Abstract
A byproduct of using fossil fuel (which still provides the majority of our electricity) is the immense amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. The International Energy Agency (IEA) shows that in 2024 energy production processes released a total of 37.6 gigatons of carbon dioxide (1). To match energy consumption and sustainability efforts, more funding and focus has been placed on wind energy. The sustainable aspect of wind energy is well known, and it is also quoted to be a cost-effective form of energy. The technical portion will focus on proposing a hypothetical wind turbine, along with the grid integration aspect, and quantify the revenues and costs, to validate the cost effectiveness of wind energy. Outside of technical and economic factors, society plays a huge role in this context. For any renewable energy sources, they must be integrated into the grid for the power to reach consumers. Building new infrastructure can commonly involve the residents or communities, which can lead to conflict for various reasons, backed by examples in recent history. Even with clear sustainable and economic benefits, pushback from society can halt the progression of grid integration projects, which is why the STS research project will focus on gathering the major trends and reason as to why there is pushback on new infrastructure projects. The technical project of my thesis produced an economic breakdown of a singular wind turbine along with the transmission line infrastructure that will help connect this wind turbine into an existing substation. The first major component will be the proposed wind turbine itself, which was designed to be built in Bosque County, Texas. This was done using Global Wind Atlas, a free online application that houses wind-related data across the world. The wind data mirrors that of an existing wind turbine that is operational in Texas, the Midway Project. Using this as reference, the wind turbine model is the Siemens Gamesa (SG 3.4-132), which has an output of 3.4 MW and a rotor diameter of 132 meters (about half the height of the Empire State Building). Once the wind turbine site was chosen, the cost of the wind turbine was calculated using guidelines posted by the Department of Energy (2). To connect the wind turbine to the closest substation, there were a total of 10 transmission line structures. The cost of these structures would be calculated using a guide posted by MISO (3). It was found that the cost of electricity in Texas is approximately $0.14 per kWh. The annual energy production (AEP) and its worth can be calculated. By making assumptions and using conservative figures, my research concludes that the wind turbine will generate more money revenue than it costs by around 15 years, well within the 25-year life of turbines. This finding aligns with previous research papers and studies, showing that wind turbines are cost effective. In my STS research project, I aimed to review various cases or research published on pushback against new transmission line projects. My goal here is to see if there is a general trend across these papers and establish why people oppose new projects. From the various papers and case studies, the major factor as to why people oppose these new projects is visual pollution. These are especially true for transmission line projects that cut directly into people’s backyard. These sentiments are so prevalent that people have coined a term for this behavior, “Not In My Back Yard” (NIMBY). In addition to visual pollution, Jiang et al. (2024) also stated that people generally have bad connotations associated with the construction of new grid-related infrastructure. They associate the projects with pollution and poor practices. The main conclusion drawn from my STS research is that people have a negative perception of new grid infrastructure and will always fight to preserve the scenery, especially in one’s backyard. This means that experts and relevant parties must communicate better on their own practices and how the new projects will help develop a more reliable electrical grid. Parties related to these projects should emphasize how route selection tries to avoid residential areas, but to modernize the aging grid, compromises must be made. Both my technical and STS project tackle the relevant issue of a sustainable way of energy production. The technical portion focuses on ensuring wind energy is cost-effective, as adequate funding will drive wind energy expansion. However, even with clear economic and sustainable benefits, grid integration interacts with society and can create ethical conflicts. It is important to push for a more sustainable energy source, but equally important to consider potential pushbacks and the origins of these behaviors. Wind energy and grid integration are not only a matter defined by engineering, economics, but also how it impacts society and how that can be alleviated.
