WIND RESOURCES IN ITALY

Italy, located in the center of a closed basin such as the Mediterranean's, is not invested by the very strong, constant winds which blow in some other parts of the world. However along its coasts and on the islands blow fairly strong winds, such as mistral, sirocco or south-west wind. Quoting from the National Energetic Plan, the potential application in Italy of the wind energy may be estimated at approx. 5 billion kWh/year, assuming the utilization of medium size machines, today technologically perfected at the international level. Indications collected to date induce us to believe that, at altitudes over 1000 m on the Apennines mountains, numerous sites are present with medium-high winds. But those interesting wind levels are associated with high turbulence, and with the presence of adverse meteorological characteristics ( ice formation and abundant snow falls during the winter) which could negatively affect the yield and even the physical integrity of the aerogenerators, through the induction of particularly high stresses.

The determination of a proper location and qualification of the locales for the installation of the aerogenerators acquire a fundamental importance in the realization of a wind plant, in view of the fact that the plant's energetic productivity is proportional to the cube of the wind speed: if this doubles, the electric energy that can be obtained will increase by eight times.

PROJECT MOTIVATION

The starting point for the wind utilization of mountain sites is still the verification of the machines' behavior under the severe environmental conditions of high elevations.

Accordingly, and in the context of the demonstration and development which ENEL are conducting, for the last 15 years now, in order to ascertain the real possibilities of wind power generation in Italy, the realization of the test field located at Acqua Spruzza in the territory of FROSOLONE (IS), at about 1350 m above sea level is of paramount importance.The reasons why this site was selected are both its favorable wind conditions, ascertained by accurate anemometric investigations which have determined an average annual wind speed of approx. 7 m/s at the 15 m elevation above ground, and also the presence of adequate infrastructures, such as access roads and relative closeness to the ENEL electrical network. The novelty of experimentation at such high elevations is witnessed by the fact that in Europe there is only one other similar initiative, in Romania on the Carpathians Mountains.

THE PLANT'S CHARACTERISTICS

The test field of Acqua Spruzza is host to 8 aerogenerators of medium size, of horizontal axis; two machines of each of four models, Italian and Foreign, which had already been subjected to a similar technological comparison in the ENEL's test field of A Initially, for a period of at least two years, experimentation will be in effect to ascertain and compare the performance of the installed models as to energetic yield, reliability, and also the production and maintenance costs in the particular environmental conditions of the site. Following that, the plant will remain in service for the production of electric energy.

INSERTION IN THE TERRITORY

The test field of Frosolone occupies an area of approx 6 hectares, with no enclosures. It will retain its original purpose of pasture, except for the spaces physically occupied by the structures (less than 1 % of the area).

Particular care has been dedicated to the preservation of the typology of the place: all electrical connections at the station have been realized with buried cables. Even the foundation platforms of the generators have been buried. The service roads have been laid out to follow the contour of the landscape and the buildings have been built with local stone.
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On March 30, 1997 MSNBC had to say this about WIND POWER:

A wind farm lines the desert hills outside Palm Springs, Calif.

  Wind power not just blowing hot air By Paul Roberts
© 1997 MSNBC

        After decades of dismissal as a pipe dream, wind power is finally winning acceptance as a legitimate energy source and, indeed, may emerge as the most practical player in the field of environmentally safe, “renewable” energy.
Earlier this month, Public Service Co., a Denver-based utility supplying 1.1 million residents in Colorado, announced plans to sell wind-generated electricity to those customers willing to pay slightly more for environmentally friendly energy.
        “For the first time ever, customers can show their support for renewable energy,” says Jeff Ackermann, PSC spokesman.
        And PSC’s Windsource program, wind power advocates say, is only the latest in a growing positive sign for the industry. Not only have technological advances made the massive windmills more efficient, but governments around the world are seizing on wind power as a means to get “juice” without adding to pollution and climate-change problems.
        In California, Texas and Minnesota, in China and India, and in much of Europe, clusters and “farms” of massive windmills are becoming an increasingly common sight.
        “Worldwide, there were more than $1 billion worth of wind turbines sold last year alone, and at least a billion dollars worth of generated electricity,” says Paul Gipe, a California-based expert on wind power and a self-professed industry cheerleader. “It’s a real industry.”
        In 1995, Gipe says world production of wind-generated electricity stood at 7.5 billion watt-hours — or enough juice to supply four large cities — and that’s up from nearly zero production little more than a decade ago. By the year 2000, Gipe and other industry analysts predict, worldwide production will be at 20 billion watt-hours.
        As importantly, by replacing power generated by burning coal and other fossil fuels, wind generation has already cut emissions of global warming pollutants by 5 million tons annually.
        The resurgence of wind power marks a dramatic contrast to the situation just over a decade ago, when wind power seemed unable to escape status as a curiosity. Although it’s potential was obvious, the technology wasn’t dependable — early turbines in California, for example, could only reliably produce power 60 percent of the time.
Today's wind turbines are 97 percent reliable, and they can produce power for as little as 6 cents a kilowatt-hour.
        As critically, the high cost of building and maintaining turbines translated into unrealistically high electricity rates, making wind power completely uncompetitive with other power sources.
        But as governments in Europe and especially the Third World, where pollution problems are skyrocketing, have become desperate for environmentally benign forms of power, demand for turbines has spurred improvements in technology.
        Today’s state-of-the-art wind turbines are 97 percent reliable. As well, they can produce power for as little as 6 cents a kilowatt-hour — down from 40 cents in the early 1980s — making wind-powered electricity only slightly more expensive than electricity generated by coal and other conventional fuels.
        In Colorado, for example, PSC’s customers opting for wind-powered electricity will pay $2.50 more a month for each block of 100 kilowatt-hours. The average home uses about 500 kwh a month.
        Beyond improvements in efficiency and price, however, the industry itself is far more savvy about marketing wind power. Before laying plans for its six new turbines, PCS’ Ackermann says, the utility did extensive research and determined that 5 percent of its customers would actually pay more for “green” power.
        PCS also plans to market wind power to government agencies, some of whom are considering a requirement to buy a certain percentage of their power from “green” sources.
        The utility will also be wooing commercial customers, like health food stores, that see a benefit in a socially responsible power source.
        “We know there are a handful of companies who will see this as a public relations opportunity,” Ackermann says. “They may want to buy it for what it does for their image in the community.”
        To be sure, not everyone is pleased with wind power’s new popularity. Some land-use advocates see the massive arrays of windmills on hillsides as a serious threat to aesthetics and wildlife.
        But Gipe says this issue, too, may see some resolution. In Europe, where land is even less open and available, technicians cluster turbines in small groups, rather than spreading them, California style, across the landscape. Gipe says this cluster style is finally emerging in America, and could help ease aesthetic concerns.
        Even so, wind power advocates say the United States’ acceptance of this energy source is embarrassingly below that of much of the rest of the world.
        “Our political leaders still believe that price is everything,” says Gipe. “In other places, they place some value on a clean energy source. The result is that India — a Third world country — is installing more wind energy-generating capacity than we are. In fact, they’re running circles around us.”