NEMA's electroindustry January 2010 - 6

Land project in the Gansu Province could have the capacity of producing 40 GW of electricity from wind and would require bulk transmission. However, as obvious and practical as this recipe might seem, applying it in the U.S. faces more hurdles than in most other countries. These hurdles are mainly related to the transmission ingredient, and include issues like siting and permitting, planning, and allocation of cost and benefits. accelerate the approval process for new transmission facilities. Congress is currently considering legislation to improve coordinated interregional planning, grant transmission backstop siting authority to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and approve appropriate cost allocation and cost recovery mechanisms. It should be noted that FERC already has some authority based on existing legislation, and it recently approved the Western Areas Power Administration’s plan to help finance the Montana-Alberta Tie Limited transmission project, using federal stimulus funds. This is a cross-border interconnection between the U.S. and Canada that received approval in both countries. In spite of apparent bottlenecks, the process from siting to construction of new transmission in parts of the U.S. is improving; however, more needs to be done if the nearly 145,000 MW of new variable resources projected by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) in its 2008 Long Term Reliability Assessment is to be added to the North American power system by 2020. Like all recipes, once all the ingredients are added, the next crucial step is mixing or integration—reliably integrating variable bulk renewable resources in the bulk transmission system. This integration takes three basic forms— physical, operational, and informational. Physical integration of wind or solar plants involves constructing and installing the transmission lines and other equipment that help to connect the renewable plants to the power grid. Integration is facilitated by the use of advanced smart technologies like static var compensators, high-voltage direct current, variable frequency transformers, flexible ac transmission systems, and energy storage. The controllable nature of these devices improves grid flexibility and the ability to manage variable generation. Physical integration is usually guided by so-called grid interconnection standards. Because bulk renewable plants are relatively new, such standards will evolve over coming years. Operational integration will require significant changes to methods used for system planning and operations. Specifically, it deals with how to combine the operating characteristics of wind and solar plants with existing operating policies (e.g., system dispatch and ancillary services). This also includes system balancing, frequency, voltage and reactive power control, and dynamic load following. All of these are significantly affected by increased penetration of variable renewable generation. Informational integration deals with how to integrate renewable energy forecast tools with existing tools and other information to manage and operate the bulk transmission system. The geographic footprint of the grid and renewable energy plants underscores the need for decision support systems that enhance operators’ local and global situational awareness in light of increased variability and uncertainty. Proper integration of these tools is vital for reliable operation. The combination of bulk transmission and bulk renewable power must be part of the portfolio of solutions to help reduce the impacts of billions of enervores’ incredible consumption of energy, clean water, and food in coming decades. While it may be difficult to put the entire world on a mandatory energy diet, perhaps satisfying the appetite with clean and renewable, instead of fossil-based, energy will help achieve the aggressive climate goals being mandated by governments and advocates for a clean environment. As the adage goes, “You can’t have your cake and eat it, too.” So each of us, as enervores, must accept that without adequate transmission, there will not be enough clean energy to significantly reduce carbon emissions and help save the planet. A robust transmission system is the cornerstone for large-scale development and integration of clean renewable energy. ei Transmission corridors to connect renewable energy plants to consumers must pass through multiple states and would be subject to different jurisdictions. Building these interstate and interregional transmission facilities can take several years. Transmission expansion for renewables is especially difficult because of the locationally-constrained nature of the resources to the load centers. In the U.S., only seven percent of the population lives close to abundant wind and solar energy areas. Transmission corridors to connect renewable energy plants to consumers must pass through multiple states and would be subject to different jurisdictions. Building these interstate and interregional transmission facilities can take several years. To alleviate such bottlenecks to building renewable energy transmission, regional planning is crucial. In recent years, many states have formed regional coalitions to address transmission planning issues. In addition, some states, including Texas, Arizona, Nevada, California, and New Mexico, have formed renewable energy transmission initiatives to NEMA electroindustry • January 2010

NEMA's electroindustry January 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NEMA's electroindustry January 2010