A new report says that wind power can't grow without extensive new transmission investments.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
By David Talbot
| Credit: American Wind Energy Association |
Stock market aside, there's one area with possible 750
percent growth in the next 10 years: wind power. While lower oil prices and
tight credit are hurting alternative energy investments in the short term, today
the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC)--a
nonprofit established by the electric utility industry--predicted the huge
growth of wind power in the United States and Canada through 2007. But it also warned
that the transmission system to bring wind power to market is lagging. While
more transmission investments are expected, they'll be outpaced by the growth
of new power plants, including wind farms, according to NERC's new report on the state of the nation's transmission system.
In a statement, Rick Sergel, the CEO of NERC, put it simply: "We need more
transmission resources to maintain reliability and achieve environmental
goals." He added, "Faster siting, permitting, and construction of transmission
resources will be vital to keeping the lights on in the coming years." Today,
less than 1 percent of U.S.
electricity comes from wind. But projects are planned for Texas,
the Midwest, the mid-Atlantic, and western
states and Canadian provinces.
Comments
javs on 10/24/2008 at 10:13 AM
74
app1es on 10/24/2008 at 9:43 PM
2
javs on 10/28/2008 at 12:25 AM
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daaberg on 10/25/2008 at 9:08 AM
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javs on 10/28/2008 at 12:29 AM
74
The hydrogen economy is one of the potential technology to replace eventually EWPC. But such a proposition will take a long time.
app1es on 10/24/2008 at 7:35 PM
2
javs on 10/28/2008 at 1:02 AM
74
EWPC makes consumers into pro-sumers, whose rooftop electricity above consumption may be sold into the system by making distribution a two way street. It is precisely that two way street that make distribution just like transmission, which is why I termed it transportation of electricity. By separating the transportation monopoly from the commercial transactions enables the utility grid become a smart grid to be develop at least costs.
With the above in mind, I will repeat my first post where you confused ground transportation with electricity (transmission and distribution) transportation.
“Open transmission access has fractured the transportation (T&D) system of US and Canada. System reliability is a long term proposition, not a short term one. All generation (including wind) competing resources in a region should be taken into consideration to develop a least cost transportation expansion plan. To do that you need a regulated transportation entity (with a responsibility to transport) as envisioned under the EWPC market architecture and design to enable commercial quality electric power.”
Under EWPC NERC role could go back to the old advisory modes as the smart grid transportation only utility becomes responsible for short run and long run reliability.
Cleanmw on 11/10/2008 at 3:52 PM
1
- in case you're wondering - I am not affiliated with the electricity industry or any industry at all.