Electric Grid in Texas Faces Multiple Challenges

The following was gleaned from an article in the December 23 New York Times.

Electric Grid in Texas Faces Multiple Challenges

The state’s electric grid operators are coming off a tumultuous year, one they are not eager to repeat. In February, a deep freeze knocked numerous power plants out of commission as equipment broke, causing rolling blackouts across the state. Then the hottest summer on record spurred repeated conservation warnings, as grid managers worked — successfully — to avoid more blackouts.

While experts do what they can to check the skies and the temperature, grid operators are facing a tougher line of questioning about their ability to keep power flowing smoothly. A report last month by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation cited “significant concerns” about whether Texas would have enough power plants in the near future.

Regulators, eager to avoid blackouts at all costs, want to encourage construction of more power plants to meet the needs of a growing state. But consumer advocates fear this could mean higher electricity prices. Environmentalists are lobbying instead for more focus on energy savings.

Environmentalists argue that the strains on the grid should spur Texas to work on energy-saving strategies. In particular, they are pushing a program called demand response, in which businesses and consumers are paid to reduce power at times of high demand, like late summer afternoons.

The utility commission is looking at expanding Texas’s demand-response capabilities next year, helped by the continuing rollout of smart meters.

Robert King, president of the Austin consulting firm Good Company Associates, said two of his energy clients planned on beginning demand-response programs in Texas next year for the first time.

The commission is also considering regulatory changes that should make storing electricity in batteries easier.

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Integrating Variable Wind Energy into the Grid

A few years ago, I overheard some local utility employees discussing wind power at a conference.  They were agreeing that if not for the Government mandates and subsidies, their utilities would not touch wind power.  The problem was pretty much the variability of production.


The post below was taken from one of the U.S. Department of Energy's blogs.  I wanted to post this announcement on my blog quickly so I have not had a chance to review this report, yet.  It sounds like they may have found some ways to address the variability issues.  Hopefully, so.

New Report: Integrating Variable Wind Energy into the Grid

December 19, 2011 

  

The Energy Department and Alstom Grid announce the availability of a new report on integrating wind energy into the electrical grid. | Image source: The Strategies and Decision Support Systems for Integrating Variable Energy Resources in Control Centers for Reliable Grid Operations Report.

Charlton I. Clark

Integration Team Lead, Wind and Water Power Program

What's in the report?

• Insights direct from grid operators about the challenges, solutions, and successes of integrating variable wind energy into the grid.

Wind doesn’t always blow consistently and sometimes doesn’t blow at all, but wind energy is not unreliable – just ask grid operators.

In a new report, Strategies and Decision Support Systems for Integrating Variable Energy Resources in Control Centers for Reliable Grid Operations, they offer their first-hand perspectives on how variable energy sources, including wind energy, actually impact grid operations.

Grid operators are the individuals who ensure that you receive electricity reliably and at an economical price. They balance electricity supply and demand 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. You can think of them as the air traffic controllers for the power system, constantly monitoring and directing activities on the grid to keep the lights on in your home.

The study, a first-of-its-kind review, finds that the ability to forecast variable energy output is vital to successfully integrating variable energy into the electrical grid. The study also finds that decision support tools are also essential to helping grid operators incorporate wind forecasts and obtain optimal power flow in their grids. The study describes several decision support tools that are currently used by grid operators. However, existing decision support tools in the United States need to evolve further as more domestic variable energy enters the electrical grid.

Despite these challenges, the grid operators interviewed have a positive outlook for integrating variable energy and are eager to share and apply best practices with other operators.

The Energy Department funded two organizations, Areva Federal Services and Alstom Grid, through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. As part of this study, Areva and Alstom interviewed 33 grid operators in 18 countries who, together, are responsible for integrating 72 percent of the wind energy world-wide into their grids. Alstom presented some of their findings in a webinar in October 2011.

Over the past two decades, there has been a large increase in the production of wind energy across the world, growing from roughly 2 gigawatts in 1990 to almost 200 gigawatts in 2010. That’s enough wind energy to serve about 50 million U.S. homes. The final report and executive summary provides even more insights direct from grid operators about the challenges, solutions, and successes of integrating variable wind energy into the grid.