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GE Energy to study impact of wind power on California grid

ATLANTA, Georgia, US, May 10, 2006 (Refocus Weekly) One of the larger green power companies has signed a contract with the University of California to study the impact that higher levels of intermittent green power generation will have on the state's power grid.

GE Energy says the goals of the project include ensuring grid reliability and quality, and accommodating emerging markets for green power generation, including both wind and solar energy. The project is funded by the Public Interest Energy Research program of the California Energy Commission.

In 2004 and 2005, GE Energy performed a similar study of the power grid in New York State, to assess how intermittent green power generation would impact system reliability, transmission planning and operations, as well as power market administration in the state. The study examined wind turbines at varying capacities and locations in New York and, since its release, has become a precedent for green power planning throughout the U.S.

“The unique impacts of wind energy need to be fully understood to protect and manage a given state’s power system,” explains GE project manager Richard Piwko. “Grid operators need to schedule the amount of electricity delivered at a given time to match the grid’s load. The supply of wind energy is difficult to schedule accurately due to wind’s fluctuating nature.”

This type of study is essential in any state before a large number of renewable generation facilities are built, he adds. One of the factors GE will evaluate is how power plants and power grid operators can compensate for those fluctuations.

Technical experts from GE will work with a team of industry experts, assembled by PIER and the California Wind Energy Collaborative, to perform the study. They will evaluate operation of the state’s power grid, starting with existing green power resources and then with three increasing levels of additional renewable resources.

The study is expected to last for 16 months. Upon completion, GE will provide recommendations on operational, financial, market, and policy considerations for integrating renewable energy into the state grid.

California leads the U.S. in development of wind power. At the end of last year, the state had 2,150 MW of installed turbine capacity, according to the American Wind Energy Association.

GE Energy is a supplier of power generation, with revenue of US$16.5 billion last year. The Georgia company works in all areas of energy, including coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear, as well as wind, solar, biogas, hydro and other alternative fuels.