Distributed Wind
Distributed Wind
Enabling wind energy for on-site
and local power generation
Enabling wind energy for on-site
and local power generation
On-Site Wind for Rural Loads
The On-Site Wind for Rural Load Centers project focuses on evaluating rural energy needs and providing tools and resources for communities considering distributed wind in microgrids, distribution networks, and hybrid systems (DW-hybrid). While rural areas have strong distributed wind potential, the suitability of matching DW to rural loads is not well understood. This project aims to provide replicable templates for DW-based hybrid systems that maximize value streams and meet local resilience requirements by matching resources to local load demands in an equitable way.
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s Energy Equity Opportunities in Distributed Wind Hybrid Systems for Rural Loads report defines energy equity opportunities achievable with DW-hybrid systems for rural loads by the core principles of energy justice. The report also proposes an equity framework for DW-hybrid systems. A catalog of equity resources, metrics, technology-agnostic frameworks, and best practices, formatted to be compatible with the Microgrids, Infrastructure, Resilience, and Advanced Controls Launchpad (MIRACL) Valuation Framework, also supports the report. Findings in this report can help guide communities as they evaluate how DW-hybrids can serve rural loads and improve equity outcomes.
At the end of 2024, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will also launch the Distributed Wind Investment and Valuation Analysis Tool (WINDVALT) to offer a web-based tool to explore the value streams and profitability of distributed wind systems. This tool builds on previous work by MIRACL and the RADWIND project.