An Energy Supergrid for Europe Faces Big Obstacles

The following is gleaned from a January 17 New York Times article with the above title.

The New York Times

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

An Energy Supergrid for Europe Faces Big Obstacles

By BETH GARDINER

LONDON — Advocates of renewable energy say an electricity supergrid could enhance the clean-power industry by connecting power sources like wind farms in Scotland and solar arrays in Spain or North Africa to the population centers of Europe.

The technical arguments for a significantly expanded and upgraded power network in Europe are clear, they say. Yet the political, regulatory and economic obstacles are formidable.

With its windy weather, Britain could be a big beneficiary of better international power connections, eventually exporting energy to Continental Europe, experts in the renewable energy sector say. Supergrid advocates hoped London would be a driving force behind the idea, but they have not seen a significant push from the government of Prime Minister David Cameron, said Ana Aguado, chief executive of Friends of the Supergrid, an advocacy group in Brussels made up of companies that would help build the international network.

Britain is working with countries including France, Germany, Norway and Sweden to negotiate the North Sea Countries Offshore Grid Initiative, a planned network of underwater cables that would connect offshore wind farms and other power sources to nearby countries.

The project, likely to take decades, is seen as a potential building block for a broader European grid that could eventually stretch from Ireland to the Baltic states and as far south as North Africa, carrying large power loads on highly efficient direct-current cables.

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Power Plant Rule is Delayed

Reuters reports that efforts by U.S. regulators to cut air pollution from coal-fired power plants faced a setback on Friday when a federal appeals court issued a last-minute order delaying their January 1 implementation.

The U.S. District Court of Appeals granted a request to stay the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) pending further court review.

The EPA finalized the rule in July, setting much stricter limits on sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxide emissions from power plants in 27 states to protect the health of residents in states downwind from the emissions.

Power generators said the January 1 implementation date was too soon to allow the design and installation of pollution control equipment to meet the rule, forcing a number of units to shut or to run only part of the time.

The group responsible for keeping the U.S. power grid reliable has warned that the cumulative impact of the EPA's rules could create power problems in Texas and New England.

Proponents of stricter rules say the industry can adapt and maintain that the costs of implementing the rules will be offset by savings from reduced healthcare expenses.

The EPA estimated that the Cross State rule will save up to 34,000 lives, prevent 15,000 heart attacks and prevent 400,000 asthma attacks each year, providing $120 billion to $280 billion in annual health benefits for the nation.

Texas challenged the EPA rule because the state was included in the final version without having an opportunity to provide input on its impact in Texas. State regulators who met later with EPA officials said the agency used faulty assumptions about the state's power grid.

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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