Ride The wind

 

I sent this to the GCRTA in February and again in May to a couple people who were suggested as appropriate.  I have never received a response.

 

RIDE THE WIND™

WITH THE RTA

A PROPOSAL TO SUPPLEMENT THE CLEVELAND RAPID TRANSIT AUTHORITY’S ELECTRICAL POWER, AND CREATE A DYNAMIC “SUSTAINABLE” IMAGE , BY INSTALLING MODERN MULTI-MEGAWATT WIND TURBINES ALONG THE RAIL RIGHT OF WAY(ROW). 

Greater Cleveland’s Rapid Transit is already an organization of which the community is proud. The Transit is forward thinking and has been on the cusp of green developments from bike carriers on buses to allowing bikes on the rail cars. The RTA’s “smart commute” home mortgage-help program, its computerized “trip planner”, and the art on the bus initiatives show that the RTA knows how to leverage its community transportation responsibility towards positive goals.  

As energy costs skyrocket, it is more and more feasible to utilize renewable sources to provide electricity to power the electrified RTA rail. See urban wind turbine photos at http://www.mpshq.com/products_wind.htm [1]  

Following is a suggestion which, if implemented, would allow the RTA to stand at the forefront of the transportation industry – by installing wind turbines on or near the RTA ROW, and grid -connecting those turbines, the RTA could maximize the value of the electricity generated by wind by eliminating or minimizing wheeling charges, and under the Ohio net metering regulations, directly offset the RTA’s commercial electrical meter charges.  

IS WIND GENERATION ECONOMICALLY VIABLE? 

There is an easy and inexpensive way to find out: issue an RFP. 

If the RTA were to issue a “request for proposal” calling for, say 10 to 20 megawatts of wind turbine capacity, and see that the RFP were delivered to each of the several dozen global wind turbine manufacturers and wind farm developers, these manufacturers – many of whom own and operate their own wind farms – and developers would study the wind regime along the ROW, review the sites offered by the RTA, and then inform the RTA that they would or would not be interested. 

Let’s say the RTA offers an arrangement where the RTA guarantees to consume all electricity produced while leasing the various sites to a turn-key turbine developer. This would be the best arrangement because the RTA would obtain the highest possible return for the electricity – the same rate that the RTA is now charged for electricity provided by First Energy and the First Energy CPP grid.  Or, the RTA could choose to buy the turbines and enter into a long term service contract.  

Another option would be for the RTA to collaborate with another entity such as Cuyahoga County, the Cleveland School District, Cleveland Public Power, or the Port Authority to obtain other sites, financing, or a larger electrical demand base.  

If the RTA wishes to explore the idea further, I would be glad to arrange a more detailed presentation at your convenience. In the past several years I have made similar presentations at Case for the Regional Economics Initiative headed by Ed Morrison, and elsewhere. Some day perhaps, the RTA’s customers can say “We ride the Wind”! 

Thanks for your consideration. 

Jeff Buster

   

FYI:

• BETWEEN HOPKINS AIRPORT AND WINDEMERE THE RTA RIGHT OF WAY RUNS ALMOST PERPENDICULAR TO THE PREVAILING SOUTH WEST WINDS.
• THE ROW TRAVERSES COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL ZONES WHERE IT WOULD BE QUITE FEASABLE TO ERECT WIND TURBINES.
• CHARLES BRUSH INVENTED THE WIND DYNAMO IN CLEVELAND IN 1888.