LOCATION/TYPE

NEWS HOME

[ exact phrase in "" • results by date ]

[ Google-powered • results by relevance ]


Archive
RSS

Add NWW headlines to your site (click here)

Get weekly updates

WHAT TO DO
when your community is targeted

RSS

RSS feeds and more

Keep Wind Watch online and independent!

Donate via Paypal

Donate via Stripe

Selected Documents

All Documents

Research Links

Alerts

Press Releases

FAQs

Campaign Material

Photos & Graphics

Videos

Allied Groups

Wind Watch is a registered educational charity, founded in 2005.

News Watch Home

Transmission Access For Renewable Energy 

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) adopted a new regulation on February 15th that aims to allow greater access to transmission lines for power generators of all types, including renewable energy projects. The new rule exempts intermittent power generators, such as wind power plants, from excessive “imbalance” charges when the amount of energy they deliver is different than the amount of energy they are scheduled to deliver. To help accommodate less-predictable forms of renewable power generation, the rule creates a “conditional firm” service to deliver power from a generator to a customer, allowing the power supplier to provide firm service for most, but not all, hours in the requested time period.

A key aspect of the new rule is that it eliminates the broad discretion that transmission providers currently possess in calculating the unused, available capacity on their transmission lines. Instead, the new rule requires public utilities to work with the North American Reliability Corporation to develop consistent methods of calculating the available capacity and to publish those calculations to increase transparency. It also calls for open, coordinated, and transparent planning on both local and regional levels. The new final rule applies to all public utility transmission providers, including regional transmission organizations and independent system operators, and follows reforms proposed by FERC in May 2006.

While access to nearby transmission lines is a key requirement for large renewable power facilities, the first step for developing many renewable resources is for someone to actually build a transmission line. Fortunately, a number of efforts throughout the country aim to build transmission lines to connect remote renewable resources to regional power grids. In late January, the California Independent System Operator (ISO) approved the Tehachapi Transmission project, a $1.8 billion project that will increase grid access for large amounts of planned geothermal, solar, and wind generation in southern California. The California ISO has also asked FERC to approve an innovative financing vehicle for new transmission lines, allowing utilities to invest in a transmission line and then having renewable generators pay for the line as they use it. Meanwhile, Sharyland Utilities, L.P. is proposing to build an 800-mile transmission loop in the Texas panhandle that will provide access to 4,200 megawatts of wind power resources.

technologynewsdaily.com

25 February 2007

This article is the work of the source indicated. Any opinions expressed in it are not necessarily those of National Wind Watch.

The copyright of this article resides with the author or publisher indicated. As part of its noncommercial educational effort to present the environmental, social, scientific, and economic issues of large-scale wind power development to a global audience seeking such information, National Wind Watch endeavors to observe “fair use” as provided for in section 107 of U.S. Copyright Law and similar “fair dealing” provisions of the copyright laws of other nations. Send requests to excerpt, general inquiries, and comments via e-mail.

Wind Watch relies entirely
on User Funding
   Donate via Paypal
(via Paypal)
Donate via Stripe
(via Stripe)

Share:

e-mail X FB LI TG TG Share


News Watch Home

Get the Facts
CONTACT DONATE PRIVACY ABOUT SEARCH
© National Wind Watch, Inc.
Use of copyrighted material adheres to Fair Use.
"Wind Watch" is a registered trademark.

 Follow:

Wind Watch on X Wind Watch on Facebook

Wind Watch on Linked In Wind Watch on Mastodon