June 14, 2007
Press releases, U.S.

Utility Wind Integration Group begins fundraising campaign for user group activities

The Utility Wind Integration Group (UWIG) announced that it has begun a campaign to raise funding for expanded research and development activities among its five user groups. The campaign, whose goal is to raise $4 million, is intended to facilitate implementation of a work plan approved last year by the UWIG Board of Directors to address critical wind integration topics identified and discussed within the user groups.

These user groups cover the topics of Operating Impacts and Integration Studies; Wind Plant Modeling and Interconnection Studies; Distributed Wind Applications; Market Operation and Transmission Policy Best Practices, and Wind Turbine Operations and Maintenance. Initially introduced in 2003, the original intent for these groups was to gather, analyze, and disseminate information generated through the organization, its members, and other organizations in the U.S. and abroad. The work plan represents a significant expansion in the work of UWIG as the group evolves from providing educational programs and wind industry information to identifying and addressing major issues associated with incorporating wind plants into utility systems.

The key component of the workplan is a series of identified research projects or initiatives for each user group. UWIG previously completed two major funded research projects addressing two critical issues identified by its members as barriers to wind integration. The first investigated the cost of ancillary services associated with wind plant operation on utility power systems. The second was the development of a suite of engineering applications consisting of web-based software, application guides, and measurement and case study databases to address the issues associated with the operation of small clusters of wind turbines on radial distribution feeders. Both of these projects were undertaken as funded activities with the support of UWIG members and other organizations, and resulted in approximately $700,000 of funded work performed.

UWIG is seeking long-term resource commitments from its members and related organizations to carry out the activities identified for each of the user groups. The group is seeking funding that can be allocated to specific projects or the entire work plan. The UWIG Board of Directors approved an annual appropriation of $25,000 per year from member dues for use in raising funds for the campaign. To facilitate the fundraising campaign, as well as cement its position as focusing on the technical aspects of wind generation, as opposed to advocacy of wind as a power supply option, UWIG changed its tax status last year to become a 501C(3) organization.

A copy of the workplan, including a complete set of project descriptions, can be found on the UWIG web site at http://www.uwig.org/ug.htm. A prospectus for the fundraising campaign can be obtained by sending e-mail to info@uwig.org.

The Utility Wind Integration Group (UWIG) was established in 1989 to provide a forum for the critical analysis of wind technology for utility applications and to serve as a source of credible information on the status of wind technology and deployment. The group’s mission is to accelerate the appropriate integration of wind power for utility applications through the coordinated efforts and actions of its members, in collaboration with The U.S. Department of Energy, its National Renewable Energy Laboratory and utility research organizations. UWIG’s membership spans investor-owned, public power, and rural electric cooperative utilities; transmission system operators; and associate member corporate, government, and academic organizations. For more information, visit the UWIG web site at www.uwig.org.

Business Wire – Press Release

Forbes

13 June 2007


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2007/06/14/utility-wind-integration-group-begins-fundraising-campaign-for-user-group-activities/