Dealing With the Duck
Designing markets to accommodate variable resources.
Growth in variable resources creates an increasing need for demand response and fast-ramping generation. The right market design can bring both.
Wind
ETT Energizes Last of Seven CREZ Transmission Lines in West Texas
Submitted by aburr on Tue, 2013-12-17 13:26Electric Transmission Texas (ETT) energized the last of seven 345-kV transmission line projects associated with the Competitive Renewable Energy Zones (CREZ) initiative in west Texas. The Edith Clarke to Cottonwood transmission line was energized to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) grid on Dec. 4.
Burlington Electric Department, First Wind Reach Agreement to Sell Power Generated by Hancock Wind Project
Submitted by aburr on Tue, 2013-12-10 13:02First Wind reached an agreement with Burlington Electric Department (BED) to sell the utility power generated from the planned Hancock Wind project near Ellsworth, Maine.
U.S. Army Selects Eaton to Support Its Global Power Conservation and Alternative Energy Initiatives
Submitted by aburr on Mon, 2013-11-11 12:48Eaton was contracted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville, to help advance energy conservation and implementation of alternative energy projects at U.S. Army-operated facilities around the world. Eaton is one of 11 companies to receive the $600 million shared capacity multiple award task order contract. Under the contract, Eaton will provide existing condition surveys, system designs, installation and commissioning for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.
Game Changers
State regulators address transformative forces.
In Fortnightly’s Regulators’ Roundtable, commissioners from Idaho, Illinois, and Minnesota consider transformative forces and the regulatory response.
Montana-Dakota Utilities Signs Power Purchase Deal with N.D. Wind Project
Submitted by aburr on Fri, 2013-11-01 12:39Montana-Dakota Utilities Co., a division of MDU Resources Group, signed a PPA with Thunder Spirit Wind LLC, a subsidiary of Wind Works Power. The agreement is for approximately 105 MW of installed capacity of wind turbine generators to be located in southwest North Dakota. The generation will interconnect at Montana-Dakota’s substation near Hettinger, ND. The project is expected to begin commercial operation in the fourth quarter of 2015. Montana-Dakota issued a request for proposal earlier this year for electric capacity and energy.
Taming Distributed Energy
How advanced distribution management systems are key to integrating distributed resources.
Fast growing distributed resources create technical challenges for utilities. Advanced DMS technology promises to help keep local grids balanced.
America’s Energy Future: So Who Are the Good Guys?
Not just ‘all of the above,’ but ‘how much of each?’
For proponents of a clean energy economy, identifying the “good guys” is no easy task.
Disruption on Wall Street
Financial executives contemplate the rise of distributed resources.
In a January 2013 report, EEI said fast-growing distributed energy could undermine the utility business model. Wall Street is paying attention.
Consumers Energy Contracts Barton Malow for New 105-MW Wind Power Park
Submitted by aburr on Mon, 2013-09-23 13:17Consumers Energy signed a contract with Barton Malow Company for engineering, procurement and construction services at its $255 million Cross Winds Energy Park, a 105-MW wind farm in Tuscola County, Michigan. The contract is subject to approval by the Michigan Public Service Commission. The contract includes designing, engineering and constructing the park's turbine foundations, access roads, an operations and maintenance building; erecting the park's 62 wind turbines; and building the infrastructure that connects the turbines to the electrical grid.