Salinas Valley Wind Resource Assessment
The Stanford Green Fund awarded SWEP a grant to site and install a 50 meter anemometer tower to measure the wind resource in the Salinas Valley. SWEP will record, process, and analyze wind measurements for at least one year to characterize the wind resource potential. If the wind resource is sufficient to develop a community scale wind farm, then SWEP will develop a project proposal for Stanford to build wind turbines to offset the electricity consumption at its Hopkins Marine Station in Monterey. The data and analysis will also be shared with the City of Soledad in support of its proposed wind power project at the Soledad Wastewater Treatment Facility.
The project provides an opportunity for Stanford students to get involved in a hands-on educational project to -
1) Initiate a potential wind power project by first identifying the wind resource
2) Analyze wind data for wind power projects
3) Construct a 50 meter anemometer tower
4) Work on the various legal and business aspects of wind power projects including permitting and power purchase agreements
5) Potentially develop a wind power project for Stanford to power part of its campus with renewable energy
6) Provide data and analysis to empower the City of Soledad to harness their wind resource
7) Potentially be involved in assisting Salinas Valley cities, residents, and businesses with wind power projects
We're looking for a group of students with diverse talents in engineering, business, and law. If you're interested in the project please contact SWEP to get involved or directly contact Eric Stoutenburg.
Project Status
1) The 50 meter tower is installed at the Soledad Wastewater Treatment Plant. Link to video of construction: Engineering Students Test New Site for Wind Power
2) Additional 10 meter anemometer tower installed at nearby site.
3) Project includes a solar resource assessment at the site with a pyranometer.
4) Joint report with the Ventana Wildlife Society on California Condors and the Potential for Wind Power in Monterey County. Ventana Wildlife Society.
5) A preliminary wind farm design optimization is in progress.
6) Currently seeking project partners and raising seed capital for full development cycle.
Project Manager: Eric Stoutenburg (estout@stanford.edu)
Wind Data Analysis Team Leader: James Apple
Legal Counsel: Efi Harari
Construction Team
John Ten Hoeve
Ben Sumers
Shweta Mehta
Dan Whitt
Herbert Moore
Wind Data Analysis Team
John Ten Hoeve
Elaine Hart
Ben Sumers
Andrew Boone
Lisa Villarreal
David Geisert
Ben Warfield
Chris Hart
Matt Ganser
Solar Data Analysis Team
Ben Sumers
Aurelia Heitz
Bryce Cronkite-Ratcliff
Project Financing
Kate Reimer
Herbert Moore
Many thanks to the project sponsors:
Stanford Green Fund
Stanford School of Engineering
Atmosphere/Energy Program, CEE Department, Stanford
MAP Royalty
And to project partners that have made it happen:
City of Soledad
Tashjian Towers
Shimmick Construction