CHRIS FORD OFFICE

CHRIS FORD OFFICE

REIs: Renewable Energy Infrastructures

Public power districts, State of Nebraska

September 2008—Present

Designers address problems outside of themselves and therefore are engaged in a form of applied research.  Furthermore, designers have historically played a role as technological innovators and as such, our team is applying design thinking skills to a problem that involves energy production, global warming, and urban living.  An REI generates renewable energy megawatts (MW) at an industrial scale through the simultaneous harnessing of wind, solar and geothermal resources, yet does so within an integrated, holistic, and free-standing facility positioned in a high-population urban environment.  An REI is owned and operated by an electrical utility for purposes of generating a renewable electrical supply for users in high-population areas.

 

While current renewable energy technologies of industrial scale are typically located in rural areas, their greatest possible service to urban areas is limited due to measurable degradation rates along transmission lines and loss during electrical step-downs at transformers.  On a social level, we recognize that current economic, political and social forces position renewable energy technologies such as wind farms and photovoltaic arrays in rural areas, and we furthermore recognize that the idea for an REI will meet resistance with existing zoning codes and prevailing “not-in-my-backyard” sensibilities.  However, just as society accepted the emergence of water towers and cell phone towers, then so too does an REI seek to establish credibility through renewable energy electrical yields so as to best overcome ill-advised urban zoning policies, affect NIMBY attitudes and initiate market transformation.

According to the 2008 US Census, the State of Nebraska ranks 38th in population.  In contrast to this ranking, the US Department of Energy ranks the State of Nebraska as 6th in wind energy potential.  Despite this positive climatological circumstance, Nebraska surprisingly ranks only 24th in actual wind energy production.  Of the total amount of renewable energy currently generated in Nebraska, (153.2+ MW) 10%-15% of this amount will be lost during transfer due to degradation along transmission lines and processing through transformers.  As a vehicle for this REI investigation, we are looking to work with the State of Nebraska’s various public power districts for the design of (3) site-specific, technically-plausible REI solutions of escalating scale in Columbus NE, Lincoln NE and Omaha NE respectively.

 

This project is funded through the University of Nebraska, College of Architecture in the form of the 2008—2010 Steward Professorship in Sustainable Design.  Our design team includes Chris Ford, Ryan Henrickson, Krissy Harbert, Justin Brouillette, and Jon Miller.