New Transmission Line to Bring Wind Energy to all of Texas

Airtricity backed consortia to energise Texas with 4,200MW of wind energy via new $1.5 billion transmission loop
Airtricity press release, February 19, 2007

A consortia backed by Airtricity [an Irish renewable energy company developing wind farms] today announced its commitment to the construction of a ground-breaking electricity transmission ‘loop’ in the Texas Panhandle Plains region. The ‘Panhandle Loop’ will be a revolutionary 800-mile transmission project bringing 4,200MW of wind energy to the Texas Panhandle. ...

The scale of this project is unprecedented ... the 345k V loop will enable the entire state of Texas to benefit from wind generated energy ... by 2010. ... [In addition to the wind energy] the loop will result in the investment of over $10 billion in new generating capacity, including 2,000MW of gas-fired power and 1,800MW of coal-fired power. ...

This is an example of the size of transmission projects required to bring the benefits of wind power to populated areas.  The resulting construction of fossil fueled power plants is surprising -- is this an indication of the amount of back-up power required for the wind plants or just an indication of the need for more power in the region? I suspect the later.

Comments

[amazingdrx]

Wind is touted, but it is encouraging combustion instead.

Hear is my favorite day dream around high voltage DC buried transmission line/1000 mile long supercapacitors.

http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/2/16/104655/313#comment45

[JohnBo]

Coal fired units are slow to bring on line. Gas turbines are fast but expensive to operate. Gas can be used for peak demand or for absence of short term wind. Coal can be for low seasonal wind i.e. extended periods. This will be an interesting system to operate. In the beginning they will likely run a large spinning reserve but given time a large system can really be optimized. What fun. These interesting progects should inspire many to earn an engineering degree. JohnBo

[JohnBo]

Hi amazingdrx, regarding your comment: "Here is my favorite day dream around high voltage DC buried transmission line/1000 mile long supercapacitors."
This system if far too small for DC transmission and especially for underground. What's a 1000 mile long super capacitor? JohnBo

[Ken Potter]

I belive the gas based plant for sure is a reflection of the varibility of wind power. What is needed is a cost effective energy storage capibility. The artical on cold storage is an example. If the promised ultra capacitor from EEStor pans out it would be a solution. Until an effctive storage technology becomes available and trusted, Wind can only be a small part of the answer.

[Kit P]

IMO, Texas is not building wind farms to be politically correct. Texas has been a leader building renewable energy projects, so they have many years of experience. Natural gas and wind is a great mix. Building coal and nuke plants shows that they can also think long term.

[Tom Konrad]

In response to JohnBo: we can have storage capacity: it's called concentrating solar power with thermal storage (usually molten salt.) By incorporating large thermal storage and a large turbine, a CSP plant can act as dispachable power... at a cost comparable to combined cycle gas turbines. See Shinnar & Citro's article on CSP in Science from October 2006.

[amazingdrx]

"Until an effctive storage technology becomes available and trusted, Wind can only be a small part of the answer."

Not as much of a problem as conventional wisdom (an oxymoron) contends.

http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2006/12/17/212637/60

Actually we do have effective storage technologies and renewable backup sources like biogas from waste digestion used in solid oxide fuel cell/turbines.

[Bruce Frykman]

The most important aspect of wind generation is that it is government mandated.

This means that the underlying idea is a bad one. If it were a good idea the utilities would seek to impliment it of their own volition.

The power transmission lines that the greenies used to oppose with such fervent rightousness are now embraced in miles that staggar the imagination. Most of the time thes transmssion lines will be carrying little or no energy but the bird kill and environmental blight will be ever present. These greenies are easily led.

All in all, the utilities cannot lose on this since they can pass off all the costs to the undustrial, commercial, and residential sectors.

The most portable industries will leave and that will mean fewer jobs. Maybe in the end we can all work for the government and then we can all write "mandates" for each other.

[Kit P.]

The original Texas mandate was relatively small but the windmills that got built proved the economics. More windmills got built, so the polticos took credit my increasing the mandate.

Elsewhere in the US, wind farms were built without mandates. Of course they all depend on the federal PTC.

[Ward Miller on Texas electricity]

The scale of this project is unprecedented ... I agree! As I drove throught west Texas and then up throught the panhandle of Texas I was amazed at the sheer number of wind turnbines already up and running producing renewable electricity for Texas. It's quite a scene to see thousands and thousands of wind mills as you drive.