Part 5: Several challenges face integrating renewable energy into the grid. For many of the places where wind blows consistently – specifically over open ocean and in the Dakotas – transmission lines are lacking. Wind developers have options on much of the land in and around Winner, in south central South Dakota, for future development. Prelude Wind Farms in Wisconsin is one of the companies that has come to this part of the country looking to develop wind farms. With an abundance of wind, the only missing component is transmission lines. Without the lines, turbines will not be built, but lines will not be constructed without electricity generation. ITC Holdings Corporation is proposing a $12 billion (US) solution to the chicken or egg scenario by building lines that would carry 12,000 Megawatts of energy, enough electricity for roughly 4.5 million homes.

The irregularity of wind energy poses a challenge to those that manage the grid. Rob Benbow, a grid manager at Midwestern Independent Transmission System Operator says, “‘My biggest fear is if you see 20 percent wind on your system, and then it comes off at a time period where you don’t have resources to replace it — [that] . . . could, result in a blackout. . . .’ Benbow says he’s seen wind power become increasingly variable as more wind farms come on line. And grid operators can’t order wind plants to produce like they can other power plants.” In addition, “wind blows hardest at night when electricity demand is lowest, there currently aren’t ways to store wind for later use, and you can’t count on it on hot summer days when you need it most.”

Part 6: Making the grid smarter and greener are not necessarily synonymous. Prevailing thinking says that a smarter grid will be a greener one, but as NPR’s Richard Harris reports, that may not be the case. Smart grid innovations mean that both customers and power companies can monitor consumption. However, this does not equal a cleaner grid. According to Steve Nadel, who runs a nonprofit called the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, “information alone doesn’t make the smart grid green.” He goes on to say that “not all smart grid experiments make green sense. ‘Some utilities have programs to encourage nighttime lighting,’” due to lower rates. The energy consumed at night is often dirtier coal energy because it is cheaper to produce.

Opposition to new transmission lines has cropped up in response to fears that the additional lines will not necessarily carry clean power. One project in Southern California’s Imperial Valley planned to add new transmission lines with the promise of clean energy, though no renewable sources of power were on line at the time of the proposal. Regardless of the fact that the proposed solar and geothermal generation was not operational, the California Public Utilities Commission approved the measure. San Diego Gas and Electric claimed that it would bring the heretofore undeveloped solar and geothermal plants online, which would be equivalent to approximately 20% of demand. Critics, including the Utilities Commission’s Dian Grueneich, argue for government regulations requiring utilities to purchase clean energy, which would assure that the smart grid is in fact greener as opposed to expanding power lines with the hopes of bringing more clean energy online in the future. Ms. Grueneich’s claim mirrors those of other dissenters who believe that adding more lines will not necessarily bring renewable energy on to the grid.

For a recap of Parts 3 and 4 of the series click here.

- Eric Wilson

[image source: Prelude Farms]