Wind Today - Q4 2008 - (Page 36) Interview Mark Lauby Manager, Reliability Assessments North American Electric Reliability Corporation The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), Princeton, NJ (609-452-8060), is an international, independent, self-regulatory, not-for-profit organization that oversees the reliability of the bulk power system in North America. To achieve this, NERC develops and enforces reliability standards and monitors the reliability of the power system. NERC is subject to oversight by the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Wind Today recently interviewed NERC Reliability Assessments Manager Mark Lauby about how transmission issues are impacting the wind industry. History NERC’s History and Mission NERC began in 1968 as an industry coalition to improve reliability following the Northeast blackout of 1965. Since then, our mission has been to ensure the reliability of the bulk power system in North America. In 2005, the U.S. Congress enacted legislation that began a new regime of mandatory and enforceable reliability standards for all users, owners, and operators of the bulk power system through an international “electric reliability organization,” which is also recognized throughout much of Canada. How Gro Wind Industry How Growth of the Wind Industry Impacts System Planners and Operators Planners Operators The growth in wind energy has certainly raised some new considerations for system planners and operators. Through our technical committees, NERC has launched the Integration of Variable Generation Task Force, which will be “Our mission is to ensure the ensure eliability pow reliability of the bulk power system in North America.” Laub auby — Mark Lauby Born: South Milwaukee, WI Education: University of Minnesota, Bachelor of Electrical Engineering, 1980; Master of Science in Electrical Engineering, 1989 Career: Manager of Reliability Assessments Jan. 2007 present; Electric Power Research Institute, director, Power Delivery & Markets; Electric Power Research Institute, managing director, Asia, 1987; Power System Planning and Operations Program, manager; Mid-Continent Area Power Pool, 1979 Family: wife; two daughters Hobbies: reading, museums, music, coin collecting, and history. issuing a report in the coming months. In the report, this cross-border task force will identify specific integration issues and recommend actions needed to effectively integrate wind and other variable generation into the grid. Enhancements to NERC standards to accommodate large amounts of wind resources are also under consideration as a result of these recommendations. r T ansmission Challenges We firmly believe that wind power is fast becoming a critical component of our fuel mix, but without a robust transmission network needed to move power from where the wind blows to where customers use it, these resources will not reach their full potential. Generally, three significant areas will need to be addressed: • Transmission: With the exception of Texas, less than 7% of the United States’ population inhabits the top ten states for wind potential. In Texas alone, integrating wind power within the state has required the addition of 2,300 miles of high-voltage transmission lines in the coming years. We believe that inadequate investment in transmission lines will be the primary limitation to delivering new renewable power to consumers. WIND TODA Y Fourth Quarter 2008 36
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