Wyoming gains in pairing of wind, natural gas
From the standpoint of an electrical utility, wind alone and natural gas alone each come with significant shortfalls.
Wind only blows 35 percent to 38 percent of the time.
Natural gas is susceptible to extreme price volatility.
But by pairing the two fuels, utilities can gain a source of generation that’s consistent, low in carbon emissions and perhaps a lot cheaper than coal in the long run.
The idea of widening a utility’s portfolio of fuel sources is particularly advantageous for a state like Wyoming because it has an abundance natural gas, wind and coal. And it’s an idea that both the wind and natural gas industry have embraced in recent months.
The Independent Petroleum Association of Mountain States recently launched a public campaign underscoring the notion that as utilities add renewable sources of electrical generation, they should also add more natural gas into the mix to “fill in” the efficiency gaps associated with wind and solar.
Essentially, the U.S. natural gas industry is echoing the same message that the American Wind Energy Association has touted for years: that any utility with a fuel source portfolio too heavily reliant on any one anchor fuel is neither flexible nor efficient in meeting customer needs.
In other words, both natural gas and wind energy are vying to gain a larger share of the utility market, yet wind and natural gas are not in competition with each other. The pairing is also likely to increase the economic viability of new power lines needed to tie wind resources into the electrical grid.
The Wyoming Pipeline Authority has noted that some utilities have witnessed their wind generation drop 66 percent within one hour when the wind stops blowing. Similarly, utilities have seen wind generation increase 80 percent within an hour.
Only nature twists that dial. But natural gas turbines can dial up and down just as quickly. In fact, coal-based utilities widely use natural gas turbines to meet peak loads in the summer.
Wyoming has abundant wind and natural gas resources. So what’s needed next? The Wyoming Pipeline Authority has noted that there currently does not exist enough gas storage in the region in order to have a ready stockpile on hand to call on when needed.
One prospect in Wyoming is SourceGas’ Oil Springs gas storage facility near Laramie. The facility has a capacity of 22 billion cubic feet, which currently offers about 1 Bcf of gas for short-term delivery.
Coal makes up about 49 percent of the American electrical utility market. If the current outlook for increasing energy demand holds, coal can lose its majority share of the utility market without actually decreasing the volume of coal delivered to utilities. Of course, how all this plays out depends on climate and energy legislation currently before Congress.
DUSTIN BLEIZEFFER – Star-Tribune energy reporter
24 September 2009
Tags: Wind power, Wind energy
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