Walmart 1 MW Wind Turbine Due this Fall; Nevada’s First Wind Power Project Online

by | Aug 9, 2012

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Walmart says a 1 MW wind turbine pilot project, located at its distribution center in Red Bluff, Calif., should be operational by this fall and will provide about 15 to 20 percent of the distribution center’s yearly electrical use.

The retailer expects the GE wind turbine to produce about 2,200,000 kWh annually.

The company previously announced it would finish installation by the end of July.

Under a power purchase agreement, Foundation Windpower will install, own and operates the wind turbine, and Walmart will purchases the power produced.

The wind turbine in Red Bluff joins Walmart’s 180 renewable energy projects in operation. These include a 90 MW wind farm in West Texas, providing 15 percent of power for more than 300 Walmart stores and Sam’s Clubs, and 12 mini wind turbines that power a Worcester, Mass. store.

Additionally, 26 fuel cell sites in California supply energy to local Walmart stores and Sam’s Clubs, and more than 140 solar installations power stores in six states.

In other wind turbine news, Pattern Energy Group’s 151.8 MW Spring Valley Wind project — the first wind power project in Nevada — is now fully operational. The company expects the wind farm to generate more than $20 million in tax revenue for White Pine County and the state of Nevada’s Renewable Energy Fund over the next 20 years.

Meanwhile, Asahi Kasei Plastics has announced it is working with Unified Energies International to develop the “Windstrument” wind turbine, a rooftop or pole-mounted system that the companies say will provide affordable renewable energy to homes and utility-scale projects.

The blade design is different than traditional wind turbines. Its conical helicoid pattern — similar to that found in hurricanes, tornadoes, galaxies and plants — allows for bird-safe and human-safe power generation at lower heights and in structurally busy urban environments, according to Asahi Kasei Plastics.

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