Energy's Windsource® program. State wide home owners and businesses may purchase wind energy in 100 kWh blocks and pay $2.00 to $3.00 above their existing residential rates by signing up with their local utility, their support has helped green power spread.

Native American involvement included the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South Dakota. After 18 months of wind measurement data and 8 years of solicitation for permits and funds, the tribe has installed a 750 KW wind turbine that supplies an average of 80% of the Rosebud Casino and motels’ energy needs. The concept of clean, wind energy is very coherent with the level of value the Rosebud Sioux Tribe places on our natural resources; “we do not own our resources, we borrow them from our children.”

This very productive symposium conferred very clear concepts: our non-renewable resources are dwindling and in high demand due to the economic growth of other countries, our current energy sources are destroying our atmosphere so it is important to institute more efficient, environmentally friendly technology, and renewable energy is worthwhile for developers to see as a positive and profitable option.

Tour of the Ponnequin Wind Farm located south of the Wyoming state border, this wind farm produces 30 megawatts of electricity

Tour of NWTC, speaker demonstrates a small turbine designed for home or small business use