Holding Back the Wind
A new report says that wind power can't grow without extensive new transmission investments.
David Talbot 10/23/2008
- 9 Comments
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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.
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javs
97 Comments
Transmission and Distribution Expansion Planning
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 transporation entity (with a responsibility to transport) as envisioned under the EWPC market architecture and design to enable commercial quality electric power.
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app1es
6 Comments
Re: Transmission and Distribution Expansion Planning
The transportation sector in this country uses approx. 38% of the oil we consume, that includes lubrication. Buildings use the rest in one form or another. Most every IC engine can use Hydrogen either alone or in combo with even turpines or methane or most any other carbon based fuel and under most combinations the exhust comes out cleaner then it goes in. It seems to me that if the grid cant handle the excess energy demand it would be more prudent to decentralize energy production and start a new energy storage economy that would spark new jobs nation wide. The problem doesnt really lie with transportation but with buildings and stationary items. As is, most people in this country dont want to change, nor should they, energy demand will continue to rise for the rest of time, we must leave it to the engineers to symplify and utilize Earths natural energy who's abundance is unlimited as long as it keeps spinning.
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javs
97 Comments
Re: Transmission and Distribution Expansion Planning
By transportation, I meant the integration of electric power transmission and distribution.
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daaberg
6 Comments
Re: Transmission and Distribution Expansion Planning
forget transmission via wires. As per very recent MIT Tech Review article on new catalyst for hydrogen production, make hydrogen on-site... and truck it using hydrogen powered trucks to distribution points... also use the hydrogen locally/regionally as much as possible... time to put the pieces together
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javs
97 Comments
Re: Transmission and Distribution Expansion Planning
EWPC can be implemented today to open the power industry to innovation. The obsolete price control business model is what blocks innovation.
The hydrogen economy is one of the potential technology to replace eventually EWPC. But such a proposition will take a long time.
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