January 26, 2005—The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission recently proposed regulations that would remove barriers to wind-generated electricity while helping to ensure continued reliability of the national power grid.
Wind-generated power is a growing source of electric generation in the United States, but unique technical characteristics may impede the interconnection of wind facilities with the nations grid system.
In 2003, the Commission adopted standard procedures for the interconnection of generation facilities larger than 20 megawatts (Order No. 2003). The rule sets uniform procedures that a transmission provider and an interconnection requester must follow throughout the interconnection process, including legal rights and obligations of the parties, cost responsibility, milestones for the projects completion and a process for resolving disputes.
Employing standard procedures and interconnection agreements reduces interconnection time and costs, helps preserve reliability and lowers wholesale prices for the nations customers, the Commission said.
The interconnection procedures adopted in Order No. 2003 are tailored to more traditional power generation sources. The proposal would include certain technical requirements that transmission providers must apply to interconnection service for wind generation plants. These requirements would be applied in addition to the standard interconnection procedures adopted in Order No. 2003.
The Commission is proposing to require wind plants to demonstrate the ability to continue operation even if a low voltage condition is experienced on the grid, to stabilize voltage levels and help the transmission grid stay in balance. Wind-powered facilities further would be required to have supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) capability to ensure real-time communication with transmission providers. The Commission also is seeking comment on whether there are other generating technologies that should comply with these technical requirements.
