June 4, 2008

New transmission lines needed to shunt wind around

From the Union for the Co-ordination of Transmission of Electricity Transmission Development Plan, 2008 (click title of this post):

The amount and location of wind generation capacity is important for transmission network development issues, because highly volatile power output (between maximal rated power and almost nil when wind conditions are unfavourable) is inherent to this generation process, with a typical associated load factor much lower than that of thermal units. In addition, regarding the location, new wind farms are usually located in areas with poor transmission networks, so new lines and infrastructure need to be planned in order to be able to evacuate this generation capacity. The consequence is that highly contrasted and variable power flows can be experienced on the transmission network, particularly if the wind farms are concentrated in neighbouring areas.

tags: wind power, wind energy, wind turbines, wind farms, environment, environmentalism