What infrastructure is currently in place for wind energy?

The national electric power grid is the transmission infrastructure used for wind energy. However, this is considered to be insufficient to bring power generated in remote, high wind areas to where it is needed.

There are two separate and distinct challenges for the U.S. power infrastructure in terms of wind energy.

1. There is a need to reliably balance electrical generation and load over time when electricity is being generated from a variable power source such as wind. If the generation and load are not in balance, then an electric system could possibly lose stability and collapse.
2. There is a challenge in planning, building, and funding new transmission facilities needed to access remote wind resources.

According to DOE, annual transmission investments from investor-owned utilities and independent transmission companies climbed from $3 billion in 2000 to $6.9 billion in 2006, and may reach $8.4 billion in 2009.[1]

Infrastructure Moving Forward

Recent and current transmission infrastructure studies, plans, and projects include:

• Western Governors’ Association’s (WGA) Clean and Diversified Energy Advisory Committee (CDEAC) planning
• Minnesota utilities collaborating on the Capital Expansion Plan for 2020 (CapX 2020)
• Texas’ creation of Competitive Renewable Energy Zones (CREZ)
• The creation of state transmission or infrastructure authorities in Wyoming, Kansas, South Dakota, New Mexico, and Colorado
• Several large interstate transmission projects in the Western States
• The SPP “X Plan” and Extra High Voltage analysis

Transmission Superhighway

A new transmission “superhighway” system would include two types of transmission: trunk-line and backbone high-voltage transmission. Trunk line transmission runs from areas with high wind energy resources. Backbone high-voltage transmission runs over long distances to deliver energy to load centers. One study by NREL determined that to reach the 20-by-30 goal, more than 12,000 miles of additional transmission lines need to be built, at a cost of $20 billion. [2]

To view a conceptual map of the U.S. that shows the new transmission line scenario created by WinDS region that will need to be in place by 2030 to reach >= 100MW, visit page 115 of the pdf "20% Wind Energy by 2030" found here http://www1.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/pdfs/41869.pdf.