Today's Wind Headlines

Two news releases straight from Southwest Power Pool (SPP) concerning Extra High Voltage (EHV) Transmission Expansion:

Portfolio of New EHV Transmission Projects Approved: Benefits Will Be Balanced Across SPP Region

Map included with release:

Source: SPP

New Integrated Planning Process Will Focus on Regional, EHV Transmission Expansion

A few other items, FYI:

County hears about wind farm plans

Renewable Energy Myths and Facts

WIND FACT
"The main incentive for wind, the production tax credit (PTC), is an effective policy to facilitate wind power development, as evidenced by the growing use of wind power.

Wind project owners receive tax credits for the energy they produce. Therefore, they have an incentive to use better wind sites and better technology, harvesting the most energy possible from every wind turbine."

Source: Wind Energy Works!: The Economics of Wind

Today's Wind Headlines

Several links from yesterday and today:

Turbine plans hit headwinds

Renewable Energy Stocks Worth Investing In

Building power lines creates a web of problems

Wind firms describe plans, Wiring could begin in 2010

American Wind Energy Association Releases First Quarter 2009 Report: More than 2,800 MW New Wind Generation Capacity Installed

Al Gore Endorses Green Bank Bill

WIND FACT

"Many individuals are often concerned about the sounds that wind turbines generate. In reality, wind turbines generate about the same amount of noise you would hear from a kitchen refrigerator or a moderately quiet room."
Source: Wind Energy Works: Resources

Transmission Seminar

Yesterday Class 4 Winds, a wind advocate located in the Panhandle of Texas, hosted a seminar focusing on transmission for renewable energy zones in Amarillo, Texas. The event featured representatives from Sharyland Utilities and Cross Texas Transmission. These companies have both been designated to build out transmission in the Panhandle of Texas as designated by the PUCT. Click here to see a map of where the lines are planned and who will build them.

You will be able to find both presentation on Class 4 Winds' Web site, but here are a couple of the points I felt were important to mention:

• Substation placement

When looking at the map (from above) you will see dots which represents the proximity in which a substation or collection station will be built. It is important to note that while this represents the general area in which the station will be built, the actual exact placement of the substation has not been determined. Both Cross Texas and Sharyland pointed out that the dot on the map represents the location ERCOT identified but they have not zeroed in on a location.

• Public Meetings
  

Information meetings similar to the event that took place in Amarillo will take place in the preliminary stages of this process. As the companies begin to map out different routes in which they may build the lines they will notify landowners who will potentially be affected. Maps will be available at these meetings showing the possible routes and landowners will be asked to give feedback. Both presenters noted the importance of getting community feedback to determine what routes would work best for everyone. Many letters have already been sent out to environmental entities, counties, municipalities, etc. to help identify areas to avoid including things such as: cemeteries, center pivots, airports, etc. The main point here is that these companies are looking to work very closely with communities to make sure they minimize the impact these lines may have. Once several routes have been selected they will be sent to the PUCT via a CCN at which time members of the public would have the opportunity to go to the PUCT with concerns and insight.

• Acquiring Right of Way (ROW)

Once the PUCT has approved the company's CCN and selected a route the company will then go about securing the necessary ROW. The companies will have the land appraised and will then go about purchasing the land right out or with an option; the most typical type of purchase agreement will be a land easement to last the life of the line. Land will be acquired for substations, access roads, foundations, and the lines themselves. Sharyland's represetative said that they will be sending a group out to visit with landowners post-construction to make sure they is no aviodable damage done to the land.

• Dispatch priorities vs. open access systems
  

One big question that seems to arise with the build out of transmission is, who gets to online and who gets to do it first? Currently under docket number 34577 the PUCT is trying to decide how to handle this situation. Some wind developers would like to see priority given to those who formally participated in the CCN application process and other support an open access system. Those who are actively involved in the process would be asked to post collateral with 45 days of transmission service providers (TSPs) CCN application which would cover cost of transmission improvements. These developers would be refunded if they went online within a year after the system is ready. There is also they issue as to whether or not it is even legal to give priority to one kind of developer, in this case wind. Developers are hoping to get some certainty on this matter sometime this year.

For More information about either of these companies visit thier Web sites at:
www.sharylandutilities.com
www.crosstexas.com

Today's Wind Headlines

Here is an article on transmission:

Green Superhighway: Overhauling the Grid to Accommodate Renewables

And don't forget the Class 4 Winds transmission seminar is taking place on Monday in Amarillo. See their Web page for more information.


WIND FACT

"Wind energy is one of the most popular energy technologies. Opinion surveys regularly show that just over eight out of 10 people (80%) are in favor of wind energy, and less than one in ten (around 5%) are against it. The rest are undecided."
Source: AWEA - Wind Energy and the Environment

Today's Wind Headlines

Click on the links below to read about current issues in the industry:

DOE Report: Recovery Package Clean Energy Provisions are Working

Storing Renewable Energy on the Smart Grid

And a couple of items, just FYI:

AWEA Annual Wind Industry Report

Obama Stresses Clean Energy on Earth Day

WIND FACT

"...wind energy has one of the shortest energy payback times of any energy technology. A wind turbine typically takes only a few months (3-8, depending on the average wind speed at its site) to 'pay back' the energy needed for its fabrication, installation, operation, and retirement."
Source: AWEA Wind Energy Potential

Sharyland Feature

I am working on a feature story on Sharyland Utilities for our upcoming newsletter. If you have any specific questions or concerns that you want addressed please submit them so that I can get those questions answered. Either post a comment on this entry or send them in an email to info@caprockplainswind.com

Any suggestions are appreciated.

Today's Wind Headlines

A couple of articles for today:

LCRA TSC to Host Transmission Project Open Houses

Luminant Retains Status as Top Wind Purchaser in Texas

Iberdrola Opens Texas Wind Farm, Receives Approval for Vermont Project


WIND FACT

"The entire transmission system of the wind-rich High Plains, which cover the central one-third of the U.S., needs to be extensively redesigned and redeveloped. At present, this system consists mostly of small distribution lines—instead, a series of new high-voltage transmission lines is needed to transmit electricity from wind plants to population centers. Such a redevelopment will be expensive, but it will also benefit consumers and national security, by making the electrical transmission system more reliable and by reducing shortages and price volatility of natural gas. Transmission will be a key issue for the wind industry's future development over the next two decades."

Source: AWEA: Wind Energy Potential

Suggestions Please...

The April 2009 CPWEA newsletter will be coming out soon and I am currently working on content. I just wanted to give any one who might have suggestions on topics for the issue the opportunity to submit them. You can email them (info@caprockplainswind.com)or leave them as a comment on this post.

If there is anything specific you would like more detail on from the transmission summit please let me know and I will get that information into the newsletter and posted on here. I just received the CD of presentations from the summit and therefore have lots of indepth information from each presenter.

Always feel free to leave comments or send an email with questions, concerns, or suggestions.

Today's Wind Headlines

A couple of links for you to check out if you're interested:

Community Wind Webconference: 26, 27 May '09

Report Outlines Reliable Integration of Renewables into Grid


WIND FACT

"According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the world's winds could theoretically supply the equivalent of 5,800 quadrillion BTUs (quads) of energy each year--more than 15 times current world energy demand. (A quad is equal to about 172 million barrels of oil or 45 million tons of coal.)"
Source: AWEA (Wind Energy Potential)

Today's Wind Headlines

A couple of things to look over, FYI:

Growing wind, solar power challenge U.S. grid: study

AWEA Welcomes Findings of NERC Integration Study

Biden Outlines Funding for Smart-Grid Initiatives

The Economic Reach of Wind

American Wind Energy Association Reports Top 20 Wind Producing States


WIND FACT

"Capacity factor is one element in measuring the productivity of a wind turbine or any other power production facility. It compares the plant's actual production over a given period of time with the amount of power the plant would have produced if it had run at full capacity for the same amount of time."

Source: Windustry Wind Energy Basics

Today's Wind Headlines

A couple of articles for your information:

West Texas districts tops two in wind power capacity

CPS Energy will test viability of electric storage unit

Texas leads in wind energy but faces challenges

WIND FACT

"In 2008 U.S. wind energy grew by over 8,500 megawatts (MW) of new wind power capacity, increasing the nation’s cumulative total by 50% to over 25,300 MW, pushing the U.S. above Germany as the country with the largest amount of wind power capacity installed, according to a new report from the American Wind Energy Assocation (AWEA)."
Source: Windustry

Don't forgot to check out the previous post for an overview of last week's transmission summit in Sweetwater.

A Transmission Rundown

Transmission Summit Overview

The Transmission Summit held in Sweetwater, Texas on Thursday April 9^th featured an array of speakers representing many of the companies chosen by the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) to build transmission lines throughout the state. In addition to those companies building lines within the Competitive Renewable Energy Zones (CREZ), other speakers included representatives from Southwest Power Pool, Electric Power Engineers and Golden Spread Electric Cooperative.

BACKGROUND

The PUCT began working on the development of a CREZ a couple of years ago in order to help foster wind energy development in the state and most specifically within the Electric Reliability Council of Texas’ (ERCOT) power grid. The idea was basically created in order to break the “chicken and the egg” deadlock that many wind developers were facing. The creation of these zones would allow for more transmission lines to be built to carry energy created by wind farms. Several scenarios were developed but the PUCT eventually decided upon scenario 2 which would essentially allow for around 18,000 MW of wind energy to go online.

After deciding on a scenario the PUCT then chose companies to build numerous transmission lines and substations throughout the state. Fourteen companies in all were chosen to be involved in construction. Please see the map below for the breakdown of scenario two, including the general vicinity of where the lines will be placed and who will be building them.

Source: Texas Wind Energy Clearinghouse (Transmission Summit)

THE PROCESS

The construction of these lines will take place based on which category they have been designated under. Those categories are: default, priority and secondary lines. Default lines consist of already existing lines that will be rebuilt. Priority lines are those the PUCT felt were the most urgent. These lines will be built by Oncor and the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA). Priority lines are indicated on the map above. The rest of the lines are considered secondary lines.

As far as the timeline on these lines goes, each company must submit a Certificate of Convenience and Necesssity (CCN) to the PUCT indicating the routes in which they intent to build their lines. CCNs for default lines are to be filed by June, priority by October and secondary will be sometime the first half of next year. Before submitting their CCN the transmission companies will conduct studies and contact landowners who may be affected by the construction of the line. The company will then define an area and identify several geographically diverse routes in which they could build the proposed lines. Each company will be conducting community meetings in their area throughout the process and will notify landowners of potential routes.

After a CCN is filed the PUCT has one year (although their goal is six months) to decide on which of the various scenarios submitted is best. Once the CCN is approved then the company will begin discussion with landowners for Right of Way (ROW).

Community members will see many immediate as well as long term benefits from the construction of transmission lines in the area including, taxes paid to local communities, the creation of construction, operations and management jobs, significant payments made to landowners with the expansion of wind development in the area as well as environmental benefits.

All of the companies building transmission in the state may have different timelines for completing their projects, but the PUCT would like to see all construction complete by 2013.

SHARYLAND

The construction of transmission lines and substations in our immediate area will be completed by Sharyland Utilities. Sharyland is a privately owned, Texas based transmission and distribution service provider. They are responsible for building four collection stations and 253 miles of transmission lines in Armstrong, Briscoe, Castro, Carson, Deaf Smith, Dickens, Floyd, Motley, Randall and Swisher Counties.

Their tentative schedule for construction was broken down in this way, but is all subject to ERCOT’s plans. They plan to submit their CCN to the PUCT in the first or second quarter of 2010 and plan on receiving approval from the PUCT by the third or fourth quarter of the same year. After receiving approval they will begin working on ROW acquisition, engineering and design of the lines and hope to begin material procurement in the third quarter of 2010. Construction is slated to begin as soon as they receive approval of their routes by the PUCT. The line which is planned to come through the North East corner of Floyd County should be completed in the second quarter of 2012 if all goes as planned.

You can find out more about Sharyland and their current projects on their Web site at www.sharylandutilities.com. They have also set up a toll free number for interested members of the public to call in for more information. If you have questions or concerns and would like to speak with a Sharyland representative call 1-866-354-3335.

SOUTHWEST POWER POOL

Outside of ERCOT Southwest Power Pool (SPP) is the other electric grid which has a footprint in Texas. SPP is a regional transmission organization who, unlike ERCOT, is regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Their purpose is to help ensure power reliability, adequate transmission infrastructure, and competitive electric wholesale prices in their region. SPP is based in Little Rock, Arkansas and has members in nine states, see image of their footprint below.

Source: SPP

SPP is not directly involved in the CREZ process, but their plans for the future of transmission will also help to make it feasible for wind developers to bring their projects to our area. While the SPP is not involved in the acutal construction of transmission they do have a plan for how it should be built out. As a part of SPP’s Transmission Expansion Plan (STEP) they hope to have 285 miles of 765 kV from Woodward EHV (Western Oklahoma) to Tuco EHV (North Western Texas) built. The Tuco station is located just north of Abernathy. This line would be part of a larger “backbone” line would extend all the way up to Kansas and would set up our area for potential connections to the line. EHV is short for Extra High Voltage and the EHV Overlay that the SPP is proposing would be a collection of 500+ kV projects that would be added to the existing system, ultimately reducing backup on the grid. For more about the EHV Overlay visit the SPP Web site. You can read the STEP report in its entirety here.

Right now these plans to build out transmission are just that, plans. The next step is for the SPP to figure out how costs for these lines will be allocated. Visit their Web site at www.spp.org for more information.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Several of the companies who were present at the summit offered ways in which you can contact them directly for more information:

Sharyland Utilities
Visit their Web site at www.sharylandutilities.com
Call their toll free number 1-866-354-3335

Oncor
Questions about transmission can be emailed to transmissionprojects@oncor.com

Lower Colorado River Authority
Visit their Web site at www.lcra.org

Cross Texas Transmission
Web site is under construction but should be up soon at www.crosstexas.org

Electric Transmission Texas
Visit their Web site at www.ettexas.com

Today's Wind Headlines

Here are several headlines from the last couple of days:

ERCOT REC Program Most Active in U.S.

Google's New Wind/Solar Site Tool

Wind Superhighway Moves Ahead

Renewable energy 'green bank' idea takes root

LCRA given nod for power line project

AWEA Annual Wind Energy Industry Report Reflects Strong Growth in 2008, Dramatic Increase in Manufacturing

New 'smart grid' will change how energy goes from plants to homes

Transmission's Time in Congress

Texas No.1 in Wind Energy, Wind Projects


WIND FACT

What is an interconnection?
"The process of connecting an electrical generator to the electrical power grid or the physical location of the connection of an electrical generator to the electrical power grid."
Source: Windustry Glossary

Upcoming Webinar

Biofuels Journal is featuring in their Webinar series a presentation entitled "Four Primary Ways the Stimulus Bill will Impact the U.S. Wind & Biofuels Industries" on Tuesday, April 14, 2009 at 2p.m. Central Time.

Click here to find out more informaiton and register. Space is limited.

On Twitter?

Caprock Plains Wind Energy Association now has a Twitter account. If you already have a Twitter account become a CPWEA follower to keep up with what we are doing.

Check us out at:
www.twitter.com/cpwea

Twitter is a social networking site which provides a live feed of what others are doing. Other wind industry entities have already joined. Check out AWEA's Twitter page at www.twitter.com/awea. Twitter is a great networking tool that makes it easy to keep up with what's going on with anyone you choose to follow.

Find out more about how Twitter works at: www.twitter.com

Today's Wind Headlines

Here are a couple of recent headlines covering various topics:

Wind Turbines Raise Property Values in Texas

U.S. Commits $2 Billion for Renewable Energy

Wind Power Pushes US Congress to Tackle Grid Issue

Energy Legislation to Test Fractured Democrats


WIND FACT

What is a wind power class?

"A way of quantifying on a scale the strength of the wind at a project site. The Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory defines the wind class at a site on a scale from 1 to 7 (1 being low and 7 being high) based on average wind speed and power density to offer guidance to potential developers as to where wind projects might be feasible."

Source: Windustry, Wind Energy Glossary
Click on the link above to view their entire glossary and search for definitions of other wind related terms.

Today's Wind Headlines

Since wind farm development is fairly new not many landowners are familiar with how to handle dealings with developers concerning the lease of their land for wind development. This article outlines a couple of things that a landowner needs to know before signing a lease. Check it out:

Lawyers advise taking care in wind-turbine contracts

If you have time and would like a little background information on topics concerning the wind industry then check out these articles from Renewable Energy World:

The Upside in the Downturn: Realigning the Wind Industry

Green Superhighway: Overhauling the Grid to Accommodate Renewables

Wind Farm Design: Planning, Research and Commissioning


WIND FACT

"A comprehensive study of wind development and property values by the Renewable Energy Policy Project in 2003 showed that wind development usually has either no effect or a small positive impact on property values."
Source: Windustry FAQs

What's Coming Up

There are several events coming up in the next couple of weeks to look forward to. The theme for this month seems to be transmission.

Next week the Texas Wind Energy Clearinghouse will be hosting a transmission summit. The summit will take place on Thursday April 9th in Sweetwater, Texas. Speakers scheduled to present include Calvin Crowder, President of Electric Transmission Texas LLC; Ken Donohoo, Director of System Planning for Oncor; Cameron Fredkin, Director of Project Development for Cross Texas Transmission; Stuart Nelson, Executive Manager of Transmission Services for the Lower Colorado River Authority; Jay Caspary, Director of Engineering for Southwest Power Pool; Jolly Hayden, President of Lone Star Transmission LLC; Mark Caskey, Vice President of Operations at Sharyland Utilities; and several more. In addition to presenters from those companies who will be constructing CREZ transmission, the summit will also feature discussion concerning non-CREZ transmission issues. Check back in the next couple of weeks to find a overview of what happened at the summit.

Class 4 Winds just recently announced a seminar entitled, "Transmission for Renewable Energy Zones" to take place Monday April 27th from 1:00 - 4:30pm at the Ambassador Hotel Ballroom in Amarillo. The seminar is open to the public at a $45 fee for non-members. A Caprock representative will be attending the seminar, but if you are interested in attending you can find registration information about the event here. Speakers for this event will include Brian Almon from the Public Utility Commission of Texas, Mark Caskey from Sharyland Utilities, and Lawrence Willick and Cameron Fredkin from Cross Texas Transmission.

In addition to these two events, Caprock is looking into putting together a very similar seminar in the very near future for Caprock members. Caprock has been in contact with representatives from Sharyland Utilities, who will be building transmission lines in our immediate area. Please check back to find out more details about the events as they get worked out.

One last event to look forward to is the Annual Wind Energy Conference put on by AWEA. WINDPOWER 2009 is scheduled for May 4th - 7th. A Caprock representative will be attending in order to represent and promote our area to wind developers and transmission specialists. Look back for an update in May.

Please don't hesitate to contact our office with questions or concerns about any of these events.

Today's Wind Headlines

Just a couple of headlines, FYI:

FERC Releases Proposed Policy Statement on Smart-Grid Development

State, Federal Regulators Offer Criteria for DOE Smart Grid Stimulus Funding

Stimulus Dollars Begin to Flow: Here's How, Where and When


Check out AWEA's blog entry about NY residents living nearby a wind farm who say they like it just fine! No NIMBY's in Lewis County, New York


WIND FACT
"Modern wind turbines are up to the task of producing serious amounts of electricity. A popular sized machine in the U.S. today is a state-of-the-art 2 MW turbine that stands as tall as a 30-story building and costs roughly $3.5 million installed. With a good wind resource, this size turbine can produce 6 million kWh of electricity each year, or enough energy to run 600 average American households."
Source: Windustry Wind Basics Series

Today's Wind Headlines

Today's headlines all focus on a draft of a new energy bill released by Reps. Henry Waxman, D-CA, and Ed Markey, D-MA, click on the links below for more details:

Waxman, Markey Unveil Draft Energy Bill - AWEA Blog

Climate Legislation Introduced in Washington, Includes RPS Provision

US Lawmakers present draft bill on 'clean energy'

WIND FACT

"Wind turbines can be installed amid cropland without interfering with people, livestock, or production."
Source: Windustry Wind Basics Series