Transmission issues focus of Wind Interconnection Workshop

Western co-sponsors the Wind Interconnection Workshop to help customers keep up with the challenges of adding wind generation to their portfolios.

Some utility engineers feel like they are running in place to keep up with the latest wind interconnection developments and issues, while others don't know where to start their education about the world's fastest growing form of generation.

The fourth Wind Interconnection Workshop, Jan. 21-23, at Western's Electric Power Training Center (EPTC) is a good place to begin. The event is designed to answer questions transmission and distribution engineers have about interconnecting wind turbines and other distributed generation systems to the grid.

The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) teamed up with Western, American Public Power Association (APPA), Utility Wind Integration Group (UWIG), DOE's Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program and the National Wind Coordinating Collaborative in 2006 to present the first workshop. The event introduced Internet-based tools for assessing the impact distributed wind projects have on the local distribution system. UWIG developed the software program with funding from APPA, NRECA and several other organizations.

"The Wind Interconnection Workshop was a good way to make sure that people had the training to get the most out of the tools," said Randy Manion, Western 's Renewable Energy program manager. "For Western, it was also an opportunity to show people the facilities at our EPTC."

Same subjects, new material

The two-day agenda is packed with the latest information on tools, project development and economics presented by industry experts. On the first day, attendees will get an overview of wind energy, followed by lab exercises using the UWIG assessment tools.

The second day will offer more lab exercises covering specific scenarios, and conclude with a tour of EPTC's hands-on miniature power system and Wind Farm Simulator.

As in past years, an optional tour of the National Wind Technology Center is scheduled for the Friday following the workshop. Speakers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo., will give presentations about the center's research activities and lead the tour.

The format and subject matter of the workshop have changed little over the last four years. The focus is primarily on community wind projects at the distribution level, said Manion, "But we will also be looking at utility scale wind projects and wind issues at the national level," he said.

There's new information on the same subjects every year, said Robert Putnam of CH2M Hill. Putnam, NRECA's wind energy technical support contractor, has coordinated the agenda for each of the meetings. "Tools continue to evolve, research takes different directions, the market and policies change," he explained.

Attendees have eye on wind future

The 2009 agenda includes sessions on "Transmission Planning in the West," small wind applications (less than 100 kW), and economic development opportunities. "The audience has shown particular interest in managing resource variability and in the local economic development opportunities wind offers," said Putnam. "These sessions are tailored to answering those questions."

John Bleem, a division manager with Platte River Power Authority, agreed that transmission planning is becoming more of an issue. A long-time member of UWIG, Bleem attended the first workshop in 2006. "Things have changed since Platte River started acquiring and building wind generation 12 years ago," he said. "With more megawatts coming on to meet the growing demand, it's getting harder to integrate and balance the intermittent resource."

The experience participants have with wind integration range from Platte River's established and growing wind portfolio to utilities that may have only a few kW on their systems. Trent Loutensock of Highline Electric Cooperative also attended the 2006 workshop, but from a different perspective than Bleem. "We wanted to get acclimated to the wind environment and culture," said Loutensock. "Highline was just starting to see interest and activity in our community, and we needed to talk to people who knew the industry."

So far, Highline has only one small distributed wind turbine in its service territory, but the workshop introduced Loutensock to resources that will help the rural utility handle whatever the future holds.

Register now

Whether or not their systems currently carry wind generation, utility engineers believe that wind turbines will be part of the future. In 2006, 13 people showed up to the first workshop. The next year, 22 came and last year, the event sold out. Putnam expects another sell-out crowd this year. Enrollment is limited to 30, so he urges anyone who is interested to reserve a spot early on.

Early registration is especially important for non-U.S. citizens who want to attend the NWTC tour on Jan. 25. The center is a Federal facility and will need visa or passport information several weeks in advance to provide security clearance.

The non-refundable fee for the Wind Interconnection Workshop is $300. Participants can register online, and find lodgings in the vicinity of the EPTC.

Resources

Electric Power Training Center

National Rural Electric Cooperative Association

American Public Power Association

Utility Wind Integration Group

DOE Wind and HydropowerTechnologies Program

National Wind Coordinating Collaborative

National Wind Technology Center

Platte River Power Authority

Highline Electric Cooperative

Online registration

People

Randy Manion

Robert Putnam

John Bleem

Trent Loutensock

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