FYI
From: Wildlife and Endangered Species Forum [mailto:CONS-WPST-WES-FORUM@LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG] On Behalf Of Dan Boone
Sent: Tuesday, November 13, 2007 4:41 PM
To: CONS-WPST-WES-FORUM@LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG
Subject: Renewables = Wind Turbines
Greetings,
I just completed an analysis of PJM's database of generation projects for which applications are currently pending for interconnection study to determine the feasibility of hooking-up to the grid. There are 588 applications currently on file in the active Generation Interconnection Request "queues" - see:
My goal was to determine the number and MWs of renewable energy projects within PJM's active "queues", and what percentage of these are represented by industrial windplants.
As of today, approximately half of all the project applications to PJM requesting a grid interconnection study involve renewable energy generation (about 288 of the 588 total requests). Renewable energy projects are fueled by wind, solar, biomass, wood, methane gas or hydropower. These approximately 288 projects represent about 28,600 MW of generating capacity - about 30% of the total generating capacity of all the projects that have requested an interconnection study within PJM's region.
Following is a summary of the number of projects and their combined MWs of generating capacity for all "renewable energy" interconnection requests to PJM:
# project requests MW % of total non-hydro %
Solar 1 3 .01% .01%
Other (tires) 1 20 .07% .07%
Wood 2 82 .29% .30%
Methane 61 332 1.16% 1.21%
Biomass 14 400 1.40% 1.46%
Hydro 17 1,059 3.71%
Wind 193 26,647 93.36% 96.95%
Total 288 28,543
Note that currently over 93% of the generating capacity of all renewable energy projects which have applied to PJM for interconnection study is due to industrial wind energy facilities.
However, since every Renewables Portfolio Standard law so far enacted by states in the Mid-Atlantic Region and NC either currently or eventually will exclude most to all hydropower projects from being considered as a "qualifying" source of Renewable Energy Credits, the proportion of the combined generating capacity of "non-hydro" renewable energy projects in PJM's active "queues" that are fueled by wind is nearly 97%.
The PJM grid region covers the entire Mid-Atlantic region and extends westward into northern IL - see map indicating the extent of PJM's service area via: http://www.miso-pjm.com .
I was intrigued by the PJM result, and decided to pursue this line of inquiry to all the other grid regions of the US.
A very similar pattern to what I found in PJM occurs in the Midwest ISO grid region (see map of MISO's service area via: http://www.miso-pjm.com ). The MISO region has over 65,500 MW of wind energy projects in their "interconnection study" queue, and wind turbines represents 99% of all the generating capacity of renewable energy projects so far proposed in this grid.
In Texas, the ERCOT grid manager reports that there is over 35,500 MW of wind energy projects in their interconnection study queue - which represents 99% of the generating capacity of all the renewable energy facilities so far proposed.
For south-central US, the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) grid manager reports over 19,300 MW of wind energy projects have applied for interconnection study - which represents nearly 100% of all the generating capacity associated with renewable energy projects in their "queue".
Likewise, for NY and New England, wind energy projects in the interconnection study "queues" for these two grid regions comprise 6,800 MW and 2,100 MW of proposed generating capacity, respectively. However, wind turbines represents 99% and 85% of the "non-hydro" renewable energy projects in the interconnection study queues of the NY (NYISO) and New England (NEISO) grid regions, respectively.
In contrast, for the western half of the US (WECC), although 11,200 MW of wind energy projects are proposed for interconnection study, there is in addition over 5,200 MW of generating capacity proposed for "non-hydro" renewable energy projects. Consequently, wind turbines represent only 2/3 of the generating capacity of all the "non-hydro" renewable energy projects so far proposed within this huge region.
When you hear that "renewable energy" projects are expected to help satisfy our future need for electricity, you should realize this general claim overwhelmingly will apply to Industrial Wind Turbines. Except for the western half of the US, only a very tiny percentage of the electricity generating capacity of proposed renewable energy projects will come from facilities whose fuel source is solar, biomass, geothermal or methane.
Renewables = Wind Turbines!
Percentage of
Grid Region MW of wind "non-hydro" renewables
New England (NE ISO): 2,100 MW 85%
New York (NY ISO): 6,800 MW 99%
Mid-Atlantic region (PJM): 26,600 MW 97%
Upper Mid-West (MISO): 65,500 MW 99%
Texas (ERCOT): 35,500 MW 99%
South-central region (SPP): 19,300 MW 100%
Western US (WECC): 11,200 MW 68%
TOTAL: 167,000 MW
Notes:
a) numbers are rounded to nearest 100 MW;
b) some numbers may be inflated due to multiple requests for interconnection study
involving same project;
c) entry in the queue does not guarantee a project will be built; however, it is an
indicator of activity.
d) "non-hydro" renewables include solar, biomass, biogas, geothermal and methane.
Dan Boone
PS - following are weblinks to the MISO, NYISO, NEISO, ERCOT, SPP and WECC grid region's interconnection study queues:
MISO
NYISO
NEISO
ERCOT
SPP
WECC
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubsribe from the CONS-WPST-WES-FORUM list, send any message to: CONS-WPST-WES-FORUM-signoff-request@LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/
_______________________________________________
EC mailing list
EC@osenergy.org
http://osenergy.org/mailman/listinfo/ec