Guest column by Flora Flygt, ATC director of Planning
In response to growing concerns about climate change, many states are requiring electric utilities to produce or purchase a greater portion of their electricity from renewable resources. As a result, proposals and construction of renewable electricity generators are increasing and in turn, the transmission grid that carries this energy from remote locations to consumers needs to be expanded.
Renewable energy is often located in remote areas
Generators that use renewable energy to produce electricity often must be sited in remote locations with site-specific resources, far away from population centers that ultimately consume the energy. These facilities are located where wind, solar, biomass or hydro resources are abundant and sufficient space exists for harnessing them. Hydro and wind sources can't be moved closer to population centers. Optimal wind areas cover only 6 percent of the land mass in the lower 48 states, and the costs to produce electricity using solar energy are lowest in remote areas where demand for electricity is minimal. Once a location for these generating facilities is identified, a plan for connecting to the long-distance transmission grid is necessary.
ATC links electric generation to the transmission grid
The poles and wires that carry electricity at high voltages over long distances from power plants to local distribution facilities are owned and operated by ATC (within its service area). When a new generation facility is proposed (whether it's a traditional coal-fueled plant or a wind farm), we work closely with developers to ensure that transmission interconnections and improvements are made to accommodate the electricity that is produced.
Power lines bring renewable energy into communities
Demand for renewable power is growing. Recent policy changes in more than 20 states have required utilities to produce or purchase a greater portion of their electricity from renewable energy sources. Some of these requirements represent dramatic increases over prior standards and will, by necessity, require expanded transmission line capacity across the Midwest region.
Midwestern states' renewable electricity requirements
Wisconsin 10% by 2015
Illinois 25% by 2017
Minnesota 25% by 2025
Missouri 25% by 2025
Iowa 105 megawatts
Renewable mandates are significant
Wind power in particular has experienced phenomenal growth, quadrupling since 2000 to more than 10,000 megawatts nationwide. Nonetheless, wind still represents less than 1 percent of all U.S. power capacity, and use of renewable energy from all sources hovers around 4 percent in the Midwest. Biomass capacity nationally is smaller at 7,000 megawatts. Regionally and nationally, coal remains the predominant electricity-generating fuel; 70 percent of electricity consumed is generated by coal.
Wind energy projects in Wisconsin
Despite Wisconsin's less efficient and comparably lower wind speeds, many developers are now proposing and constructing new wind projects. Today's advances in technology are able to more efficiently harness Wisconsin's winds compared to the past. ATC is completing transmission interconnections for over 340 megawatts of wind generating capacity in Fond du Lac and Dodge counties, enough to light about 93,000 homes. These projects are expected to be online in summer 2008. Further, more than 5,000 megawatts of additional wind projects are under study in ATC's service area.
ATC supports development of all types of generation.
|
