Developers eye potential of Idaho wind
 
February 04, 2002
Idaho Fall Post Register
By Steve Fischback
 
Idaho blows.
 
Just ask Leadore rancher Allan Purcell.
 
"My son bought me a small (ornamental) windmill to put in my yard, and the wind wrecked it," he said. "It shook the screws right out of it, so I figure we've got pretty good wind speed."
 
The Idaho Department of Water Resources Energy Division has just compiled data that confirms what Purcell already assumed.
 
Custer and Lemhi counties are the windiest in the state, with potential to generate 3,500 and 2,000 megawatts respectively. Custer County has 174,000 acres with wind adequate to power wind turbines, and Lemhi County has 100,800 acres.
 
The study, conducted by Integral GIS/Northwest SEED for the Idaho Energy Division and the U.S. Department of Energy, showed that 36 of Idaho's 44 counties have a total of 900,000 acres with the potential for commercial wind development.
 
Dave Luck said those studies are helpful, but his company runs independent tests before making any decisions. Luck does business development for enXco, a company with more than 4,000 wind turbines charging power lines worldwide.
 
"If somebody has that kind of data, we consider it to be an indicator," Luck said. "But before we invest that kind of money, we want to be as sure as we can."
 
Right now enXco has instrumentation up at sites in Idaho south of Shoshone and is eyeing land near Idaho Falls, but weather has not permitted the installation of instrument towers yet.
 
"Your area has some good potential sites," Luck said. "Especially to the east, up in the hills."
 
Wind is the main factor in site selection, but prime locations also need close proximity to transmission lines and distance from population densities.
 
Purcell hopes he has the perfect spot.
 
A few hundred feet from his front door is a 60-foot aluminum tower with guy wires and a small impeller at its top, measuring to see whether the wind howling across the flats is a commercial-grade power source. Every month for a year he'll send computer chips from the device to the Bonneville Power Administration so technicians there can quantify the force he leans into every time he steps outside.
 
Purcell is certain the wind will be up to the task whenever the people of the state are ready.
 
"We need a little support from the Legislature," Purcell said. "Not outright grants, but tax incentives to attract the wind industry. We also need to upgrade the transmission capacity."
 
According to the American Wind Energy Association, landowners such as Purcell can harvest the wind at a rate of about $2,000 per turbine per year. It's no wonder there's an uptick in interest.
 
"Let's face it, traditional farming is getting tougher and tougher," Luck said. "We view this as another cash crop. They're very drought-resistant, too."